Edwin McCain Special Guest: Chris Barron

This Southern boy returns to The Barns after a smash performance in 2007 with a new album of soulful acoustics.

Edwin McCain - What drives Edwin McCain is something that goes beyond successful Top Ten hits and mainstream popularity, although this poignant singer/songwriter has achieved both during his musical career. Along with seven albums showcasing his folk, soul, and rock influences and multiple Billboard chart-topping singles, McCain maintains one of the most rigorous touring schedules in the music business, averaging more than 300 nights per year. His continued devotion and catchy tunes have made him a mainstay of the American roots-rock scene.

McCain grew up in Charleston, South Carolina, in a home filled with jazz and soul music. When he started writing songs, these past influences became inseparablefrom his work. McCain's talent for writing introspective lyrics with compelling songs was noticed by Atlantic Records. He signed to Atlantic's Lava subsidiary in 1995 and recorded his debut album, Honor Among Thieves. While touring, McCain's single "Solitude" gained popularity and reached the Billboard Top 40.

McCain established his place in roots rock with the release of Misguided Roses (1997) which included the mainstream phenomenon single, "I'll Be." After McCain performed the Top 10 hit on the Dr. Phil Show in 2005, "I'll Be" was voted Best Wedding Song by more than one million viewers. McCain's next album, 1999's Messenger, was even more successful with the Top 40 hit, "I Could Not Ask for More."

Far from Over was released in 2001 and inspired McCain to take his career in a more progressive direction. He departed from Atlantic and soon after, released back-to-back albums The Austin Sessions in 2003 and Scream and Whisper in 2004. Later in 2004, McCain released the live DVD Tinsel and Tap Shoes: Live at the House of Blues. His album, Lost in America, was released on Vanguard Records in 2006 with the hit single "Gramercy Park Hotel."

In 2008 McCain released Nobody's Fault But Mine, his first all-covers album that includes classic soul tracks like "Can I Get a Witness" and a duet of Otis Redding's "I've Got Dreams to Remember," with fellow roots singer Joan Osborne. Reviewer Thom Jurek of Allmusic.com calls the album "solid from top to bottom" and praises McCain for journeying back to his Southern soul and funk heritage with a "swaggering confidence."

-Alissa Bourbonnais & Teresa Weaver

Chris Barron - Lead singer of the alternative rock group, the Spin Doctors, Grammy nominee Chris Barron catapulted to mainstream success in the mid-'90s with Top Five hits "Two Princes" and "Little Miss Can't Be Wrong." The band's second album, 1991's Pocket Full of Kryptonite, was out for a year before the band's catchy, neo-hippie/pop melodies caught on with audiences and eventually went multi-platinum. The band went on to make a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, was featured on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, and rolled out a massive nationwide tour.

After the group disbanded in the late '90s, Barron was incapacitated with vocal chord paralysis and specialists gave him a 50 percent chance of recovery. After a year of intensive therapy, Barron recovered and returned to the music scene as a solo artist. His sincerity and versatility can be seen on his two solo releases: Shag (2001), which experiment with a variety of genres from rock, funk, country, and jazz. Barron and the other three Spin Doctors reunited in 2005 to release Nice Talking to Me, which AllMusic.com dubs their best album since Kryptonite. Barron released another album in 2005, Poncho and the Kid, and performs live with his band, Chris Barron & the Time Bandits.

-Teresa Weaver