After enjoying years of international success with the Top 40 sensation, The Spin Doctors, lead singer Chris Barron abruptly woke up one morning with a very hoarse voice. It got so bad he could only whisper –and his voice did not automatically come back in relative time. It was a nightmare, the worst thing that could happen to his career. After all, his songs were number one hits, legions of fans were everywhere, and no one could get enough of The Spin Doctors. Barron had suffered vocal chord paralysis and specialists told him he had a 50/50 chance of ever singing again.

            Well, the odds were in his favor, fortunately, and Barron persevered. Eventually, he could sing again and the world could once more hear him perform such hits as “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong.” And though the band relished success on the big stage, touring with legendary acts like The Allman Brothers and The Rolling Stones, it wasn’t always cheery. The Spin Doctors, Barron reveals, “was on the rocks from the get-go,” pointing out that it has always been a love/hate relationship. In spite of the inner strife common among most bands, millions of record sales seem to have been worth the battles and drama.

            Whatever the status of The Spin Doctors may be, one thing remains constant: Chris Barron’s drive to continue writing great music and performing live. “I’ve known from a very early age I was going to be a performer,” says Barron, and is therefore compelled to keep it going. Hearing his latest release “Pancho and the Kid,” I asked Barron about what inspired the underlying heartbreak theme throughout the album. “It’s not autobiographical,” he insists, “I live my life –I have emotions in my life and I write from those emotions.” And certainly it is emotions galore in this collection of somewhat blue, yet charming songs –all rich in their composition both musically and lyrically. “That’s where good songs live,” Barron explains, “between what we have and what we wish.”

            Barron is no stranger to the Baltimore and Maryland music scene either, playing the 13^th Floor and the 8x10. “It’s all about playing live,” Barron chuckles. You can catch Chris Barron and The Time Bandits at the 8x10 on May 3^rd at 10PM, tickets are $8, May 23^rd at Atmosphere in Ft. Lauderdale, tickets are $15, May 24^th at Roxy’s Pub in West Palm Beach, FL, June 20^st at Coffee East in Easton, MD, tickets are $20, and The Rams Head Tavern in Savage, MD on June 21st.

Tags: Band, Barron, Chris, Music, Spin Doctors