Barry & Holly Tashian's Page

To book Barry & Holly, please contact Jared Ingersol, 314-266-1870 or email jared@jaredingersol.com .

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Hailed by many as U.S. Country Music’s Greatest Secret and Treasure, Barry and Holly have delighted audiences around the world with their acoustic rockabilly-tinged country music.

Barry and Holly Tashian have performed at the Merle Watson Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, Swiss Alps Country Music Festival, Lincoln Center, Wintergrass, Bethlehem Musik Festival, and numerous European and Australian festivals. They have appeared on The Grand Ole Opry Live TV, American Music Shop, A Prairie Home Companion, World Café and E-Town Radio.

Barry grew up in Westport, CT where he began playing music at age 10. By age 12, he had formed his first band. He made his TV debut in 1958 on “American Bandstand”.

While attending Boston University, he formed The Remains (AKA Barry and The Remains), a hard-driving rock group, with keyboardist, William Briggs, bassist, Vern Miller and drummer, Chip Damiani. Their first album, “The Remains”, was released on Epic Records in 1966 and the group had several Boston-area hit singles.

When they relocated to New York City, they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and Hullaballoo. In August that year, the band was chosen to open for the Beatles’ 14-city tour of North America. The Remains worked on 19 shows with them, in stadiums and ampitheaters, from coast-to-coast. To mark the 30th anniversary of The Remains’ tour with the Beatles, Dowling Press published Barry’s book, "Ticket To Ride: The Extraordinary Diary Of The Beatles’ Last Tour" in 1996.

In the late 60’s and early 70’s, Barry worked with Country-Rock pioneer Gram Parsons. In 1973, he appeared on Gram’s “GP” album. He also worked with The Flying Burrito Brothers and the J. Geils Band.

From 1972 to 1980 Barry and Holly played throughout New England and New York with their country band The Outskirts with Vern Miller on bass, Bruce Kirshner fiddle, Gordon Titcomb on pedal steel and Pico Rankin on drums.

In 1980, Barry joined Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band, as guitarist. He remained with the band until 1989, appearing on Emmylou’s Evangeline (1981), Cimarron (1981), Last Date (1982), The Ballad Of Sally Rose (1985), Thirteen (1986), Bluebird (1988) and Brand New Dance (1990). In addition, Barry appeared on Emmylou’s 1984 Australia/New Zealand release, Profiles II and in the movie, "Baja, California," in a music scene.

Holly was raised in Tarrytown, New York on a small sheep farm. In 1953 the family moved to Westport, Connecticut. She began studying piano at age 5, violin at 7 and voice at 11. In 1963, she sang with the Westport Madrigal Singers and the following year, she was a member of the a cappella choir, Orphenians, at Staples High School. During 1963 and 1964, she was a cheerleader at that school. In 1969, she graduated Cum Laude from the University of Hartford with a BA degree in Psychology. During 1969 and 1970, Holly studied dance at Mills College, Oakland, California.

She began playing guitar in 1970, singing harmony with Barry. Two years later, they married and performed together in The Outskirts for eight years. She and Barry moved to Thousand Oaks, California with their two children in 1980 where Holly played in various local bar bands. In 1982, she appeared on Delia Bell’s eponymous album for Warner Brothers produced by Emmylou Harris.

During 1982 and 1983, she taught music classes in the Montessori School. Moving to Nashville in 1983, Holly worked as the Director of Religious Education for the Unitarian Universalist Church of Nashville from 1985 to 1987. Besides music, Holly has a Feng Shui Consulting business; Nashvillle Essential Feng Shui.

Barry and Holly released their first album, “Trust In Me”, for Northeastern Records in 1988. The album won the Boston Music Award for Best Country album and contained their marvelous reworking of Buddy Knox’s "Party Doll". The album was released that year on Line/Sawdust in Germany and the following year in the U.K. on the Conifer/Request label.

During 1990, the Tashians appeared on “American Music Shop” on TNN. The duo started building a solid fan base in Europe and in 1991, Strictly Country released “Live In Holland”. The album was recorded at The Colonial Country Club in Lichtenvoorde, Holland.

