Alexander Barr (born January 21, 1968) is an American musician. He has been the
lead singer
The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...
of the
Dropkick Murphys
Dropkick Murphys are an American Celtic punk band formed in Quincy, Massachusetts in 1996. Singer and bassist Ken Casey has been the band's only constant member. Other current members include drummer Matt Kelly (1997– ), singer Al Barr (199 ...
since 1998. He was also a founder and lead singer for
The Bruisers, which he helped form in 1988 in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
,
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
. His first band circa 1984, was called D.V.A. (Direct Vole Assault). He also went on to front 5 Balls of Power, with future members of
Scissorfight
Scissorfight is a four-piece American band from Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Biography
Scissorfight formed in 1995 in the town of Portsmouth. The original lineup consisted of guitarist Jay Fortin, bassist Paul Jarvis, and drummer Joel Muzzey. Bl ...
, The Radicts, L.E.S. Stitches, and US Bombs, before he formed The Bruisers. His band the Bruisers had played many shows with
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
's Dropkick Murphys, and when Dropkick lead singer
Mike McColgan
Michael McColgan is an American musician, and is a founding member and former lead singer of the American punk band Street Dogs and a founding member and former original lead singer of the American Celtic punk band Dropkick Murphys.
Early years ...
quit the band in 1998 the Murphys asked Barr to be the new lead singer. The first album the Dropkick Murphys released with Barr as singer was 1999's ''
The Gang's All Here''.
Personal life
Barr is of paternal Scottish descent and maternal German descent. He makes German-language remarks to audiences in German-speaking countries.
In December 2003, Barr and his wife Jessica had their first child, Strummer Barr, who was named after
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor (21 August 1952 – 22 December 2002), known professionally as Joe Strummer, was a British singer, musician and songwriter. He was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of punk rock band the Clash, ...
of
The Clash
The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...
.
They had their second child, a daughter, December 7th 2008, and their third child and second son on October 10th, 2012.
In February 2022 it was announced that Barr was forced to drop off of the Dropkick Murphys' 2022 St. Patrick’s Day Tour and their 2022 summer tour in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
to take care of his ailing mother, who is battling
Lewy Body Dementia
Lewy body dementias are two similar and common subtypes of dementia—dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and
Parkinson's disease dementia (PDD). Both are characterized by changes in thinking, movement, behavior, and mood. The two conditions have sim ...
. Jesse Ahern, Mikey Rivkees of
The Rumjacks, and Jen Razavi of
The Bombpops will be assisting on vocals for certain songs in place of Barr, with
Ken Casey
Kenneth William Casey Jr. (born April 15, 1969) is an American musician who is a bass guitarist, primary songwriter, and one of the lead singers of the Boston Celtic punk group the Dropkick Murphys. Casey was one of the original members, start ...
taking over other vocal duties for Barr.
References
Sources
*
Further reading
* Herwick, Edgar B., III
"Interview with Al Barr" ''Front Row Boston'', transcript, WGBH, aired July 5, 2014.
External links
*
Singers from New Hampshire
American punk rock singers
American male singers
Living people
American people of Scottish descent
American people of German descent
1968 births
People from Hanover, New Hampshire
Dropkick Murphys members
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