Upper Lake >> From popular rock musician to Lake County attorney, Barry “the Fish” Melton has had quite the life. At only 17, he teamed up with Joe McDonald to form Country Joe and the Fish. By 19, he was making more money than he’s made in the last 40 years. And then at 35 years old, he passed the Bar Exam and parted from his rock and roll life. Sort of.
It may seem like something of an odd transition, traveling rock musician to attorney, but Melton had always been interested in law, having registered as a law student when he was 23. Then six weeks after his oldest son was born, Melton returned from a stint on the road and quickly realized he needed to find a job that would keep him closer to his family. “I came home and he didn’t recognize me. He cried when I held him, and everything had been cool when I left,” Melton said. “That’s where I made the decision that I’m not going to miss this kid’s life.”
Just because he adopted the family lifestyle doesn’t mean he gave up music. That’s one thing he’ll never quit. Even when he’s on vacation, he’s playing. He recently returned from a two week trip to England and France, where he played five shows. “I never have a real vacation,” Melton said. “My vacations are my excuse for going and playing somewhere else.”
Melton now plays in his own group, the Barry The Fish Melton Band, and he’s known the other members of the band for decades. Over 50 years ago the bassist, Peter Albin, gave Melton his first music job after the two met at San Francisco State University. While their paths diverged when Albin hit the road with Big Brother and the Holding Company and Melton toured for Country and the Joe and the Fish, the two have been playing on and off since the early ‘70s. Roy Blumenfeld is the group’s drummer. He met Melton over five decades ago and they’ve been playing together steadily for almost as long. Melton even opened for Blumenfeld’s band in 1966 at Cafe au Go Go in New York City.
On keys is Lowell Levinger, formerly of The Youngbloods, who has played with Elvis Costello. And as leader of the band Eggs Over Easy, Levinger essentially brought Pub Rock to England in the ‘70s, Melton said. The two musicians have known each other for 25 years.
“I’m really privileged to play with people who are better musicians than I am,” Melton said.
The group plays rock, but there’s a jazz-like improvisational quality to their music. While they’re by no means a jazz band, there’s a good deal of experimentation when it comes to their sound. The Barry Melton Band isn’t the type of group that would give the same show on Monday as they would Friday. “We are loose enough to allow things to happen that surprise us. Sometimes we’re as happy as anyone else is at what we stumble on,” Melton said. “We use relatively simple chordal structures or tunes that we all know, but from that we’re able to diverge.”
The Barry Melton Band will be performing at the Blue Wing Saloon tonight for the establishment’s annual Blue Wing Blues Festival. Melton has played the venue before, but it’s been a few years. He’s always excited to return and he’s eternally grateful to Bernie Butcher, Blue Wing proprietor. “I feel deeply indebted to Bernie. He truly loves the music and money is not his driving force,” Melton said. “He’s a real asset to this community, which I’m proud to be a part of.”
Tonight Bill Noteman and his trio will open for the Barry Melton Band. The festival continues throughout the weekend, with the Daniel Castro Band performing on Saturday and Chris Cain playing Sunday. Each night the show is from 6-9 p.m. Tickets are $50 in advance for $55 at the gate. Call 275-2244 ext. 0 for tickets. The Blue Wing Saloon is located at 9520 Main St. in Upper Lake.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
