Biography
I have lived in the world of the arts all my adult life!
As an actor, I started in community and regional theater, moving on to musical summer stock, bus and truck tours, and star packages, performing in shows such as, Carousel, Guys & Dolls, Music Man, Kiss Me Kate, Fiddler on the Roof, Damn Yankees, and Pajama Game. Some Off-Broadway credits include Stag Movie, Alligator Man, The Drunkard and The Brass Butterfly, and I made my Broadway debut in 1976 in So Long 174th Street, playing opposite Bobby Morse.
During that time , I appeared in over 100 TV commercials, guest starred and appeared in several TV shows and sitcoms including Caroline in the City, Sister Kate, and Homefront, and in films like Bananas, Safehouse, Chance of a Lifetime, and Body Slam.
During this time in New York City, my "day gig" was that of a singer-guitarist in Manhattan's hotels, clubs, restaurants and lounges, and up and down the East Coast as a single entertainer, duo, and trio.
Bob Barry
I've had an interest in photography since I was eight years old, when my father gave me the old family Kodak 120 camera. My earliest works of consequence were in Manhattan, photographing the parks, (especially Riverside Park), and the street life. At that time, (during the late 60's to early 70's), my young actor friends had no money to get professional headshots, so I became the "photographer of choice, " and I am pleased to say that many of them found work with my photos.
In the 1980's I moved to Los Angeles. After working several years in film and TV, a chance meeting with legendary jazz guitarist John Pisano turned into a great friendship, and with it was the foundation of my 25-year career as a music industry and jazz photographer.
The late jazz photographer Ray Avery referred to my work as “Performance Portraits.” It is that description that most accurately defines my work and satisfies me. All my images are taken during performances in available light. In my experience, under these conditions, I can find the honesty, vulnerability and emotional content that I look for.
I am on the Board of Directors of the California Jazz Foundation, a charitable organization that reaches out to Jazz and Blues musicians in need.
I am presently the photo archivist for the Jazz Bakery Movable Feast, John Pisano’s Guitar Night, and the Just Jazz Concert Series. I also photograph concerts and jazz festivals around Los Angeles, throughout the country, and abroad, and I served as Director of Photography for special events for the American Jazz Museum In Kansas City, Missouri from 2008-14.
Having published the John Pisano Guitar Night Calendar in 2018, I published my first book, a pictorial history of John Pisano’s 25-plus year musical event, called Guitar Night.
I have photographed covers, and contributed photo art for 85 CD’s and DVD’s, for artists such as Rosemary Clooney, Kenny Burrell, (six covers), Dianne Schuur, Barbara Morrison, Mark Murphy, John Pisano, Pat Martino, Johnny Rivers and Jim Webb, Danny Seraphine ‘s (CTA), Mary Stallings, Pat Senatore & Joe Diorio.
My work resides in the permanent collections of the American Jazz Museum and The Mayme Clayton Library and Museum, and in a permanent installation at the Henry Mancini Building (Sound Department) of NBC Universal Studios. I have been shown in several galleries, libraries, nightclubs and studios around Los Angeles, Kansas City, MO, and the United Kingdom.
In 2012, I was the subject of a documentary called Bob Barry – Jazzography in Black & White, produced and directed by filmmaker Dailey Pike, which won an award at the Tupelo Film Festival, and was a finalist in the Arch Light Documentary Film Festival in Hollywood, CA.