MY ALL TIME FAVORITE SINGER by Oyvind Haugen

This week end Doc and me drove our motor home down to Langesund, Norway to attend a music festival. The main attraction was Barry McGuire - the guy who sang Eve of Destruction back in 1965, remember.. I've had e-mail contact with him for a couple of years so he warned me he'd be there. We met Barry and his wife on Thursday evening, on Friday evening and before we went home yesterday, we invited them for a cup of coffee in our motor home. They came over and stayed for a couple of hours, and the four of us were having coffee and pastries and telling lies, just like ordinary people. Now I'm sitting here trying to hack together a story on Barry for you to publish in Luigi's Corner. I have Barry's permission to do so and before I ship it over to you, I'll let Barry have a look at it and correct where necessary.

Please find enclosed the story and three photos. On one of the photos I'm sure you'll recognize Åse (Doc). The two other persons in that photo are Mari (Barry's wife) and Barry. The photo called Eve of Destruction is a photo of the cover of the original album with the same name. And I'm sure you'll recognize the caracters on the third photo as Barry and me.

Doc & Tony S.

Footnote by Luigi: Doc is Mrs Oyvind Haugen

Click any photo for enlarged view.

Barry McGuire was born on October 15^th 1935 in Oklahoma City, OK, but grew up in California.

I guess it can be said that he lived – at least partly – the life of a drifter during his late teens and early twenties. Taking whatever job he could find, McGuire got a job singing in a bar. In 1961, he released his first single called "The Tree", which was no hit. In the spring of 1962 he joined the New Christy Minstrels. The following year, McGuire wrote the Christys' first and biggest hit single: "Green, Green". He left the Christys in January, 1965.

In July the same year he recorded the song that put his name on everybody’s lips – "Eve of Destruction". It was meant as a protest song although Barry calls it a diagnostic song, because it has no answers. Barry puts this way: If you go to a doctor who only tells you you’ve got serious disease, you don’t call him a Protest Doctor. When P. F. Sloan wrote the lyrics for "Eve of Destruction" he merely came up with the diagnosis of a sick world, but no answers and no cure.

In 1967 Barry appeared in movie "The President’s Analyst" with James Coburn and in "Werewolves on Wheels". He also starred for a year in the Broadway musical "Hair".

In his pursuit of answers to the many issues raised by the song "Eve of Destruction" Barry sought everywhere, finally ending up with the Bible. There he found all the answers he needed and in 1971 he became a born-again Christian. Barry has been a follower of Jesus Christ ever since.

The first time I heard Barry McGuire I was 13 maybe 14. He was on the radio, singing "Green, Green" with the Christy Minstrels. The "sand-papery" voice intrigued me, but before I could find out whose voice it was, another song –"Three Wheels on my Wagon"– came along. And I remember saying to myself – there he is again, who is that guy?

A few months later he was there again – without the Minstrels – singing what I then understood to be a protest song. This time everybody knew the singer’s name. I bought the single as well as the album and played them until only shoelaces were left.

The first time I met Barry McGuire was in the summer of 1984 after his appearance at a village hall or some such, about an hour’s drive from where I live. After the show he came outside the building to get some fresh air. He spotted my motorcycle and while I was putting on my motorcycle clothes for my journey home he came over, said hello and told me he was a motorcyclist himself. I was awestruck by the fact that out of the clear blue sky the great Barry McGuire would come over and talk to me – just like that.

The next time I met him was 24 years later – in August 2008. In early 2004 I discovered his website where I also found his e-mail address. I took the chance and fired off an e-mail mentioning our brief conversation many years earlier and asked if he had any plans for visiting Norway again. Instantly he informed me that there were no such plans at that time, but he would keep me posted.

Obviously he didn’t forget that, because in February 2008 I got an e-mail from him informing me that he would visit a music festival in Norway with his show "Trippin’ the Sixties" and that he looked forward to meet me there. We found the festival site to be only a three hours drive away, so when the time came my wife and me drove our motor home down there.

When I spotted Barry outside his hotel, I stepped up to him, said hello and showed him a couple of printouts from our e-mail correspondence asking if he recognized them. He said – sure, I’ve been thinkin’ ‘bout you – and here you are. Good to see you!

After we had invited Barry and his charming wife, Mari, over to our motor home for coffee the next day we went to attend his show, which was a terrific one. "Trippin’ the Sixties" is the story of Barry’s life in songs and stories.

The next day the McGuires came over to our motor home where the four of us spent some time talking and joking over coffees. One thing you will notice when you’re around Barry and Mari is that you laugh a lot.

Barry is a humorous, polite and friendly person. Above all he is genuine and nowhere will you find a greater singer and there’s no finer gentleman.


Doc, Mari and Barry	Oyvind and Barry	Cover art - Eve of Destruction album