Southern Part of Heaven - Barry Lee Harwood

I’ve got great news for you old, grizzled, hard-core southern rock fans! If you were a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd and/or the Rossington-Collins Band, then the name Barry Lee Harwood certainly strikes a chord. Barry played dobra and mandolin on three of Skynyrd’s early releases and later was a guitarist, producer, and song writer for the post-crash remnants of Skynyrd, the Rossington-Collins Band. To avoid further delay, here is the news: Barry Lee has recently released a brand new collection of songs on his CD, Southern Part of Heaven.

This is not your typical dueling guitars, riff after riff of good ol’ down home boogie and jukin’ music with some country, bluegrass, and blues mixed in. Well, in a way it is. However, because of a change in the path Barry now follows in his life, these are songs that have a Godly message. Please don’t misunderstand me—to use the title of a Rossington-Collins song to make my point—it is not a Christian rock album, but it’s a collection of some wonderful songs by a Christian. The songs can be played in front of any audience, and you won’t have to worry about offending anybody, whether it’s covering up a young child’s ears or scaring your grandparents, thinking that the end of the world is in sight. This is simply a slice of Americana.

I’d summarize the music on this album as uplifting. The opening track, “No Regrets,” has a Skynyrd feel to it, and it’s surely autobiographical. There is some tasty slide guitar work on this track also. The third song, “Laid Back in the South,” creates a mood as if I were in Kentucky or Tennessee, sitting under a tree with rolling hills, green pastures, and rivers running by. “Rocky Top Flyer” is a humorous song, the type we’ve become accustomed to from the good old boys down south singing of love lost. Why, the woman in the song even took the dog! The other “train” song on the CD is a beautiful song entitled, “Anywhere a Train Can Go.” For me, it had an early Eagles feel to it, harkening back to when Bernie Leadon was still a member of the band.

I’ve had the pleasure of speaking with Barry recently. He’s hard at work on another record, which he said will have a bit more of a harder southern rock feel to it. What was obvious to me from our conversation was the passion, conviction, and commitment that he put into Southern Part of Heaven. If you need a record that will make you feel good about yourself and life in general and help remind you of the blessings in life, this is it.


By:  Hank "Hitman" Hart
Nights And Weekends.com
In Association with Amazon.com
06/25/2010

think good thoughts

The man who was born with a talent which he was meant to use finds his greatest happiness using it.


But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus. Acts 20:24 TLB

think good thoughts

The man who makes no mistakes does not normally make anything.
Though he fall, he shall not utterly be cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24

Barry Lee Harwood Eight Years Later: The GRITZ Interview

Eight years ago Scott Greene interviewed former Rossington Collins Band member Barry Lee Harwood for GRITZ. At the time, Barry Lee was beginning a whole new life path and had great plans for a new band and a new album.


Almost exactly eight years to the day later, Barry Lee is happy, healthy and has one fine solo album out. We caught up with him for an exclusive interview to update us on his life and music. But be warned! This interview is no "sound byte." As Barry Lee himself would say, "pack a lunch" and join us in the Southern Part of Heaven. Read it all here.     Barry Lee Harwood 2010

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.
Buffalo

http://www.swampland.com/articles/view/title:barry_lee_harwood_2010

Barry Lee Harwood: The Southern Part of Heaven

Guitarist/singer/songwriter Barry Lee Harwood might not be a household name to some, but to serious Southern Rock aficionados, he will always be remembered as one of the musicians that helped a few of the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd move on after that tragic plane crash back in 1977. Harwood, along with Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Billy Powell, Leon Wilkeson, Dale Krantz, and Derek Hess formed The Rossington-Collins Band in 1979, and had a run of two successful albums before disbanding in 1982. Harwood then went on with Allen Collins for a brief spell in the Allen Collins Band. Now, many years later, he's resurfaced with a brand new solo album, titled The Southern Part of Heaven.

If you talk to anyone who was a fan of the RCB or the ACB, they'll be the first to tell you how important Harwood was to both bands, and listening to this new CD you can certainly see why. This guy is still a major talent, possessing formidable guitar skills and a damn fine vocalist as well. Whether it's blistering, guitar heavy Southern Rock on "No Regrets", twangy country rock complete with mandolin, acoustic, and electric guitars on "Between Me & My Dreams", Marshall Tucker Band styled bluesy Southern fried rock as heard on "Come the Mornin", or tasty, virtuoso bluegrass tinged rock such as "Rocky Top Flyer", there's exciting music to be heard around every corner. Harwood's excellent acoustic guitar skills are on display on the challenging instrumental "Somet Eagle", and he delivers some catchy, Southern Rock 'n' funk with the irresistable sounds of "Workin On My Story", complete with some sizzling organ and melodic guitar solos. There's a Christian theme to some of the songs on the CD, but Harwood thankfully doesn't go oeverboard with it.

The Southern Part of Heaven is a welcome release for the summer of 2010, and signals the return of a Southern Rock player who, quite frankly, has been away from the spotlight for too long. Welcome back Barry Lee!

Track Listing
1. No Regrets 3:31
2. Swing Low Sweet Chariot 6:55
3. Laid Back In the South 4:24
4. Sad To Be Cryin 4:36
5. Between Me & My Dreams 5:28
6. Come the Mornin 7:55
7. Rocky Top Flyer 4:21
8. Somet Eagle 3:17
9. I Am That I Am 2:47
10. Anywhere a Train Can Go 6:10
11. Workin On My Story 6:12 

Reviewer:  Pete Pardo
Sea Of Tranquility - Music for the New Intellectual
Website:  http://www.seaoftranquility.org/reviews.php?op=showcontent&id=9275

The Southern Part of Heaven

On the flip side, i would also like to express how proud I am of your accomplishment in finishing what I believe to God's gift to the world.  I am all the better for being "Laid back in the South."  Kudos, congrats, and all that jazz.  It is finished!!!!!

Forever a fan...
Crystal