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in 1968, Barry joined Chain a "rock / jazz / symphonic"
band, with the bass player from Thursday 's Children. There must
have been some special chemistry amongst the members because
before long, this "full on, original, mighty stuff"
had been signed by Mushroom Records and had developed a large
fan base. As Barry puts it: "We were a big time band, which
was rather freaky".
In 1971, after an LP and a lot of gigs,
Chain released the single Black and Blue on the LP Towards
The Blues. It was written in Brisbane and recorded in Sydney.
After recording it, the band spent a week driving from Sydney
to Melbourne - "chasing chicks", watching the sunset
from the mountains and enjoying the beautiful drive. Barry and
the band had "no idea the thing was being thrashed in Melbourne".
When Chain eventually arrived in Melbourne,
the song was high in the Top 10: "It was hard, 'cause we
went from being a band just digging music to getting to Melbourne
and facing the media - being a big time band." Black and
Blue became Mushroom Records' first number one hit and it stayed
number one for 13 weeks.
This sent Barry and Chain on a playing
frenzy, gigging every night for months and enjoying their success
- something that had never been the band's intention. "If
you've got a number one record on the charts, the amount of money
you pull from gigs is frightening," Barry recollects. However,
despite the money Barry was making with Chain, the constant touring
and lack of new music bored him.
 Barry's
love of jazz still tingled in his drumsticks and so in late 1971,
he left Chain and joined King Harvest. For six months,
he worked solidly with this jazz / fusion outfit and still remembers
it as the "craziest band I've ever played in". However,
by 1972, Chain was falling apart without Barry and so, he rejoined.
After recording a few LPs and winning a
gold record for Towards The Blues in 1974, Barry left again.
Barry joined The Kevin Borich Express
for one year and played 365 gigs in 365 days. Then, after a nine
month period with funk / soul band, Shango, Barry met
David Baker, a professor of jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium
of Music. This meeting prompted another junction in Barry Harvey's
life. Driven by a desire to fully master the drums and study
harmony, arranging and bass, he took a giant step and in 1979,
enrolled and was accepted into Berklee College of Music
in Boston, USA.
If there was any part of Barry's psyche
that wasn't totally absorbed by music before he went to Berklee,
then after three years at the world-renowned college, it was.
Barry describes his time at Berklee as "an incredible rejuvenation
of the art of music". He spent his years there practicing,
studying and an arranging music, listening to music and jamming
with some of the world's greatest musicians. His time at Berklee
had a massive impact on his life, spinning his music career into
another world: "Music itself is a brilliant science and
at Berklee, the whole trip is all explained".
Barry clearly remembers as a 13 year old
sitting alone in the back stage room of a gig with a message
playing over and over in his mind. A voice in his head said:
"You have to write a book - an exceptional drum book".
And all these years later, he had found the discipline, enthusiasm
and inspiration to write this book at Boston.
 Barry
had never encountered a fully comprehensive drumming method book
and so for the next 12 years, he created such a book, "The
Text of Music Phrase" - taking nine years to write it and
three to proof read. In 1982, Barry had rejoined Chain and so
the writing of this book was slotted in amongst gigs, tours and
a rigid teaching schedule at St Pauls in Brisbane and later at
the Anglican Church Grammar School, Brisbane. Barry would write
in motels after gigs and go to sleep at 7am, waking at 3 pm to
play another gig and start the cycle again. In fact Barry has
a theory about working late at night: "I think the bewitching
hours can produce some incredible work. It is a very creative
time and a chance to escape from everyday life."
Since the printing of his book in 1994,
Barry has continued to tour with Chain and has played with a
number of other acts. In his 30-year history with Chain, the
band has released 30 albums and 29 singles on record, cassette
and tape. The band has also recently been awarded a second gold
record for Towards The Blues.
As for the future, only one thing is certain
for Barry Harvey: He will continue to create music - touring
with Chain and possibly looking towards the United States for
a second dose of inspiration. For without music, Barry Harvey
is lost: "The everyday hum-drum side of life gets pretty
dead. A lot of people put so much importance on really mundane
things. There is too much emphasis on business. But when you're
behind the gear, playing, the business side is gone. That's the
creative side of life and I think that's really important".
The creative side of Barry Harvey's life
is one that has been present for as long as he can remember.
He has come a long way from an 11 year old with a flair for the
drums to " Little Goose" Harvey, "Professor of
Rhythm".
And today, the music in his blood is thicker
than ever.
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