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<\/a><\/p>\nBarry might be the first successful secular artist to become a leading contemporary Christian musician. He was a member of the successful folk group The New Christy Minstrels<\/i>–not a founding member, but co-wrote their first hit, Green, Green<\/a><\/i>, on which his characteristic voice can be identified on lead vocals. He went on to appear on stage in the Broadway hit musical Hair<\/i>, but was best known for his single–which knocked The Beatles<\/i>‘ Help!<\/i> out of the number one spot–Eve of Destruction<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n In 1973 he recorded his first Christian album, Seeds<\/i>, on Myrrh Records. I was aware of the album, and am sure I heard it, but don’t recall any titles on the track list. His signature song Happy Road<\/a><\/i>, recorded in several versions on several disks, was originally released on Lighten Up<\/i> in 1974 (and the backup vocals might sound familiar, but we’ll get to them).<\/p>\n His most famous studio album was undoubtedly Cosmic Cowboy<\/i>, whose title song<\/a> rose on the Contemporary Christian music charts when it was released. I think most of us didn’t know what it was–Rap was brand new and at that time exclusively black, so a song in which the lead singer talked all the way through had more in common with Country\/Western ballads, but the heavily-orchestrated disco-like background music was incongruous with that genre.<\/p>\n About the same time he got a lot of airplay of the title song of a children’s album, Bullfrogs & Butterflies<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n I always found that Barry’s studio work did not do him justice. I met him at a concert somewhere near Boston in probably 1976 or 77, and he impressed me by taking time to talk with me about music ministry; that’s been recounted in web log post #163: So You Want to Be a Christian Musician<\/a><\/i>, and it inspired me to write my song Mountain, Mountain<\/a><\/i> (Barry is the mountain, not just because he is a large and imposing person and personality). In March, 1977, I opened for him at a Gordon College banquet we called the March Thaw, but was unable to play the song for him then, and then when I was at the radio station he stopped by one day when he was singing in the area and talked with me on the air, but I didn’t have a guitar (and silly me I should have sung it for him a capella, but I didn’t think of it and didn’t think I would never see him again).<\/p>\n He appeared on the Keith Green tribute album First Love<\/i>, and reportedly retired but returned to tour with Terry Talbot. I find no report of him since 2016, but no obituary either.<\/p>\n We’ll have more of Barry after the next entry, because his music for a time was intertwined with another band who recorded with him numerous times but is much better known for its own career.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n The series to this point has included:<\/p>\n This is mark Joseph “young” blog entry #266, on the subject of Minstrel Barry McGuire. I met Barry McGuire thrice; I’ve mentioned that, and I’ll tell you about it, but his history goes back before mine. Barry might be the first successful secular artist to become a leading contemporary Christian musician. He was a member … Continue reading #266: Minstrel Barry McGuire<\/span> \n