Chris Barron | |
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 Barron performing in 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Christopher Barron Gross |
| Born | (1968-02-05)February 5, 1968 (age 57) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instrument | Vocals |
| Member of | Spin Doctors |
| Spouse | |
Christopher Barron Gross, best known asChris Barron (born February 5, 1968) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer ofSpin Doctors.
Barron was born February 5, 1968,[1] inHonolulu, where his father Ken Gross, an automotive journalist, was stationed during theVietnam War.[2] He has described his family as “this great big Jewish family”, with his ancestors coming from Russia. His uncle wasLennie Sogoloff, who ownedjazz club Lennie’s on the Turnpike inPeabody, Massachusetts.[3]Barron spent his childhood in theBronx andRye, New York, and later moved to Australia for over three years when he was eight years old.[4] As a child, Barron was interested in music and took guitar lessons. He studiedmusic theory as an elective course in middle school.
When his family returned to the United States, Barron attendedPrinceton High School inPrinceton, New Jersey,[5] the same school asJohn Popper, and the two became close friends. Barron and Popper would jam together after school.[4] When he was 14, he worked at an ice cream shop.[6]
He attendedBennington College inVermont for one year. There, he was a member of two local bands: Dead Alcoholics With Boners and the Funbunnies. After leaving Bennington, Barron returned to Princeton, got a job at a restaurant, and immersed himself in music. During this time, he wrote "Jimmy Olsen's Blues" and "Two Princes".[4]
One night,John Popper's bandBlues Traveler was in town. After hanging out for a night and hearing Barron's songs, Popper invited Barron to move in with them in New York City,[4] He joined the band Trucking Company with Popper and Canadian guitarist Eric Schenkman. Popper left this side project to focus on his main gig with Blues Traveler full-time. With a name change to Spin Doctors, as well as the addition of Aaron Comess andMark White, the classic lineup was in place by the spring of 1989.[7]
On May 17, 1999, just two weeks before the release of the band's albumHere Comes the Bride, Barron woke up unable to talk. He lost his voice due to a rare acute form ofvocal cord paralysis that severely affected his ability to talk, let alone sing. He was told he had a 50-50 chance of ever talking or singing normally again.[8] Band keyboardistIvan Neville took over vocal duties for a few dates, but the band eventually cancelled the remainder of its tour.[9]
Barron's voice came back in early 2000 (first comeback [solo] shows in March 2000), at which point he began performing with his band and the Give Daddy Five. Barron undertook what he calls "a journeyman songwriting experience," composing tunes with Blues Traveler's John Popper and with formerBMI executive Jeff Cohen. A solo album calledShag was released in 1998, featuring diverse influences, including rock,jazz,country, andfunk.[4]
Spin Doctors remained inactive as a band until September 2001, when news about the closing of legendary NYC venueWetlands sparked the original four members to reunite. On September 7, 2001, the original line-up took the stage for the first time since 1994 to play at Wetlands. It was the final closing week of the club. The landmark show was a great success for the fans and the band.[8]
In 2009, he put out a solo album calledPancho and the Kid, and a year later he released an EP calledSongs from the Summer of Sangria.
In 2012, Barron took part in theNorwegian selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, with The Canoes.[10]
In 2017, Barron releasedAngels and One Armed Jugglers to positive reviews.
Barron metLaura Benanti in the early 2000s. They married on July 25, 2005, but by the end of the year were going through what Benanti has called a "terrible divorce."[11] They were divorced in 2006.[12] He then married actressLindsay Nicole Chambers, the lead in the Broadway tour ofKinky Boots on February 14, 2012.[13]
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