1940s births 2022 deaths American rock guitarists Barry Bailey was an American guitarist. He served as lead guitarist with

Atlanta Rhythm Section Atlanta Rhythm Section (or ARS) is an American Southern rock band formed in 1970 by Rodney Justo (singer), Barry Bailey (guitar), Paul Goddard (bass), Dean Daughtry (keyboards), Robert Nix (drummer), Robert Nix (drums) and J. R. Cobb (guitar). ...

from 1970 to 2006 when he retired due to multiple sclerosis. He was born in 1948 in Decatur in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. When he was twelve, his parents gifted him an acoustic silvertone guitar. In the early 1960s teenage Barry played in bands like The Imperials, The Vons and Wayne Loguidice and the Kommotions. His early work included being a session guitarist, playing on records by

Liberace Władziu Valentino Liberace (May 16, 1919 – February 4, 1987) was an American pianist, singer and actor. He was born in Wisconsin to parents of Italian and Polish Americans, Polish origin and enjoyed a career spanning four decades of concerts, ...

Frankie Miller Francis John Miller (born 2 November 1949) is a Scottish rock singer-songwriter and actor. Miller wrote for and performed with many recording artists and is best known for his 1977 album ''Full House'', the singles "Be Good To Yourself", " D ...

and

Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Song of the Year, ...

. In 1970, Bailey played lead on gospel singer

Mylon LeFevre Mylon Rae LeFevre (October 6, 1944 – September 8, 2023) was an American Christian rock singer known for his work with his band Mylon and Broken Heart. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and traveled around the United States, mi ...

"Mylon, We Believe". In the late 60s Bailey was a guitarist for

The Candymen The Candymen (or the Candy Men) were an American pop quintet active 1965–1972 which prefigured the Atlanta Rhythm Section. The group were managed by Dothan, Alabama Dothan is a city in and the county seat of Houston County, Alabama, Housto ...

, a pop group that served as the backing band for

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist known for his distinctive and powerful voice, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. Orbison's most successful periods were ...

at one point and also included J.R. Cobb, Rodney Justo, Robert Nix and

Dean Daughtry William Dean Daughtry (September 8, 1946 – January 26, 2023) was an American musician. Daughtry was the keyboardist for the Classics IV after Joe Wilson departed. They had a 1968 #3 US/#46 UK/#1 Can hit with " Spooky". He co-founded the Atlan ...

. In 1970, Bailey joined The Atlanta Rhythm Section, a band that served as the session band for Studio One in Georgia; this band also featured all of his Candymen bandmates. Their most successful album, " Champagne Jam", provided their biggest song to date " Imaginary Lover", which due to a playback incident on the radio in which the version of the song from the 33rpm album was played in 45rpm leading to the sped up vocals sounding eerily similar to

Stevie Nicks Stephanie Lynn Nicks (born May 26, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter, known for her work with the band Fleetwood Mac and as a solo artist. After starting her career as a duo with her then-boyfriend Lindsey Buckingham, releasing the album ...

, caused a high demand for it to be released as a single, eventually going to #7 on the Hot 100. In 2005, Bailey was diagnosed with

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

but continued to play another year until 2006 when his wife Dawn was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer; his wife died the same year but Bailey did not return to the band as the MS was starting to worsen. The disease eventually made him lose the ability to use his arms. On June 19, 2009, he was given key to the city of Decatur. June 19th was also delcared "Barry Bailey Day" in the city. Bailey passed away in his sleep on saturday March 12, 2022. He was 73.

References

{{Atlanta Rhythm Section