In memory of Carol Barney
JohnS16545
morning hours of April 12, 2000 at Miriam Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island.
Her friend Bridget Fitzgerald was in the room, sleeping, when the end came, so
by all indications her passing was peaceful. She had been fighting non-Hodgkins
lymphoma for nearly a year-- she was 51. She was known throughout New England
and elsewhere for her work with the Boston-based Irish band Fourin A Feire
(Bridget Fitzgerald, Patrick Hutchinson, Roger Burridge and Carol) and later on
as Bridget's accompanist.
I had known Carol for nearly four years, having met her at the Augusta Heritage
Workshops Irish Week in Elkins, West Virginia in 1996. We jammed together one
evening, at the insistence of singer Sue Mogan-Mattison, who knew us both and
was convinced that, as Celtic fingerstyle guitarists, we had to meet one
another. The experience was a profound one for both of us, as our respective
playing styles and sensibilities matched wonderfully. On the basis of that
magical first encounter, we decided to make a duet album together.
While it's no exaggeration to state that half the material on our recording had
its origins in what we played that first evening, it took another three years
for the album, eventually titled "Ceol Anam", to become a reality. With the
exception of the Augusta workshops and occasional trips to play in one
another's backyard, we mostly had to rely on the phone, snail mail and cassette
tapes to get our work done (Carol didn't have a computer). With the help of
Carol's friend Lenny Rumpler, who made the monies available for the album's
production, and Caroline and Sandy Paton of Folk-Legacy Records, we recorded
the bulk of the album in June of 1998, and Folk-Legacy released it in late
summer of the following year.
I feel extremely lucky to have known Carol and been her artistic partner. A
small woman of quiet and unassuming demeanor, she could easily be overlooked in
a crowd, but within was a deep and abiding love and appreciation of the
beautiful things in life, which manifested itself in her sensitive and
evocative work on the guitar and concertina, the glass and stamped metal
jewelry she designed and crafted, and her friendship with all of us who
remember her so fondly. The release of "Ceol Anam" was in many ways her debut
as a recording artist with an individual musical statement to make, and the
fact of its accomplishment and critical acclaim, both from her own musical
circle of friends and from the wider world, were certainly a comfort to her in
the midst of her ordeal. I'm deeply glad that she was able to complete this
work with me and leave us with that to remember her by, and deeply saddened
that there will be no more.
A memorial celebration for Carol is to be held in Providence on May 7. If
interested in the details (many of which are yet to be determined), please
E-mail me privately. I will also be putting a small memorial to her on my
webpage.
John Sherman
Chuck Boyer
As luck would have it, "Ceol Anam" is the CD
we're currently playing in the family car. It's
sad that we'll get to hear no more collaborative
works, but I'm thankful for that one. It's lovely.
Our condolences to you, her family and her friends.
Chuck Boyer
ar...@sover.net
The CD I reviewed for Acoustic Guitar Magazine was wonderful. I am
truly sad to hear of Carol's passing. The best suggestion I can make
to remember Carol would be to get the CD.
A wonderful guitarist will be sadly missed.
Art Edelstein
Art Edelstein, 771 Bayne-Comolli Rd., East Calais, VT 05650-8095
Homepage @ http://www.sover.net/~arte/
Hear my new CD "The Water is Wide" http://www.sover.net/~arte/cd.htm
Liberal Arts Major . . . Will Think For Food