Between the Notes - Will Barrow

Many of us are united by the fact that we have chosen music as a profession and a livelihood. I believe we can and should help each other to do better, financially and artistically. We are all in this together. The union — like our music itself — is also a way that we connect with each other, and with the community.

It is my honor and privilege to begin serving as secretary-treasurer of the Nashville Musicians Association. I am excited about the possibilities for growth, at AFM Local 257 and in myself. And I’m thrilled to be working with great people, for the betterment of musicians in Nashville and beyond. This opportunity is the culmination of many decades playing music, of being a part of the music community here and of a desire to be a part of the evolution of our union.

My journey in music started in Gainesville, Florida, in a rich musical environment. There was much amazing and diverse live music in Gainesville then, and it had great radio stations and record stores. Tom Petty and two of the Heartbreakers, two of the original Eagles and Stephen Stills all went to my high school a decade or so before me. The quality of music in the popular culture in the ‘60s and ‘70s inspired me to want to learn how to play and sing. I became enamored with the piano, and taught myself to play by ear while taking classical piano lessons. I started playing gigs in college in Tallahassee, Florida.

I moved to New York City a few years later, to get a graduate degree in music, and to learn about professional musicianship on a larger scale. The greatest education I got, and continue to get, comes from working with great musicians, singers, producers and writers. It was in NYC that I first joined the AFM, with Local 802. I did jazz and R&B gigs there, some sessions, club dates and work on Broadway. The Broadway work led to a two-year stint as conductor-pianist of A Civil War, with Larry Gatlin and BeBe Winans. I also started writing songs, which led me to check out what was going on in Music City.

I moved to Nashville because I was very inspired by the songwriting culture there, and encouraged by the possibilities of work touring and recording. I was fortunate to get a nice road gig with a fine Americana/country artist, Suzy Bogguss, when I first moved here. The bass player on the tour was none other than Dave Pomeroy. The first record date I did in Nashville had Dave on it also, along with the late great Kenny Malone on drums. I knew at that point that I’d made a good move, and it’s been a rich musical life here ever since. I also joined Local 257.

I’m grateful to have had a steady string of touring work with great artists like Gregory Porter, Crystal Gayle, the Gatlin Brothers, Wanda Jackson, and Steve Wariner. I’ve played and fraternized all over the country and world with so many fine musicians and human beings! I started touring less when my wife, Heather, and I started a family. Our boys, Levon and Willie, are now 10 and 9. I’ve also been afforded the opportunity to record with an eclectic group of inspiring artists like Gilbert O’Sullivan, Tommy Emmanuel, Suzy Bogguss, Rosie Flores, The Indigo Girls, Benny Golson, Gail Davies and Alison Brown.

A few years after moving to Nashville, I began to record CDs — remember those? — of original songs, and to do singer-songwriter gigs, in venues in town and on the road. I am currently developing a solo project that features modern and original interpretations of classical piano repertoire, featuring different grooves and some improvisation. I also am part of a Brazilian band, Tudo Bem, that is gigging locally. I’ve never been more inspired to play, write, perform and record music. And I’m still very active as a sideman, with singers and instrumentalists in a variety of genres, with singer-songwriters, in musical theatre, on some out-of-town dates and on sessions. And I’m still writing songs, the thing that really brought me here. I’m more excited about performing, recording, writing, learning and teaching music than ever, and will be doing all of that along with my work at Local 257.

I took this position because I believe this organization works for the betterment of the lives and the music of members, and of all musicians. Dave Pomeroy is a tireless advocate for musicians, along with being an uber-accomplished, touring and recording bassist. He has a genuine desire to bring people together, and to help the union evolve. There’s no one else I’d rather be working alongside while doing this. Vinnie Santoro did a great job and has been a big help. All the best to you, Vinnie!

Nashville is changing, and the musical community is evolving, and becoming more diverse, with musicians and songwriters moving here from all over the country and world. I believe our AFM can play an important role in this evolution, and can become more diverse as our city and music scene become more diverse. I’m excited about being part of this growth and outreach. I’m often asked “What can the union do for me?” or “Why should I join the union?” The answer includes a long list of important things the union does. But, in my view, equally important questions are, to paraphrase JFK, “What can we do together, through the union?” and “What can I do to help in this process?”

Musicians are a family (albeit a dysfunctional one sometimes), and a brotherhood and sisterhood. In Nashville, and all over the globe, we musicians are brought together by our love of playing our instruments and of making music together. Many of us are also united by the fact that we have chosen music as a profession and a livelihood. I believe we can and should help each other to do better, financially and artistically. We are all in this together. The union — like our music itself — is also a way that we connect with each other, and with the community. There is no community of musicians anywhere that is quite like the one we have here. The standard of musicianship, possibilities for recording, touring, collaboration, etc., make it unique. I am very happy to be part of it, and to now be more involved in what AFM is doing with and for this community, and beyond it. I know many of you, and look forward to meeting many more of you, and to serving in the organization that does so much to make our lives richer and to elevate our music. Please reach out and let me know if I can be of help.

The Nashville Musician - September-December 2022