That same year, Epic re-released Barry’s debut album as “Barry & The Remains” in their Legacy series. During 1992, Barry and Holly both appeared on Nanci Griffith’s “Other Voices/Other Rooms” album. Barry and Holly signed with Rounder Records that year and released "Ready For Love” in 1993.

On May 21, they made their debut on the “Grand Ole Opry”. The following year, Holly sang on Nanci Griffith’s “Voices” album and Barry was on Iris DeMent’s recording of Big City on “Tulare Dust: A Songwriters’ Tribute To Merle Haggard”.

Barry and Holly released their second album, “Straw Into Gold”, for Rounder. The album was the winner of the NAIRD Award for "Country Album Of The Year" in 1994 and reached the Top 15 on Gavin's Americana charts.

In 1995, the duo traveled to Australia for a highly successful tour. The following year, Barry and Holly appeared on Charlie Louvin’s “The Longest Train” and once again The Remain’s album “A Session With The Remains”, was released on Sundazed Records.

As well as being at home on the stage of the Grand Ole Opry, American Music Shop and A Prairie Home Companion, Barry and Holly are also at home writing songs that have been covered by other artists. In 1990, Irish star, Daniel O’Donnell recorded their songs, "Heaven With You", "Ring Of Gold" and "Look Both Ways" on his Allen Reynolds’-produced album, “The Last Waltz”.

In 1995, Roland White recorded "Wall Around My Heart" and "Lucky Break" and Special Consensus cut "Is My Home Still Up There". Ty England selected their "Two Ways To Fall" as the title track of his sophomore album. Other artists to record Tashian songs are the Nashville Bluegrass Band and Kate Brislin & Jody Stecher, who both cut Holly's song "Home". Another of her songs, "Poor Woman’s Epithaph", was recorded by Czech artist, Hannah Horeka.

In 1997, Barry and Holly released “Harmony”, which was nominated for a Nashville Music Award in 1998.

In 2002 they released “At Home”, on Copper Creek Records. The album was recorded at Tim Carter's Studio outside Nashville with bassist Ross Sermons. Ross also produced two gospel albums on which the Tashians have 4 cuts recorded live in North Carolina. That album, titled “We’ve Got Work To Do”, was released 2005.

In 2003 Barry and The Remains reunited to record a new album "Movin' On" on Rock-a-Lot Records.

In November, 2008 they released "Long Story Short" on Rock-A-Lot Records. The Tashians' new album is a fun collection of original songs and a few cover tunes recorded live at Rich Adler's studio with Mike Compton (mandolin) Matt Combs (fiddle and mandolin) Mike Henderson (slide guitar) Ross Sermons (upright bass) and Kenny Malone (percussion). This is an eclectic blend of Americana styles, all acoustic "toe tapping" duets and solos ranging from bluegrass to swing, traditional country and even a touch of the blues.
You can hear samples of the songs on YouTube.

1. We Don't Give up on Love (written with Lisa Aschmann)
2. Worry Doesn't Worry Me (written with Lisa Aschmann)
3. The Grey Funnel Line
4. Rockin' Little Country Girl (written with Pamela Brown Hayes)
5. Long Story Short (written with Niall Toner)
6. Honey, Where's The Money Gone (written with Paul Kennerley)
7. The Promise (written with Niall Toner)
8. Rock it Like it's Saturday Night (written with Pamela Brown Hayes)
9. Darkness on the Delta
10. Sail Away (a Barry and Holly original...)
11. Boogie Woogie Country Girl

The Tashians continue to tour, write, record and produce albums, as well as run two small music publishing companies; Poodle Paw Music and Barry Boy Songs. Their writers include Dale Keys, Mike Morgan, Jeff Elliott, Roberta and Gary Gordon, Tom Travis, Faye Pierce and Candace Corrigan.

Barry and Holly also teach song writing and harmony singing at Ashokan Fiddle and Dance Camp every summer, and often give workshops and church services on harmony singing. For more information on song writing, please read Holly's article "Tricking Your Muse" and "Critiquing Your Song" at folklink.com.