The Barries (New Haven, Connecticut)
Personnel :
Jimmy O'connor (Lead)
Guy Villano (Tenor)
Al "Brush" Battista (Baritone)
Nickie Delano
Joe Marturiello "Big Joe" (Bass)
Discography :
1963 - Why Don't You Write Me / Mary Ann (Vernon 102)
1964 - Tonight, Tonight / Mary Ann (Ember 1101)
1965 - When You're Out Of School / The Loneliest Man In Town (Di-Nan 101)
Biography :
The Original Barries featured Guy Villano, Al "Brush" Battista,
Nickie Delano (formally of Nickie and the Nobles), Joe Marturiello and
Jimmy O'connor . "Tonight, Tonight" Remake of a song that had originally
charted at #77 for the Mello-Kings in 1957 (as "Tonite, Tonite") were
recorded in New York with just three members of the group : Jimmy
O'connor on lead Guy Villano, tenor & Al Battista baritone doing
base runs. They over dubed the background using Jimmy for the extra
voice. At the same session they did 'Mary Ann" and "Why Don't You Write
Me". New Haven’s sixteen year-old Richard Carpenter (Of the Carpenter)
made his recording debut when he joined the Barries for their songs
"Mary Ann" and "Why Don't You Write Me". Richard played piano on these
recordings. "Mary Ann" and "Why Don't You Write Me" will be released by
Vernon Records, a label from Connecticut.
Richard Carpenter
Al
Silver owner of Ember Records got reports of some action and bought the
master and released "Tonight, Tonight" b/w "Mary Ann". "Tonight,
Tonight" Did not chart nationally in Billboard, but charted locally in
the Top 20 in New Haven, Connecticut in March 1964. One of the more
enduring and popular white doo-wops, the Barries version of "Tonight,
Tonight" shows the Mello-Kings vastly overrated song for what it truly
is. In 1964, Nickie Delano and Joe Marturiello left the group and Andy
Smith joined the Barries.
Andy Smith, Guy Villano, Jimmmy O'Connor & Al Battista
The
last release of the Barries will be released in 1965 with "When You're
Out Of School" b/w "The Loneliest Man In Town", both tunes written by
their new member Andy Smith. Andy Later recorded with the Frontiers
(guitarist on their MGM label 45, "You" in '67) and then helped form
another group called Beau Phenom, That group issued one single on the
Co-Op label in 1969, "Call Off Life". Lead singer Jimmy O'Connor, would
join up with teenagers who formed a group with members who resided in
surrounding areas of New Haven, They called their group the Chosen Few.
As if that were original! They also recorded for the Co-Op label, which
was based out of Merle's Record Rack, a prolific and popular record shop
formerly located on Chapel Street in downtown New Haven.
Songs :
Why Don't You Write Me Mary Ann
Tonight, Tonight The Loneliest Man In Town