Meet Barney Wells

We recently connected with Barney Wells and have shared our conversation below.

Barney, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

Oh, gosh. What a great question. I don’t know if you ever overcome it, fully. I know for me, it can come in waves. I’ll feel like , “wow! I really know what I’m doing here” and then have massive feelings of doubt all in the span of a few days. Conquering that feeling and getting out of that funk, for me, comes in different forms. Sometimes it’s just battling my way out of it and a lot of positive affirmations. Literally, looking in the mirror and saying “you know how to do this. You’re good at it” Stop allowing negative thoughts to come in”. Then it can come with the affirmations of musicians that I really respect that I know are at a level I want to get to. That’s a big reason why I’m always complimentary of someone that I’m really into. Those words of affirmation might be helping them get over their own imposter syndrome.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I started playing music when I was 20 years old. Playing in a bar band with friends from high school. We had a blast and I learned a lot. We played all around our home state of West Virginia. We played in Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Just a bunch of kids really finding our own way. I moved to Nashville to pursue music in July 2002. By then I was married with 2 kids below the age of 5. I was working a full time job with a very corporate company. There wasn’t enough time to really pursue music full time. I wasn’t really trying to “make it”, you know? Not from a “I’m a big star” standpoint anyway. My idea of success was and still would be, playing the music I want to play to about 500 people and moving onto the next town. That is success to me. Chasing that dream tho can lead to burnout and it definitely caught up with me after about 10 years so I, quite literally, laid it all down for almost a decade. About 2 years ago I got “back in the game” and I’ve had more fun and “success” that I’ve ever had. My writing is better which is kind of wild. How do you put the guitar away and that skill still develops while it’s in a, seemingly, dormant state? I asked that question to a fellow writer and he said “you’re writing from a different perspective.now. A lot happens in a decades time and it shapes the way we approach the world and our craft” and I think he’s right. Right now I’m playing a lot in and around the Nashville area. Working on a follow up to my EASY MAN TO PLEASE project w Barney Wells & The Ramblin’ Souls. That’s exciting. I’ve got so much unreleased music right now. I’ve gotta get that out of my head and into the world. I’m really focused on a new series I’m doing at my local hang here in Dickson TN (35 miles outside of Music City), One19 Craft Kitchen and. Brewery called the BARSTOOL SERIES. That’s me and two friends sitting in barstools and just playing original music, covers and request. I’m not recreating the wheel w it but it’s gonna be fun. It’s gonna happen the first Friday of every month and I have those booked up thru the end of 2024. I’ll host and two different artist friends will join me each month. I w also go a Gulf Coast run coming up in early November w my friends and fellow songwriters Lucian Green and Camm Lewis. I’m looking forward to that.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

I was always a big music lover when I was a kid. I was surrounded by above average music listeners, you know? Always good music being played in the car, at family gatherings. It was all around and I was absorbing that. I think when i started playing music I already had this vast knowledge of what it was supposed to sound and feel like. When I stated writing my own stuff it was super helpful to say, “is this something I would’ve heard on the radio when I was growing up?” A willingness to learn. You’ll never get anywhere-no matter what your craft is-if you’re not willing to learn. Staying humble. In the music business, especially here in Nashville, the minute you get a little cocky, you’re gonna walk into a venue and hear some guy or girl who’s playing to anywhere from 3 people to hundreds and they are absolutely phenomenal. It happens everyday. Be confident but stay humble or Nashville will do that for you—or to you.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

I’m reading the new Rick Rubin book, The Creative Act: A Way of Being, right now. It’s been really impactful. His keen insights into the creative mind and artistic process have been a revelation. He creates from a very organic place and I’m drawn to that. The biggest takeaway among a handful of other is that no matter what’s going on in your creative life, whether your in a whirlwind of creativity or feeling like you’re in a creative funk, you’re still an artist. Even when you aren’t creating you’re still a creator. That’s helped to relieve the feeling of needing to have constant output.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @barneywellsmusic
• Facebook: @barneywellsmusic

Image Credits

All images are credited to Alisa Thayne w/ Thayne Media

IG: @thaynemedia