By Kevin Greer
Lakeside Communications Manager
Grammy-nominated country music artist John Berry will cap off what’s always a fun day at the Lakeside-Marblehead Lighthouse Festival on Saturday, Oct. 12 with two unique acoustic performances at 6 and 8 p.m. in Orchestra Hall.
Berry rose to stardom on the country music charts in the 1990s with the No. 1 hit “Your Love Amazes Me,” “Standing on the Edge of Goodbye” and “She’s Taken a Shine.” Berry placed 20 singles on the charts, six reaching the Top 5.
Berry has been successful, but who knows what heights he would’ve reached if it weren’t for a couple major health scares when his career was peaking. Berry’s resiliency and tenacity are some of the reasons he still performs, as well as support from his wife, Robin.
Berry took the time to talk with The Lakesider newspaper about how he became interested in music, trying to get noticed on stages in college bars, the day “Your Love Amazes Me” reached No. 1, the powerful story of his first time back in the studio one month after brain surgery, his popular Christmas tour featuring crowd favorite “O Holy Night” and other topics.
Have you ever been to Lakeside?
Berry: No, I haven’t. I played in The Listening Room in Port Clinton. It was a really cool place.
How and when did you become interested in music?
Berry: The summer before high school, I started playing guitar. At Thanksgiving break, unexpectedly, our family moved to the other side of the county. It was only eight miles, but at age 13, that’s on the other side of the planet. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I said goodbye to all the kids at school, and Monday morning I was at a new school. The only person I knew in the entire building was my big brother. My guitar sort of became my social anxiety crutch. Our new house had a basement, and my dad helped me build a little studio, and it’s where I recorded my first few independent albums when I was a kid. My mom passed away, then my dad ended up moving out of the house, my brother went to college and my sister got married, so everybody left me.
I ended up getting a gig in Athens, Georgia, and moved there. I played clubs near the University of Georgia campus for eight years, and I recorded two albums. I got into music full time. I had been working at the Herman Miller assembly plant when I made my first my first album. They build office partitions and furniture. In 1982, a lady ran a stop sign and hit me riding my motorcycle. I broke both of my legs and left hip, and I couldn’t go back to working in the factory. I said, ‘I still play a guitar,’ so I’ve made a living doing that ever since.
Did you take any lessons?
Berry: No, I just kind of self-taught and learned from friends. I should’ve taken lessons. I would understand more and be a better player. I’m not a very accomplished guitar player. I fumble through what I need to do.
Who are some of your musical influences?
Berry: John Denver. I love his music, and he was a fabulous guitar player. I watch videos of him playing and it sounds really simple, but man, the things he’s doing are not simple at all.
Did anybody try to talk you out of pursuing music, or did you get a lot of support.
Berry: My parents were really supportive of me doing it. I lost my mom when I was young, but my dad was proud of me. He came to Athens when I was playing the clubs, and he was pretty amazed. He bought me a piece of land and built a house. I was proud of that.
You marketed six albums on your own?
Berry: I mean, the first four were pretty horrible, and I hope nobody hears them because they will be so disappointed. But the last two, Things are not the Same and Saddle the Wind were rereleased by Capitol Records, those are pretty good old records.
Was it hard to get noticed?
Berry: Well, sure, nobody noticed. You just have to keep plugging away at what you do. You have to figure out a way to make a living at it. I fell into a niche in Athens at a time when alternative music became popular. I was the only one in town who was playing my music, John Denver, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Hank Williams Jr. and whatever I wanted to play. I couldn’t tell you a single song R.E.M. (alternative band started in Athens) did except, “It’s the End of the World as We Know it.” I never paid attention to that genre because they didn’t pay attention to me.
How did signing with Capitol Records change things for you?
Berry: Initially, I started making less money, but it opened a lot of doors for future things. There was notoriety, and people knew who I was, and what my music was more than just 100 miles around Athens. I always wanted a record deal because I wanted to play for people in other places.
Summarize your success in the ’90s.
Berry: Well, it was a lot of fun, really exciting. Unfortunately, I don’t recall a lot at the height because I got sick and had brain surgery in 1994. “Your Love Amazes Me” was announced as the No. 1 song on the Radio Records Chart on May 10, and I had brain surgery that morning. It was No. 1 on Billboard two weeks later. For about a year and a half, I don’t have much memory of any of that. It was just a blur.
In ’97, I had vocal cord surgery and I had to take about a year off. I missed my Christmas tour that year, which was almost devastating financially. I don’t know how I got through that without the Christmas tour because it was a big deal for me. I lost traction with radio and my record label and ended up getting let go. I had so many health issues, it’s ridiculous. It’s what it is, and you can’t do anything about that.
