Barry Stillwagon - Bio

Barry was born in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1956. While attending Dover High School in 1973, he heard a classmate bend a note on a blues harp and he knew immediately that he had to learn how to make that sound. 

Barry began listening to Sonny Terry’s and Brownie McGhee’s Back To New Orleans and was soon copying the simplest of Sonny Terry licks. A few months later, Barry purchased Charlie Musselwhite's Goin’ Back Down South and Paul Butterfield's Golden Butter and The Paul Butterfield Blues Band Live and began trying to emulate these two harmonica greats. In 1977, while stationed aboard the USS Hawksbill, a nuclear powered fast attack submarine stationed out of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Barry was given a copy of James Cotton's Live and On The Move. This music by the legendary Cotton, occupied Barry's time for many months.

It wasn't until 1979, while assigned to the shipyards in Bremerton, Washington, that Barry first heard the Chess Little Walter recordings. Little Walter's Off The Wall evoked strong emotions in Barry and he knew he would have to present a Little Walter tribute performance one day.

Barry moved to Tucson, Arizona in 1983. Due to other obligations, Barry put down his harps in 1984. In 1989 Barry began playing again, becoming a frequent sit-in artist on Sam Taylor's stage in 1993. Under the tutelage of the legendary Sam Taylor, Barry blossomed into an audience captivating soloist and became known as one of Arizona's top blues harmonica players.

1996 brought the fruition of Yonder's Wall, a Chicago style blues band that featured Barry performing Little Walter, Junior Wells, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and James Cotton songs on harmonica and vocals.

Barry formed his own band, HoneyBoy & the Stingers, in 1997. The Stingers enjoyed a 3 year tenure on the regional club scene, touring Southwestern Arizona. During this period Barry played several Tucson Blues Society shows, opening for Room Full of Blues and Lonnie Brooks.

At the 14th annual Tucson Blues Festival in 1998, Grams, Scott, and Stillwagon played some down home acoustic blues. After several gigs with Tucson's Denis Offret, a world traveling country blues guitarist, he was ready to tour with Denis, but Denis' untimely death in 1999 ended the music of this excellent duo. In 2000, Barry played the 16th Tucson Blues Festival with his band King Tone Blues.

With the downturn of the blues scene across America in 2000 and with the impending birth of his second child, Barry put away his harps again for 3 years and began focusing on his family life with his wife Laurel and two children, Victoria and Alexander.

Sam Taylor wasn't pleased to know that one his children of the blues had stopped giving the music he was well known for and during 2003, while visiting Tucson for a bit of rest and relaxation, Sam coaxed Barry out of retirement to play a few gigs with him. The bug had bitten and Barry picked up his harps gain. Subsequently, Barry played the 1st Southern Arizona Blues Heritage Foundation (SABHF) Blues Festival Tony and the Torpedoes during September of 2003.

In 2004, Barry played the 20th Tucson Blues Festival with the Mitzi Cowell Band and the Heather Hardy Band.

Barry is currently performing in Tucson with the Heather "Lil' Mama" Hardy Band. Next gig: August 18th at The Boondocks in Tucson, AZ.