finetune artist: John Berry

b. 14 September, 1959, Aiken, South Carolina, USA. The 90s country singer John Berry grew up appreciating soul music and the singer-songwriters of the early 70s. In 1981 both his legs were crushed in a motorcycle accident, but he recovered fully and decided to devote his time to music. He performed in Midwest clubs until settling in Athens, Georgia, in 1985. He self-financed six albums that he sold at concerts, the sixth of which sold over 10,000 copies. By that time, he was graduating from southern soul into new country. His powerful voice can be heard to good effect on his first album for Liberty Records, John Berry, and the ballad "Your Love Amazes Me" shot Berry to country music stardom. Further drama with his health ensued when in 1994 he had a delicate operation to remove a cyst in his brain. Recalling the earlier appalling road accident, Berry fully recovered, reinforcing the artist's remarkable thirst for life. That same turbulent year he topped the US country charts with "Your Love Amazes Me". Berry's vocal inflections still retain strong elements of white soul music, in keeping with the styles of Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald. His wife, Robin, adds backing vocals on a number of tracks. Berry excels at power ballads such as "What Are We Fighting For", "There's No Cross That Love Won't Bear", "I Never Lost You" and "If I Had Any Pride Left At All" (all from the excellent Standing On The Edge). He has said, perhaps with a touch of foreknowledge, "If you have a big hit, you have to sing it for the rest of your life, and it would be awful if you hated the song." Faithfully was a rather formulaic follow-up but he returned to a more homely and loose feel with Better Than A Biscuit in 1998. The production was shared by Davey Faragher and John Hiatt. A rawer approach was used, and Berry confirmed this by stating in 1998 that he was the James Brown of country music.

Listen to John Berry at Finetune.

(2008) John Berry
(2002) Certified Hits
(2001) O Holy Night
(2001) Greatest Hits
(1999) Wildest Dreams

Your Love Amazes Me
She's Taken A Shine
Standing On The Edge Of Goodbye
O Holy Night
I Think About It All The Time