Lightning Fiddle Collection

CD Details

Review

“Forget the Fiddle as you know it” — Lance Juracka, Showbiz Magazine, September 24, 2000

Product Description

Barry blazes through some of your favorite fiddle tunes on two CD’s. Songs include:Orange Blossom Special, Milk Cow Blues, Ghostriders In The Sky, Rocky Top Tennessee, The Devil Went Down To Georgia and Amazing Grace. The music is based on the tradition of generations of fiddle music, but Barry’s special touch and unique ideas, combined with his lightning spead agility, forms a powerful style you’ve never seen before.

About the Artist

Barry Van Wie continually astounds audiences with his inventive blues style on violin and lightning speed fiddle playing. Fans enjoy Barry’s specialty on mandolin as well as his vocal abilities. He has a smile and charismatic stage presence to capture and charm the crowd. This virtuoso’s style is influenced by musical genres such as bluegrass, fusion, country, blues, rock, swing and classical. Barry is currently touring, performing lightning-fast fiddle hits and inventive blues featuring the electric violin. This music is all found on his albums: “Lightning Fiddle Collection” and “Scuffle Shuffle Blues”. During the holiday’s, he also performs music from his Christmas album “Strings of Christmas”.
In 1998 he joined with steel guitar player, Buzz Evans, to form a powerful instrumental duo called Deuce. The group entertained nightly on the Fremont Street Experience in Las Vegas.
Throughout 1997 Barry Van Wie lit up the stage with the production show “Country Tonight” at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. For three years (1994-1996) he was featured on fiddle in “Country Fever” at the Golden Nugget. He was assistant musical director as well as designated backup musician for lead guitar, acoustic guitar, electric bass and keyboard.
In 1996 Barry produced and recorded his first album entitled “Strings of Christmas.” This production is a classical arrangement of 20 traditional Christmas melodies. It features a mixture of violin, cello and mandolin over a symphonic sound.
Barry performed at groundbreaking ceremonies for the Country Star Restaurant with Reba McIntire, Vince Gill, and Wynnona Judd in June 1995. He won first place in the Fiddle Competition in Laughlin, Nevada in January 1996. He has been a studio session player in Phoenix and Las Vegas since 1989.
Barry began classical training on piano and violin at age four. At a very young age he performed at parties, weddings, concerts, and festivals as the lead fiddle player with Van Wie Family Fiddlers. At 12-years-old Barry won the Arizona State Fiddle Championships in the junior division category. He played with the Symphonettes and Phoenix Symphony Guild Youth Orchestra. Barry also attended the prestigious Sewanee International Music Camp in Sewanee, Tennessee.