Celebration of Life
Bill Barns Tribute Concert
Sunday, March 24, 2024, 3:00 PM
Admission by Donation (for the Barns family)
Tribute Concert to Celebrate the Life and Music of Bill Barns
Bill Barns was a well-known and much-loved musician who played thousands of gigs, in a 40 plus year career, for a long list of venues, restaurants and local establishments in Sedona and the surrounding Verde Valley communities.
The concert is sponsored by three of the finest Chef/Owners in the Sedona/Verde Valley area: Lisa Dahl, Mercer Mohr and John Ramagli. Bill played often at many of their restaurants. A list of the restaurants operated by these individuals is given below.
A who’s who of musicians from the Sedona / Verde Valley area will gather to honor the legacy that musician Bill Barns leaves behind. They either played with Bill, in the many groups that he formed, or are big fans. Here are the names of the musicians who will perform at OTCA on March 24th for the Bill Barns Tribute Concert:
Jeanie Carroll, Dale Caddel, Ed Chenowith, Brian David, William Eaton, Dennis Eckerd, Anthony Flesch, Jim French, Patrick Ki, Jonathan Levingston, Gina Machovina, Michael Reed, JR Robusto, Gino Romeo, Suzie Shoemaker, Ed Tortorello, Claudia Tulip, Eric Williams, and Gregory Williams. A brief bio for each musician appears below.
The musicians will be playing as soloists, duos and a couple of band configurations to play some of the favorite popular hits that Bill performed through the years. All musicians for this concert are donating their time and musicianship in support of this tribute.
Bill passed away on January 3rd following the sudden discovery and resulting complications of a rapidly growing brain tumor. He is survived by his wife Sandy; daughter Sarah; sister, Terrie (Michael); stepchildren, Michael, Brooke and Lisa; and step-grandchildren Sawyer and Roen.
Admission to the concert is by donation and all proceeds will go to Sandy, Sarah and Bill’s extended family to help cover the extensive costs that resulted from multiple airlifts, hospital visits and medical expenses.
IMPORTANT: If you are unable to attend the concert please consider donating. You can send your tax-deductible check to: Friends of Old Town Center for the Arts (FOTCA), 633 N. 5th St., Cottonwood, AZ 86326 (all proceeds go to the Barns Family and you will receive a confirmation letter from FOTCA, a 501c3 charitable organization, to acknowledge your gift), or you can also donate to the Bill Barns GoFundMe account: GoFundMe.com.
Come enjoy an afternoon of some of your favorite classic hits and originals and pay tribute to Bill Barns a local treasure in our music community.
About Bill Barns
If you lived in or visited Sedona within the past three decades you most likely got to see Bill Barns perform. After an early start to his career in Phoenix and Maui, Bill moved to Sedona in 1989 where he became very recognizable for his adept guitar playing and vocals. Bill also played the sitar, and performed at the Self Realization Fellowship church and many other venues and Kirtan events. He also produced a CD of Indian music entitled For the Guru accompanied by Adam Burke on tablas. Bill’s wife Sandy played the Tambura and often accompanied Bill for these events. During this time Bill expressed a deep spiritual passion for the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, and used some of the teachings and writings to incorporate as chants within the raga music he was playing.
Through the years he did a lot of solo work, duos and trios. He also started and played in a lot of bands, including: The Wheels, with Dennis Eckerd on guitar, Andy Richards on bass, and John Jacobson playing drums. That same group later changed its name to the Velvet Tigers when drummer Ed Tortorello replaced Johnny. Bill also started or helped start the Bill Barns Band, Feelmore Good Band, Grateful Fred Band, and the Dos Geckos. Bill’s band 1969 with Ed Chenoah on bass and Gino Romeo on drums featured Bill’s fiery guitar playing and vocals, capturing the flower power years with heavy doses of Cream and Jimi Hendrix.
Throughout his career Bill embraced a diversity of popular and ethnic styles including Jazz, Blues, Classical, Rock, Latino, Celtic and Indian raga music. He utilized a vast repertoire of covers and originals. Pretty much every musician in the area knew of Bill’s talent.
About the Chef/Restaurant Owners
Sponsors of the Bill Barns Tribute Concert
As mentioned above, a big part of Bill Barns music career was devoted to playing at fine restaurants. Three of the most talented and respected chef/owners of Sedona have come on board to sponsor and help spread the word about the Bill Barns Tribute Concert:
Lisa Dahl Chef/Owner Dahl Restaurant Group
Mariposa (Latin Inspired Grill), Cucina Rustica (Rustic Tuscan Grill), Pisa Lisa (Pizzeria Autentico), Dahl & DiLuca (Ristorante Italiano), Butterfly Burger (Courture Burger Lounge)
Mercer Mohr Chef/Owner Mercer's Kitchen Restaurant Group
Creekside American Bistro (Comfort Food), Rene at Tlaquepaque (French Fine Dining), Rascal Modern Diner (at Wilde Resort & Spa), Mesa Grill Sedona at Sedona Private Airport (Southwest Grill)
John Ramagli Chef/Owner
Village Chophouse, Rotten Johnny’s Wood-fired Pizza Pie
About the Musicians Performing in Tribute to Bill Barns
Jeanie Carroll made Sedona her home for 30 years teaching Music K-8 and singing in many musical configurations: solo, duos, trios, quartets, bands, combos, Barbershop Chorus, Flagstaff Master Chorale, and the Sentimental Journey Big Band. She attends and performs in Cabaret Conferences in Chicago, St Louis, Puerto Vallarta New York City, and Paris, France.
