Nicholas "Nick" Paul Barker is an Australian singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriter

Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...

 and guitarist who formed a Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

-based rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

, power pop

Power pop

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...

 band Nick Barker & the Reptiles in March 1988. Their cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

"Make Me Smile " is a song written and recorded by Steve Harley. It was originally recorded by his band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel on the album The Best Years of Our Lives and released as a single in 1975...

" reached the top 30 on the Australian Recording Industry Association

Australian Recording Industry Association

The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

 (ARIA) Singles Chart

ARIA Charts

The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

 in November 1989. They provided two top 40 albums on the related ARIA Albums Chart, Goin' to Pieces (1989) and After the Show (1991). He formed Barker in 1993, their single, "Time Bomb" was voted No. 20 on Triple J Hottest 100

Triple J Hottest 100, 1994

The 1994 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1995, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. A CD featuring 32 of the songs was released...

 list for 1994. He then went solo from 1995.

Biography

Nicholas Paul Barker was the bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

ist for a succession of Melbourne

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

-based bands starting with The Curse during 1980–1981 and 1982–1983, during the summer of 1982-1983 he played and recorded with Beachouse. Also in The Curse's line-up were Adrian Chynoweth on guitar, Nique Needles, John Rowell and Graeme Scott. He moved to Reptile Smile with Chynoweth and Nick Cross, Rick Hawkins and Tony Hawkins during 1983–1984. Then Freak Power with Chynoweth, Needles and Scott before joining rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

, blues group, The Wreckery in December 1985. The Wreckery had formed earlier in the year with Robin Casinader

Robin Casinader

Robin Romesh Casinader is an Australian composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist.He has been a member of many bands including Plays With Marionettes with Hugo Race, The Wreckery with Hugo Race and Nick Barker, and Dave Graney And The Coral Snakes...

 on drums, piano, Hammond organ, guitar and violin (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Horla), Edward Clayton-Jones on guitar, organ and vocals (ex-Fabulous Marquises, Plays with Marionettes, Horla, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are an Australian alternative rock band, formed in Melbourne in 1983. The band is fronted by Nick Cave and has featured international personnel throughout their career.-Formation and early releases :...

), Tadeusz O'Biegly on bass guitar, Hugo Race

Hugo Race

Hugo Race is an Australian rock musician and record producer who has been based in Europe since 1989. He was a member of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, before forming The Wreckery with Nick Barker and Robin Casinader in the 1980s. He is currently a member of Hugo Race and the True Spirit.Race is...

 on vocals and guitar (ex-Plays with Marionettes, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds) and Charles Todd on saxophone, organ (ex-Wild Dog Rodeo, Cattletruck). Barker performed on their releases Yeh My People (mini-album, 1986), Here at Pain's Insistence (1987), The Collection (compilation, 1988), and Laying Down Law (1988) but had left before the latter was released.

Barker moved to lead guitar

Lead guitar

Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...

 and formed a rock, blues, power pop

Power pop

Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...

 band, Nick Barker & the Reptiles in March 1988 with former band mate Chynoweth on guitar; and Drew Basford on bass guitar and David Pinder on drums

Drum kit

A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....

. The group signed to Mushroom Records

Mushroom Records

Mushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...

' White Label imprint—created by Michael Gudinski

Michael Gudinski

Michael Solomon Gudinski, AM is an Australian entrepreneur and businessman currently based in Melbourne who is a leading figure in the Australian music industry...

 upon signing Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...

 to his Mushroom stable. The Reptiles debut single, "Another Me" appeared in December. Chris Harris joined the group on harmonica

Harmonica

The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...

 and they released their debut album, Goin' to Pieces in August 1989, which peaked into the Australian Recording Industry Association

Australian Recording Industry Association

The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...

 (ARIA) Albums Chart

ARIA Charts

The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...

 top 40. The album was produced by Jim Faraci (Femme Fatale), Mark Moffatt (Mental As Anything

Mental As Anything

Mental As Anything are an Australian New Wave–rock music band formed at an art school in Sydney in 1976. Their most popular line-up was Martin Plaza on vocals and guitar; Reg Mombassa on lead guitar and vocals; his brother Peter "Yoga Dog" O'Doherty on bass guitar and vocals; Wayne "Bird"...

, Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil

Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...

) and Chris Bailey (ex-The Saints

The Saints (band)

The Saints are an Australian rock band, which formed in Brisbane in 1974 as punk rockers. Founders were Chris Bailey , Ivor Hay , and Ed Kuepper . Alongside mainstay Bailey, the group has had numerous line-ups...

). The band's cover version

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 of Cockney Rebel's "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)

"Make Me Smile " is a song written and recorded by Steve Harley. It was originally recorded by his band Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel on the album The Best Years of Our Lives and released as a single in 1975...

" reached the top 30 on the ARIA Singles Chart in November. They undertook a touring schedule with 200 performances a year on the national pub rock

Pub rock (Australia)

Pub rock is a style of Australian rock and roll popular throughout the 1970s and 1980s, and still influencing contemporary Australian music today....

 circuit.

In 1990, Matthew Heydon joined on keyboards

Keyboard instrument

A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...

 and Marc Scully (ex-Love Rodeo, Deadly Hume) replaced Basford on bass guitar. Their second album, After the Show (1991) was produced by Joe Hardy (Tom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane

Tom Cochrane, OC Canadian musician and humanitarian, best known for his hit songs "Life Is a Highway", "Lunatic Fringe", "Human Race" and "I Wish You Well". Cochrane fronted the Canadian rock band Red Rider and has won seven Juno Awards...

) which also peaked into the top 40, however none of its three singles charted into the top 50. "Out in the Open" appeared in February 1992 and was followed by an Extended Play

Extended play

An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...

 (EP), Loose in April. Its tracks were used as fill

Fill (music)

In popular music, a fill is a short musical passage, riff, or rhythmic sound which helps to sustain the listener's attention during a break between the phrases of a melody....

 music on the TV program, Nine's Wide World of Sports.

After a period of hiatus and overseas travel, Barker returned to Melbourne and disbanded the Reptiles in 1993. He formed Barker with ex-Reptile Heydon, and Venom Brown on drums (ex-Massive Appendage), Tim Henwood on guitar and Anthony Ragg on bass guitar (ex-Kings of the Sun). They released three singles and the album, Happy Man in 1994 and followed with Son of Happy Man (EP) in 1995. Of their singles, "Time Bomb", was voted No. 20 on Triple J Hottest 100

Triple J Hottest 100, 1994

The 1994 Triple J Hottest 100, counted down in January 1995, was a countdown of the most popular songs of the year, according to listeners of the Australian radio station Triple J. A CD featuring 32 of the songs was released...

 list for 1994.

His solo career started with the album Damn Mermaids (1996) and two singles, his backing band were Lincoln Jones on bass guitar and Craig Whitelock on drums. His second solo album was Annie Get Your Guru (1999). Barker continued to perform solo and acoustic

Acoustic music

Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...

—or accompanied by a keyboardist or harmonica player—into the 2000s. His 2001 release, Returned Service, had acoustic tracks culled from a number of live performances in different Australian cities. Barker signed to Croxton Records, an imprint co-founded by former Weddings Parties Anything

Weddings Parties Anything

Weddings Parties Anything were an Australian folk rock band formed in 1984 in Melbourne and continuing until 1998. Their name came from The Clash song and musicologist Billy Pinnell described their first album as the best Australian rock debut since Skyhooks' Living in the '70s.-Formation and...

 frontman Mick Thomas. Barker became popular in Brazil and released Sanctuary – Best of there in 2002. In 2003, he released Backyard Six which featured a musical response to the Bali bombings, "Plait Your Hair". In 2005, Barker re-did his earlier songs as part of the Liberation Blue Acoustic Series on C-sides.

Since 1997, Barker branched into acting roles including minor appearances in TV series Blue Heelers

Blue Heelers

Blue Heelers is an Australian police drama series which depicted the lives of police officers stationed at the fictional Mount Thomas police station in a small town in Victoria.- Overview :...

and Pizza

Pizza (TV series)

Pizza is an Australian black comedy television series on the Australian television network, SBS. It has also spun off a feature length movie in 2003, and in 2004 released a highlights video/DVD which also included previously unshown footage and a schoolies exposé theatre show entitled "Fat Pizza"...

, and appearing in a role with Rachel Griffiths

Rachel Griffiths

Rachel Anne Griffiths is an Australian film and television actress who came to prominence in the 1994 film Muriel's Wedding and her Academy Award nominated performance in the 1997 film Hilary and Jackie....

 in the Australian film Amy, produced by David Parker

David Parker (director)

David Parker is an Australian cinematographer, film producer, screenwriter and film director.Films written by Parker include Malcolm, Rikky and Pete, The Big Steal, and Amy. He has directed two films, Hercules Returns and Diana and Me.He is married to Nadia Tass-External links:* at...

 and Nadia Tass

Nadia Tass

Nadia Tass is a film director, producer and actress, originally from Macedonia, northern Greece, who moved to Australia in the 1960s. She began her career as an actress appearing in the television series Prisoner. Ms...

