Joe Barry born 13 July 1939

Joe Barry (July 13, 1939 – August 31, 2004) was an American swamp pop singer active on the early rock and roll scene. During his career he also occasionally recorded under his real name and as "Roosevelt Jones". 

A white Cajun from southern Louisiana, Joseph Barrios was born in poverty. His father (his first musical influence) was a boat captain, while his mother worked in the fields, cutting sugarcane. Barry did not want to spend his entire life in the swamps and he moved to New Orleans in 1957. Here his Cajun style was filtered with the rich sounds of Fats Domino and Smiley Lewis. In 1958 Barry formed a nine-piece band, the Dukes of Rhythm, which came to the attention of Floyd Soileau, who had just started the Jin label. However, before Barry got a chance to record, he had a dispute with the Dukes of Rhythm and organized a new band, the Delphis. This new group accompanied him on his first record "Greatest Moment Of My Life" for the Jin label in 1960. Says Joe, "Our record was a huge success in Cut Off, but it sold about 927 copies in total." 

After two R&B singles for Sho-Biz, Soileau agreed to record Joe again, after being impressed by a tape of a new song, "I Got A Feeling". This became the A-side of his next single, but it was the other side "I'm A Fool To Care" that turned out to be the hit. It was picked up for national distribution by Smash Records. Originally written and recorded by country singer Ted Daffan in 1940, "I'm A Fool To Care" had been a # 6 hit for Les Paul and Mary Ford in 1954. Joe's version, which peaked at # 24 on the pop charts and # 15 R&B in 1961, owed a lot to Fats Domino, though this was not intentional according to Joe. "I didn't even sing Fats Domino songs back then. I did Ray Charles and local things, but I rarely did Fats Domino unless I had a request. It just came out that way. I was more surprised than anybody else because I could never hear any resemblance". The song also charted in the UK Singles Chart at No.49. By 1968 it had sold over one million copies, earning a gold record designation. 

                             

The follow-up single, "Teardrops in My Heart", also charted in the U.S. but did not reach the Top 40. During his career in 1960 or 1961 Joe Barry also appeared on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. However, his career thereafter became a long anti- climax, as few promoters and record labels wanted to work with such an unstable and unreliable performer, as much given to fighting with his audience as singing to them. He usually had a gun with him and spent a lot of money replacing TV sets he shot out. He also had a reputation for smashing up hotel rooms. During this era Barry frequently played at Papa Joe's in New Orleans, and the Esquire ballroom in Houston. 

Record releases continued on a variety of labels (including his own Success label), but there were no further chart entries and by 1968 with money not forthcoming Barry found work from Nashville as a session musician. He signed a contract with Nugget Records. He recorded six tracks for the label before leaving music due to a quarrel with the Nugget management, after which Barry refused to record for them, and in return, they refused to release him from the five-year contract, so he returned to work on the off-shore oil platforms in Louisiana. In the early 1970s, he turned to religion, alternating between preaching and selling used cars. He returned to his native Cut Off and lived there for the rest of his life.

In 1976 Huey Meaux contacted Barry and wanted him back in the studio. Joe signed with ABC-Dot, for which he recorded an album and a single, but the label was in the process of being sold to MCA and a lot of artists were dropped and promotion ceased. Joe was one such casualty. Starting 1978, Joe had to give up performing because of serious problems with both his heart and lungs. He still had occasional forays into recording studios, and recorded a full-length country album, followed with a religious album in 1980. Bad luck and trouble dogged him in the mid-80’s, as his faith wavered in the wake of the Swaggart and Bakker sex scandals, and his health collapsed. He was penniless and ill, living in a house with no water or electricity, when a kicked-over lantern resulted in the destruction of even that humble abode. His last professional performance was on June 29, 1993. 

By 2000 he was suffering with arthritis, asthma, diabetes and heart disease. Nevertheless, some vocals were recorded and backings were added at a studio. The album was a remarkable, highly lauded work, completed despite Barry’s numerous physical ailments that prevented him from singing for more than 30 seconds at a time. "Been Down That Muddy Road", came out in 2003 on Night Train Records to good reviews. It was  produced by Aaron Fuchs of Night Train International in New York City, along with Pershing Wells and Michael Vice of Houma, Louisiana. The band Blue Eyed Soul Revue was used on all the tracks. But a year later, on August 31, 2004, in Cut Off, Louisiana,at the age of 65, a heart attack meant the end of his life. 

He made some fine swamp pop recordings and should be remembered for more than "I'm A Fool To Care" and broken motel rooms. 

(Edited from This Is My Story, Wikipedia, Discogs & Music Enterprises)