Allan Barron
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Allan Barron |
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  Allan Barron Collection |
Allan Barron |
 Defering to the Buddy Holly era |
 Everything looks worse in black and white ... |
 Under the spotlight |
 Master of Ceremonies |
 Southern Country (1972/73) |
 Spectrum (1976) |
 Remedy |
 Album shot - Sing Me Back Home |
 Allan's stylized portrait 2022 |
 A pensive Allan Barron |
He won a songwriting competition in Auckland in 1970 with a song called The Orphan based loosely on a guy he had met while living at the YMCA. Things got a bit more serious in the mid-to-late 70s, and became something he really wanted to concentrate on about the mid 80s. Allan penned some very good stuff around then, and of course, when you've started being listened to, and your stuff is being recorded by other singers (specially those you admire) you're expected to come up with new and acceptable material at regular intervals, but this is not always easy to achieve. During all the time Allan has been writing songs he's held down day jobs, and at times it was (and still is) quite hard to find the quality time to concentrate on something you know will turn out to be good. |
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Allan was lucky enough to win the Professional Songwriters Award at the NZ Gold Guitar Awards in 1986, the Apra award for songwriting 1989, and in 2008 was awarded the Best New Song Award for that year by the Rural Roots Commission, an offshoot of the American Traditional Country Music Association. 2008 also saw Allan inducted into the Hall of Fame. He loves his work and hopes he can keep doing it successfully for many years to come. |
 Allan Barron - Misty River Publicity shot |
 Paddy Long and Allan Barron |
 Allan Barron preforming in a TV Special |
Allan got into music at an early age (about 9 or 10) and started learning the piano, progressing to learn the guitar at about age 11. Initially his efforts didn't amount to anything very much, as there was nowhere for kids (or anyone for that matter) to showcase their talent back in those days — no Country Music Clubs, Pubs (after 6 pm), or anything really, so unless you were asked to join a band (usually by a family member, or close friend) you didn't go anywhere fast. Moving to Auckland in late 60s, Allan joined a Country Music Club run by Rusty Greaves, who with his family carries on his music till this day. He moved back to Invercargill in 1971, and started seriously approaching his music at that point, forming two bands — Southern Country and then Spectrum. The latter obtained a lot of work and Allan initiated a move to Christchurch in 1977 where he started Remedy with Paddy Long, Pete Hutson and Kevin Francis in 1978. Remedy are still performing to this day, albeit with a few personnel changes, but the group still does corporate gigs, shows, and a bit of Club work. These days Allan spends a lot of time now entertaining in rest homes and retirement complexes and loves it — seeing the smiles on the residents' faces as he brings out something they may not have heard for many years. |
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 Other Peoples Songs (and some of mine) |
 Misty River |
 SIng Me Back Home |
Allan has written some really good stuff — the award winning Misty River, Heading Home, My Brothers And Me, If It's Not Love, and most recently Seven Point One, and The Boys That Came Back, among many many others - songs which are performed all around New Zealand, in Australia, the USA, Ireland, England, Thailand, and on Mediterranean Cruises. Allan Barron has three albums to his credit, all of which are still available. |
Use the following links to access relevant group profiles and smaple some of Allan's recordings ..... |
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