Joy T Barnum
SONG:
MIND GAMES
COMPOSER:
JOHN LENNON
PRODUCER/ENGINEER/MIX:
FELIX TOD
BASS/GUITAR/STRINGS:
DAVID AYERS
DRUMS:
DWIGHT HART
MASTERING:
ALAN SILVERMAN: ARF! DIGITAL, NEW YORK, NY, USA
“I first heard the Beatles and the Two Virgins album during my freshman year at Oakwood College but it wasn't until last year that I explored John Lennon's solo works and fell in love with Take Your Love Away. I was hooked and Mind Games was arranged with me in mind by Felix Tod and David Ayers. My parents are in love with this version and I wasn't short of amazed!”
Bermudian Joy T. Barnum recently toured as the support act for Heather Nova’s A Special Acoustic Evening, much to the delight of her sizable fan base in the mid-Atlantic. The tour, a major milestone in her career, exposed this singer-songwriter to thousands of music lovers in 13 European cities.
Her musical journey began in childhood when her natural talents as a poet and singer earned her recognition from her teachers and peers. She was to hone her talents at Oakwood College where she completed a B.M. in Vocal Performance/Pedagogy with Ginger Beasley.
Joy’s culturally diverse background is reflected in the range of her musical tastes – from rock to country, gospel, jazz and opera. Joy defies easy categorization. Ask her who she is and she will tell you the story of her Native American grandmother, the flight of her parents from strife torn Honduras as her sister prepared to enter the world, and living in close proximity to the Mexican border in California.
She has graced the stage with soprano Kathleen Battle, the Aeolians, and a variety of rock bands in Huntsville, Alabama and Bermuda. Joy T. Barnum was recognized as one of Bermuda’s top talents as first runner-up in Bermuda Idol 2005. Months later, she was invited to be an opening act for Yolanda Adams and Smokey Norful.
She would go on to open for Seal and Patti La Belle at two consecutive annual Bermuda Music Festivals, and in 2009, Joy opened for Swedish indie singer Lykke Li as well as Philadelphia native Jazmyne Sullivan.
“She sounds like Sam Cooke but with legs all the way up to her neck,” says music producer Thaao Dill. “She sings like she’s on fire and she’s fine with being on fire. She doesn’t want anybody to put her out.”
2003 saw Joy’s recording debut when she contributed to Dill’s Glasshead album – a hip-hop centric instrumental project released through indie hip hop online distributor hiphopinfinity.com. Online audiences made it clear that they wanted to hear more from this fresh and vibrant new voice – a demand which led to an artistic collaboration between the two and the birth in 2004 of Phlegm in Tayo’s Closet – a groovy and eclectic compilation of Joy’s original verses.
And Other Places, was rescued from the carnage of a hard drive disaster and released to the public in 2008. 2010 saw the release of her third album - a limited edition vinyl record Joy T. Barnum and the Channel.
In May 2010, in New York City, she joined other Bermudian performers in a three-venue jaunt (Nyuorican Poets Café, Galapagos Art Space and The Shrine Nightclub) facilitated by the Chewstick Foundation, Bermuda’s leading artists movement. In March 2011 Chewstick toured Toronto with Joy.
An articulate and intelligent poet, Joy T. Barnum was winner of Bermuda’s first national Poetry competition and her work is published in the island’s first Anthology of poetry.
Joy considers it her duty to help humanity when called upon and her performances have contributed towards fundraising for Haiti and Chile relief efforts and other humanitarian campaigns. She is also passionate about the environment and in 2005 and 2006 joined Heather Nova in an awareness raising free concert sponsored by environmental charity Greenrock and BEST.
Joy currently rocks out as Joy T. Barnum and The Channel. For up to date events and performances join Joy T. Barnum’s facebook and myspace page.
"Mind Games " by John Lennon - please click here
Joy 's website:
