1982 to 1987 - BRIEGER TO BARRY

1982 to 1987 - GEOFF BRIEGER TO GEOFF BARRY (SOLO) / SWANEE / BOWIE STORY

Venues Performed (450+ performances)

Orient Hotel (The Rocks) / Jerry Boams Wine Bar (Miranda) / Crescent Tavern (Fairfield) / Greystanes Inn / Sheila's (North Sydney) / Seabreeze Hotel (Blakehurst) / Newport Arms Hotel / Bevy's Wine Bar (Mosman) / Albury Hotel (Paddington) / Observer Hotel (The Rocks) / Major Druitt Hotel (Mt Druitt) / Freemasons Hotel (Sydney) / Mainsbridge Hotel (Liverpool) / Penrith Centre Tavern / Rozelle Hotel / Calamity Jane's (Sydney) / Lord Raglan Hotel (Redfern) / Victoria Hotel (Marrickville) / Bridge Hotel (Rozelle) / Tea Gardens Hotel (Bondi Junction) / (Spaghetti Cellar (Parramatta) / Chaplin's Restaurant (Surrey Hills) / James Craig Tavern (Birkenhead) / Concord Bowling Club / Woolwich Pier Hotel / West Ryde Hotel / George's Hideaway (Hurstville) / Eliza's Restaurant (Double Bay) / Rose Hill Bowling Club) / Henson Park Hotel (Marrickville) / Floyd's Bar and Brasserie (Northbridge) / Marino Tavern (Camden) / Liverpool Hotel / West Pennant Hills Bowling Club / Bluegum Hotel (Waitara) / Bondi Regis Hotel / Yagoona Hotel / Family Inn (Rydalmere) / Cumberland Country Golf Club (Greystanes) / Cronulla RSL / Birkenhead Hotel / Bat and Ball Hotel (Surrey Hills) / Pappy's Restaurant (Parramatta) / Sir Joseph Banks Hotel (Botany) / Marrickville Hotel / Oxford Tavern (Newtown) / Coach and Horses Hotel (Randwick) / Mercantile Hotel (The Rocks) / Manly Vale Hotel / Mount Druitt Inn / Nelson Hotel (Bondi Junction) / New York Hotel (Pyrmont) / Beuna Vista Hotel (Mosman) / Armidale University / Bourbon & Beefsteak Bar (Kings Cross)

Me and an adoring fan

After "Whitmore & Brieger" ended in 1982, and in-between bands and shows thereafter, I was active as a solo performer and piano man.

At some point during this time, I adopted the stage name "Geoff Barry", "Barry" being my mother's maiden name. Why? I was sick of people mispronouncing and misspelling "Brieger". Now, if I can only teach people how to pronounce and spell "Geoff" ;)

My records show that I performed my first solo gig on 14 December 1982 at The Orient Hotel in The Rocks, where I played on 84 occasions.

Most of my gigs at that time were booked by Bernie Madigan, an eccentric entertainment agent, who always had my back. With the benefit of hindsight, I very much appreciate "Mad Bernie" and his efforts more today than I did back then.

SWANEE

Also during these years, I had a few other things on the go. I had aspirations to be a recording artist, so was writing and recording in my home studio.

I'd also started recording sessions for ATA Studios on Glebe Point Road. It was owned and operated by brothers, Col Joye (Aussie pioneer singer, song-writer) and Kevin Jacobsen (Promoter).

Kevin's son, David Jacobsen, had a recording band called "The Sons of Millionaire's" that I had joined, and we also recorded for Col. I remember a stoush over ethics between David and the producer of Col's latest album, because David had wiped a previously recorded piano track to replace it with mine - whoops!

At one point, the artist known as Swanee, sibling of Jimmy Barnes, had a fight with his band and sacked them all, putting him in a bit of a spot. He needed a new band urgently because he was booked to support Joan Armatrading on a national tour. Suddenly, we (i.e. The Sons) became Swanee's band. From internet searches, Joan toured in 1982, so it must've been then, although I thought it had been a year or two later.

Anyway, after much rehearsing and excitement, we were good to go ... but that's when Swanee and his band, made up. They were a happy family again - and we were turfed out. It was all for nothing.

I was desperately disappointed, but I suppose it wasn't meant to be. Unlike David and a couple of the other players, I never was the son of a millionaire - and we drifted apart. Next!

DAVID BOWIE (STORY)

This is just a fun-fact. I never played with Bowie, or on his tour in a support band, but if you dig deep enough, you'll find me listed as a performer on David Bowie's "Serious Moon Tour" in Sydney on either 19 or 20 November 1983.

I don't know if the law still applies, but when an international artist performed in Australia, said artist was required to employ as many Aussie muso's as international ones.

Bowie had about a dozen musicians in his band, and his support band, "The Models", even with a horn section that included Sue Bluck, who I performed with in "The Prohibition", was still a few players short of the quota.

So Bowie paid the prescribed rate to the musician's union, who employed the musicians, one being me. The union shared the love, so I'm sure there's many others from that time who were also paid to stay away. But in my case, I went to the concert, and it was sensational!