Dale Caddel is a well-known musician in Northern Arizona. Dale began playing guitar at age 12. Dale is an accomplished musician who was the lead guitarist for the well-known band in Flagstaff, Limbs Akimbo and with Toucan Eddy and Menagerie.
Ed Chenoweth is steeped in the music of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s. He has been continuously involved with a variety of bands and styles of music including writing original songs. As a newcomer to the valley Ed’s affinity for the 60’s rock era makes him a great fit for playing bass in the Bill Barns trio - 1969.
Brian David masterfully weaves fingerstyle pop arrangements, classical tunes, vibrant Spanish guitar rhythms, and smooth jazz harmonies. Northern Arizona University (NAU) became the crucible where he honed his skills, graduating in 2003 with a Bachelor's in Music specializing in both Classical and Jazz Guitar performance.
William Eaton designs and builds innovative guitars and stringed instruments and is a founder and Director of the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, in Phoenix, AZ. A four- time GRAMMY nominee Eaton has recorded 19 albums for Canyon Records and tours nationally and internationally. Eaton is co-Director of the Old Town Center for the Arts.
Dennis Eckerd is an accomplished vocalist and guitarist. He started formal study of music on the violin and was originally drawn to percussion. Dennis played in two bands while in the U.S. Army one of which was his regular job for a time.
Anthony Flesch has been a flutist since childhood. Born in South Africa, he studied at the South African Conservatory of Music, and Berklee College of Music. In 2006 he won an Emerging Artist grant from the City of Sedona. Playing in a wide range of styles, Anthony is committed to using music as an inspirational agent – a force for peace and joy.
Jim French creates original music that comes directly from his heart and is happiest when he can share his music with others.
Patrick Ki was formally trained with jazz and classical music degrees and his melodic style has always been influenced by the sounds of the Hawaiian slack key guitar. In addition to performing extensively in concert and at music festivals, Ki has released nine albums as a solo recording artist and is featured regularly as a Latin jazz/flamenco musician at the Tlaquepaque de Sedona Arts Village.
Jonathan Levingston is a classically trained violinist, composer and performer. His experience includes symphony, band, and studio recording. Performing has been his passion since beginning violin at the tender age of seven. 35 years of training, technique development, and performance has exemplified his skills as a musician, as well as exposed him to many genres.
Gina Machovina’s music is a soulful mix of guitar masterpieces and passionate vocal tunes. She is a classically trained guitarist who has been performing and writing music for over 40 years. Coinciding with her love of the Spanish guitar, Gina has a deep connection to Rock and Roll. As a grateful musician in the Verde Valley, she is often joined by other fine musicians, including her husband Alberto on bass guitar.
Michael Reed is a multi-instrumentalist and self-taught on bass, keyboards, guitar and saxophones. Michael has been playing here in the Verde Valley with several different bands now for 23 plus years. Michael has appeared in many bands, including a band called The Heat, The Grateful Fred (with Bill Barns), and most recently with his Duo the VanReed Brothers and the band Johnny Malo.
JR Robusto is a local and legendary guitarist and has been dubbed an eccentric musical genius, a modern-day Mozart and a performer of virtuosic proportions. JR plays guitar, both acoustic and electric, mastered a dozen instruments and brings his unique style to all of them in many different musical genres. His song writing and word craft are passionately poetic.
Gino Romeo, originally from New Jersey, began playing drums at the age of 10 and was exposed to a menagerie of music styles. Shortly after moving to the Village of Oak Creek in 2007, he drummed with various local performers and then joined the ‘1969’ band with Bill Barns.
Suzie Shoemaker has played a diverse array of venues and events in the Sedona area including a stint with the Heavenly J’s, and played at the Encore Theater with the Branson Hall of Fame Sax player Marvin Short in a show entitled Marvin Short’s Rock ‘n Roll Dreams. Suzie has been a great supporter of the arts to the area, and as Founder and Director of the late Sedona Live presented many local, regional and national performers.
Eddie Tortorello started to play when he was 8 years old and had his first gig when he was 13 years old. He has had formal musical training in the areas of theory, drums, and vocals and is self-taught on guitar, bass, and ukulele. He’s played drums for 42 years and has played with Richard Tee, a former keyboardist with Paul Simon and the Gadd Gang.
Claudia Tulip studied with flute master Marcel Moyse, received her BA in Music, and pursued post-baccalaureate. Claudia has twenty-seven years in collaboration with the William Eaton Ensemble. Tulip was a contributing musician to Jerry Jacka's Emmy Award-winning documentary Beyond Tradition, Music Award-winning CD Colors of My Heart by Sharon Burch, and the Bali, Peru and Anasazi segments of Chip Duncan's 13-part PBS series Mystic Lands.
Eric Williams is an accomplished musician, composer and recording artist with an extensive repertoire in jazz, blues, rock and popular songs of the 1920’s through today. Eric formed a band, Eric Williams & The Cruisers to perform an eclectic blend of 40’s swing 50’s Rock & Roll, 60’s R&B, 70’s & 80’s favorites.
Gregory Williams
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