What made you decide to do a Christmas album?
Berry: “O Holy Night” came out not as a record. It was sent out as a CD thank you card to country radio in Christmas ’94. We had scheduled to go into the studio June 8, 1994, to record a couple Christmas songs and maybe do a Christmas record. Little did we know that on May 10, I would have brain surgery. They were going to cancel the session, and my wife said, “Don’t cancel the session. He needs the distraction.” We went in and cut two songs, “O Holy Night, and “O Come Emmanuel.” We captured something that day that was remarkable, nothing we could have planned or remake. I was in the studio with a wonderful band and singing these two beautiful songs. The musicians were very aware of where I was health wise, and it was a real emotional day. We just captured this beautiful audio photograph, if you will. There is a very vulnerable, almost breakable timbre about my voice. I think that people felt it without knowing what they were feeling. They just knew they felt something that was real. One of the musicians, a world class violinist, kept going out of tune. The producer asked her, “What’s happening with your instrument? You never had issues like this.” She said, “Well, I’m in here listening to John sing this beautiful song, realizing less than a month ago, we’re praying he’d survive, much less sing again. The tears are falling off my cheek on the violin.” I think people can still sense there’s a spirituality people can sense and feel that can’t be explained.
Did your illness keep you from touring and promoting your music?
Berry: I never got to promote any of my big hits. I was doing a tour, but they wouldn’t let me do a lot of radio interviews. After “Your Love Amazes Me,” I didn’t do any interviews for four months. In ’95, I did some promotions, had a hit song, “She’s Taken a Shine,” then had vocal cord surgery and had to take a year off. I never really got the chance to dig in as an artist. I have a handful of hits I still can tour on and along with Christmas tour, and I’ve been able to make a living doing it. I am the artist who won’t go away.
I had throat cancer five years ago. By God’s grace, I didn’t lose my voice. As far as singing goes, I’m probably singing better than ever. I had all these stupid health issues, so it’s a blessing from my Creator that He’s enabled me to continue to do this. With a grateful heart, I recorded a gospel record, Find my Joy. We played with a small band and a 45-piece string orchestra. We also did one song with the Utah Symphony. I loved it and I wish more churches would invite me to come play and share the music with their fellowship, but I just never got into that realm.
Did you get tour with any of the big name artists?
Berry: I did get to tour with Reba McIntyre. I had the brain surgery when I was on the road with her. That was sort of strange ordeal. I appreciate Reba’s kindness to me during that time. She’s a terrific person. I’d love to do a song with her. It would be a lot of fun.
Tell about the popularity of your Christmas tours.
Berry: This will be our 28th year. I’m getting pretty old. Get your tickets now. Who knows how long this will last? We’re headed to back to Sugar Hill, Georgia, and rehearse the show Thanksgiving week in a little theater. The day after Thanksgiving, we kick off the tour there. Then we go to High Point, North Carolina; Tifton, Georgia; my hometown of Aiken, South Carolina; Paterson, Tennessee; Washington, Indiana; Jeffersonville, Indiana; Oshkosh, Wisconsin; Benton, Tennessee; Hastings, Michigan; Fremont, Michigan; Chillicothe, Ohio; Cedartown, Georgia; Athens, Georgia; Cowan, Tennessee; and Macon, Georgia. We’ll close out the shows at the Grand Ole Opry.
Was it always country for you, or did you want to do another genre?
Berry: I always listened to acoustic rock music. John Denver was more folk music, but I loved Cat Stevens, Harry Chapin, Jackson Browne, the Allman Brothers and other southern rock. I loved that a lot, even though I really couldn’t sing it. I had too pretty a voice for that. I don’t mean that in an arrogant way. As a matter of fact, I wish it wasn’t quite like that. With my recent health issues, maybe my voice won’t be so pretty.
What should Lakesiders here expect from your shows?
Berry: Robin will probably be with me. She likes to tell stories about the songs. Sometimes she talks a lot, and I’ll say, “Stop telling them all that stuff they don’t need to hear.” I’ll bring a couple of my favorite guitars and just play all sorts of songs. I’m going to do a Joe Diffie song and tell the story about how that song literally changed my life. It will be a fun and intimate evening.
Will it be too early for Christmas songs?
Berry: If somebody yells out “O Holy Night,” I’ll sing a verse and the chorus. Somebody almost always does. If nobody requests it, I won’t do it. If I do it on my own, people think I lost my mind. One of the weirdest times I ever sang it was at an outdoor festival in July. These ladies up on the on the hilltop unrolled this huge banner that said, “John, please sing, ‘O Holy Night.’” I sang a verse and the chorus, and the place went nuts. The whole time I was singing all I could think of was, “What are the people in the beer garden thinking?”
