Jerry Barlow
ww.jerrybarlow.com

Jerry Barlow is a master of Celtic-style guitar, though his repetoire also includes original compositions and excursions into other genres of finger-style guitar. He's a warm, accessible performer and a great storyteller.

Celtic fingerstyle guitar is a musical style which started developing about thirty years ago in the British Isles, as guitarists began to play Celtic melodies that had traditionally been played on harp, pennywhistle, and fiddle.

"Recently, I have been immersed in the rich history of the Celtic people whose music I play. Knowing the legends and events behind the songs with which I am so familiar adds another dimension to some of my concerts especially those in an educational setting. Although my music ranges from light and lively jigs and reels to beautiful airs, two of my favorite songs, March of the King of Laoise and Return from Fingal, are directly related to both this somber quote that conveys the mortal fear that the Irish lived in of Viking invasions in the early 11th century and to the beloved Irish king, Brian Boru, whose armies drove the Vikings back to the sea and united the island."

Since tonight the wind is high
And the sea's white mane a fury,
I need not fear the hordes of Hell
Coursing the Irish Channel.

Anonymous

Jerry’s background as a country artist and songwriter in Nashville, where his songs were recorded by Conway Twitty, Eddy Arnold, and Jeanny Pruitt, led him to the music of the Smokey Mountains and the traditional Celtic melodies behind that music. He has studied, played, and composed original pieces in that tradition for the past seven years. His repertoire of lively jigs, spirited reels and hauntingly beautiful airs has been described as music to soothe the soul, warm the heart and lift the spirit.

"One of the things I really enjoy about my concert work is playing in the unique array of theatres around Colorado. For example, I recently performed before a sold out house at the Gunnison Center for the Arts. This charming theatre, still under renovation, is wonderfully simple. My backdrop was a beautiful 100-year-old brocade and silk hand-made quilt and a table with a vase of red snapdragons. At the other end of the spectrum is the Butte Opera House in Cripple Creek. Great care is given to every detail concerning this ornate, historic theatre; the lighting, the sound system, the beautifully painted backdrop of Cripple Creek as it was 125 years ago. I felt privileged to be on a stage with such a long and rich history."

Jerry's expressive style and sensitive renderings of Celtic music on fingerstyle guitar are ideal for concerts or for enhancing the background ambiance of elegant restaurants and social gatherings.