“Barney” got interested in the guitar after attending a Rolling Stones concert in the late 1960’s. He begged his parents for a guitar and amp and was soon playing at local parties and teen clubs. After several years of playing blues, rock and jazz, his interest shifted to Country and Bluegrass music. In 1979 he bought his first mandolin. He is primarily self-taught but did study music theory and harmony at the Sacred Heart Academy. He also took classes in recording studio technique at Northern Illinois University while working on his engineering degree. He endured six months of intense voice training at the RPM Music School. At age 50, he bought a dusty old fiddle at a barn sale, fixed it up and took lessons for two years. This all led to stints with several Rock, Country, Irish and Bluegrass groups as well as many solo performances. He has recorded two albums of traditional Christmas instrumentals and teaches guitar, mandolin and beginning fiddle.