We've Lost Another Of Our Wonderful Sing-Out Parents

I received word late last night (Friday, October 16) that Curry Barry, the father of Sing-Out South cast members, Buster and Beverly Barry, had passed away at the age of 87. According to another one of his children, Brazo, Mr. Barry died from complications following a recent surgery.

At this time, all I know about arrangements is that the funeral will be Tuesday, October 20 at the Cathedral of the Incarnation Catholic Church on West End Avenue. I will post more details as I receive them.

UPDATED INFORMATION (Sunday October 18): Mr. Barry's funeral mass will be at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday morning, October 20 at the Cathedral with Father Joe Pat Breen as the celebrant. Vistation with the family will be on Monday, October 19 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.(with a rosary at 7:00 p.m.)at Marshall Donnelly Funeral Home located next to Centennial Park.

The Barrys were one of the very active families in Sing-Out South from the very beginning. Buster, the oldest son, was a member of the original cast of Sing-Out South, and traveled with Cast B of Up With People beginning in the summer of 1966 following the National Sing-Out Conference in Estes Park, CO.

Buster continued with the national cast and left Father Ryan to take his junior and senior years of high school on the road with Up With People, although Father James Hitchcock, the principal at Ryan, made sure both Buster and Robbie Rourke, another Father Ryan student traveling with UWP, got the chance to come back and graduate with their Ryan classmates in the spring of 1967 (Robbie Rourke) and the spring of 1968 (Buster Barry).

After Buster left Sing-Out South his sister,Beverly,the oldest daughter,joined the cast and stayed with the show for several years while she attended Saint Bernard Academy.

Beverly Barry is fourth from the left in this photo, next to Jill Walters. Others in this photo are (from the left) Kenny Swider, Lee Lee Luken Dorough and Mary Jane Varley.

Beverly & Buster's mom, Mrs. Marian Barry, was one of the cast mothers who was almost always there for practices along with helping to car-pool cast members to both shows and rehersals. She also helped store and carry around a lot of the Sing-Out materials (record albums, books, etc) that we sold at our shows. I can remember that old blue Chevy Impala station wagon the Barrys had filled to overflowing with cast members and SOS sales materials as we set off for one more show.

Mr.Barry was also a frequent attendee at practices and shows, and their home on Clairmont Place just off Woodmont Blvd. was often a site for cast members to hang out(even though the Barrys already had a house full of children of their own).

Of course, when one of the national casts of Up With People would come to town, the Barrys always took some into their home. That also included when the cast of Sing-Out Asia arrived in Nashville in September, 1968.

Sing-Out Asia practices on stage at West End High School in Nashville in September, 1968

Here's what Mrs. Barry once told me about the time Sing-Out Asia came to town.

"I remember it well. We had six boys (from Sing Out Asia) staying at our house on Clairmont Place and I had to farm out six of my own children to neighbors (to find them a place) to sleep. Of course, they all came home to eat. It was a hot summer and we managed to find swim trunks for the boys and took them to the Knights of Columbus swimming pool (on Bosley Springs Road near what is now St. Thomas Hospital) for a swim. They really seemed to enjoy that. One (Sing Out Asia) cast member spoke almost no English and I spoke no Japanese. But we managed to communicate through sign language."

The Barry's frequently opened their home to others...even on Christmas Day. I fondly remember going by there every Christmas Day for their Open House while I was in the cast. It remains one of my favorite holiday memories growing up.

Mr. Barry was a 1940 graduate of Father Ryan and retired after a 40-year career with the Clements Paper Company. He was an Air Force veteran and a 50-year member of the Knights of Columbus. Memorials may be made either to Father Ryan High School or the Sisters of Mercy Convent. He and Mrs. Barry were married for 61 years and had 10 children and 12 grandchildren.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Barry family at this difficult time. If you have any thoughts or memories to share, please feel free to do so below.

May Mr. Barry rest in peace.