Americana Music Magazine – Bluegrass, Roots, Folk, Blues, and Old-Time
Hailing from Florida and currently playing with the Radio Ramblers with Joe Mullins, fiddler Jason Barie got an early start on his musical road. Starting at age 10, he took classical lessons at school, but his dad had something else in mind. “Dad found a little music store in Tampa called the Bluegrass Parlor, which offered lessons on all of the bluegrass instruments and sold vintage records,” Jason remembers. “I started fiddle lessons at that store and by age 14 had joined my first band. By age 15 I was working on stage as a freelance fiddler for many local bands in central Florida.”
In fact, Jason was so dedicated to mastering the art of fiddle-playing, he spent so many hours working on tunes for various fiddle competitions, he was able to claim the title of Florida State Champion. He would go on to claim the title a total of six times. After graduating high school, Jason stayed the course and continued down his personal road to professional success, landing his first national touring gig with Florida-based group Sand Mountain. The next nine years saw a series of gigs with various groups, including legends Bobby Osborne and the Rocky Top Express and Jesse McReynolds and The Virginia Boys. These two groups provided Jason with the opportunity to play the Grand Ole Opry.
Never one to sit still in his career, Jason continues the progression: “I then spent two years with Larry Stephenson as his first ever fiddle player. The call came in January of 2009 to audition with Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver. I spent almost six years working side by side with the Bluegrass Hall of Fame inductee. I am now touring with the Ohio radio man Joe Mullins and the Radio Ramblers.”
Not surprisingly, Jason has garnered numerous awards and has been involved with Grammy-nominated recordings through so many years of playing with the cream of the bluegrass crop.
Jason has recorded four albums of his own (as the driving force with a lot of other musicians along for the ride). The latest release is called Radioactive.