Barry Kingston is an accomplished musician whose career highlights include a Grammy nomination for “Shaking from the Trees”; regular rotation on MTV of the Kingston penned “Standing in the Fire”; working, performing and recording with Kenny Aronoff, the drummer for John Mellancamp, The Smashing Pumpkins and too many others to mention; and a Boston Music Awards nomination for the “Standing in the Fire” video. TV placements of Barry’s music include: “Purple Sky” on NBC at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia; several “Shakin from the Trees” tunes on MTV’s Real World, New Orleans; and also other recurring exposure on cable TV shows and motion pictures. Barry has also performed in front of hundreds of thousands of fans through the course of years at such events as: National Youth Day, McNicoles Arena, Denver, Co (in front of 10,000); Inside Out Soul Festival, Loon Mountain, NH (approx 5,000); the Boston Commons, Youth Concert (approx 10,000); and solo performances abroad, including Europe and the Middle East.
Barry Kingston is a man on a journey to explore his love of music and its endless possibility to bring people together. At a young age, music took strong root in Barry and he proceeds to share this gift with whomever he comes into contact with. From reaching out to countless thousands across New England as the leader of The Breakdown in his early days, to his present musical incarnation with The Screaming Souls and the tens of thousands of young people who have heard Barry's music unplugged at New Spirit retreats, he consistently demonstrates a passion for music and a belief in its ability to foster the interconnectedness of all life.
As far as musical style is concerned, rock reigns supreme. As a kid, Barry became enamored with the music of bands like Zeppelin, Aerosmith, the Stones, and later U2. To this day, this in-your-face style of guitar based rock is evident in Barry’s music. This is witnessed with his band’s latest effort—“Screaming Souls IV”. Strong inspiration also comes from the rich tradition of reggae music. Influences such as Bob Marley, and Wyclef Jean (with whom Barry performed on stage) are never far from the core of this artist’s world view.
It has been said that onstage, Kingston has the charisma of Bono and the energy of Springsteen—that is not a bad way to put it. You can’t really talk about Barry’s music without talking about the extraordinary live performer he is. Just talk to anyone who has seen him live and words like “captivating”, “commanding” and “passionate” will come up. He is a truly gifted performer who has remained enthusiastic about the main reason for a live performance—to entertain and inspire his audience. This naturally flows from his belief in the power of music to heal and bring people together.
Barry’s biggest accomplishment may simply be the legacy of music he has created for all to explore. This music has literally changed people’s lives. Use the album links below to sample some of Barry's music. It is where the journey begins, winds through the heart and seeks to illuminate tomorrow.
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