. He also penned and performed songs for the soundtrack, which included work by Ed Kuepper

Ed Kuepper

Ed Kuepper is an Australian guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He co-founded the seminal punk band The Saints, the experimental post-punk group Laughing Clowns and later the grunge-like The Aints...

, Lamb and Philip Judd, (ex-Split Enz

Split Enz

Split Enz were a New Zealand band of the 1970s and early 1980s featuring Phil Judd and brothers Tim Finn and Neil Finn. They achieved chart success in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada during the early 1980s ‒ most notably with the single "I Got You", and built a cult following elsewhere...

).

In addition to his own recording and touring commitments, Barker has produced

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 young Adelaide rock act Southpaw. Barker has written tracks, recorded and performd with Mark Seymour (Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors

Hunters & Collectors were an Australian rock music band formed in Melbourne in 1981, fronted by singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Seymour, they developed a blend of pub rock and art-funk...

), Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly (musician)

Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...

, and You Am I

You Am I

You Am I are an Australian alternative rock band, fronted by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Tim Rogers. They were the first Australian band to have three albums successively debut at #1 on the ARIA Charts, and are renowned for their live performances.-History:Tim Rogers formed the first...

 frontman Tim Rogers

Tim Rogers

Tim Rogers is the frontman of Australian rock band You Am I. He is also a solo artist, as well as having fronted and released albums with bands The Twin Set and The Temperance Union.-History:...

. Matt Heydon of the Reptiles went on to Jimmy Barnes

Jimmy Barnes

James Dixon Swan , better known as Jimmy Barnes, is a Scottish-born Australian rock singer-songwriter. His father Jim Swan was a prizefighter and his older brother John Swan is also a rock singer. It was actually John who had encouraged and taught Jim how to sing as he wasn't really interested at...

’ band, Marc Scully later joined Ratcat, and Tim Henwood of Barker later joined the Superjesus and the Androids. Barker toured with Tim Rogers, including to United Kingdom & Europe; he toured in Jimmy Barnes' band for the New Zealand leg of the In the Heat of Night tour during 2006–2007.

In March 2011, Barker played a much vaunted gig in the Whorouly Hotel Beer Garden to mark the first event of its type in the revitalised North East Victorian Pub. Barker's band on this day comprised Michael Barclay on drums, Alan Brooker (ex-Paul Kelly and the Dots

Paul Kelly (musician)

Paul Maurice Kelly is an Australian rock music singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player. He has performed solo, and has led numerous groups, including the Dots, the Coloured Girls, and the Messengers. He has worked with other artists and groups, including associated projects Professor...

) on bass guitar and Justin Garner on lead guitar. The gig was attended by a mix of long time supporters and the local community. A torrential downpour during the first set threatened the event, but the band braved the weather and punters were rewarded with a classic Barker performance. The gig, organised by Troy Wood and publican's Graham Wood and Jennifer Garrett, was rated an early contender for 2011 gig of the year by Geelong music critic, Rokdog (Chris Nicholls).

Albums

Nick Barker & the Reptiles

• Goin' to Pieces (1989)
• After the Show (1991)

Barker

• Happy Man (1994)

Solo

• Damn Mermaids (1996)
• Annie Get Your Guru (1999)
• Returned Service – Live Acoustic Album (2001)
• Sanctuary – Best of (Brazil only compilation, 2002)
• Backyard Six (2003)
• C-sides (2005)
• Black Water Blues (2009)

Extended plays

Nick Barker & the Reptiles

• Loose - EP (April 1992)

Barker

• Son of Happy Man (1995)

Singles

Nick Barker & the Reptiles

• "Another Me" (1988)
• "(Sure Beats) Goin' to Pieces" (1989)
• "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" (1989)
• "Won't Get You Loved" (1991)
• "Can't Hold on" (1991)
• "Miles to Go" (1991)
• "Out in the Open' (1992)

Barker

• "Heard So Much About You" (1994)
• "World's a Peach" (1994)
• "Time Bomb" (1994)

Solo

• "Imogen" (1996)
• "Someone Like You" (1996)