RIK BARRON

Rik Barron was born in St. John's, Newfoundland. After spending a few years as a member
of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in his twenties, he has focused on a career in music.
A professional entertainer since 1980, Rik has performed extensively throughout Canada, Europe and the United States.

Rik lived and worked in Vancouver for two years where he recorded two EP's," Rock Bottom Blues" and "Dancing Boy." In 1983, he moved to the Nashville area. Rik was a student at the Apprentice Shop in Springhill, Tennessee in fretted instrument construction and repair. Here, he also learned many of the North American folksongs which are featured in his shows. Rik plays, builds and repairs banjos, guitars and mandolins.

In 1992, Rik signed a recording contract with ReBop Records in Vermont. This made Rik the first Newfoundland children's entertainer to sign an international recording contract. A Sock FulI of Songs was released in Canada and the United States in 1993. Rik returned to performing adult maritime folk music and completed two recording projects in October 1995. The sessions were produced by Dave Panting of Rawlins Cross. Bound for the Ice was released in 1996. lt is available on CD and cassette. In 1997, Rik's children's recording
Heel to the Toe was nominated for an East Coast Music Award. He has just released his third children's recording called Make Hay When The Sun Shines featuring weil known
banjo pickers Mark Johnson and Kevin Evans. As a result of that recording Rik was
named Children's Artist of the Year at the 2000 East Coast Music Awards in Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Rik won an award with the Newfoundland Folk Arts Council as Best Instrumentalist (stringed instrument) when he was fifteen years old. Almost thirty years later his ability as an instrumentalist is still being noticed. In 1993, and 1994, the Newfoundland Herald Readers Poll voted Rik one of the top two traditional musicians on the Avalon Peninsula. He is an endorsing artist for three major instrument companies as well as one string company in the United States: Ovation Guitars in Connecticut, Deering Banjos in California, Weber Mandolins in Montana and John Pearse Strings and Accessories in Pennsylvania. Rik appears in their promotional ads across North American and plays their products on stage.

In recent years Rik has begun perforrning more frequently in Europe and the United States, appearing at shanty and folk festivals, as well as concert venues. The Maryland Banjo Academy has recognized Rik's unique banjo playing style and invited him to be a faculty member since 1997. The Acaderny attracts players and students from all over the world.

In 1994, Rik and his family moved to Prince Edward Island. He is now a frequent performer at local festivals and concerts where both his adult and children's music are in demand. Rik Barron's Family Concert had an eight week run at the Confederation Centre of the Arts as part of the Charlottetown Festival in 1997. Rik's Kid's Ceilidh ran for eight weeks at the Irish Hall in Charlottetown this past summer 1999.

Contact: Rik Barron, St. Catherine's Road, R.R.#3, Bonshaw, PEI COA 1CO Telephone ( 902) 675-4024 Fax (902) 675-2182 email: rbarron@isn.net