Barry Bales (born 1969) has been the bass player and harmony singer in Alison Krauss and Union Station since 1990. He has won IBMA Bass Player of the Year four times, in 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2016. He played bass on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack and plays the Flatt and Scruggs bass parts in the Earls of Leicester. He is also a producer and songwriter.
Why Bales matters
Bales has held the bass job in Alison Krauss and Union Station for more than 35 years, through the band’s biggest records. Wikipedia calls him one of the most in-demand session players in acoustic music, and his credits run from Merle Haggard and Dolly Parton to Elvis Costello and the Chieftains.
Life and career
Bales was born on August 23, 1969, in Kingsport, Tennessee, and grew up in nearby Colonial Heights. His father’s record collection gave him Bill Monroe, Flatt and Scruggs, the Stanley Brothers, Bob Wills, and Buck Owens. He started on guitar at about 10 and found the bass by 15, when he began playing with regional bands.
He studied in the bluegrass, old-time, and country music program at East Tennessee State University, as did future Union Station members Tim Stafford and Adam Steffey. He joined Alison Krauss and Union Station in 1990 and has stayed ever since. He played bass on the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack in 2001 and worked with the Dan Tyminski Band in 2007. The band’s Paper Airplane won a Grammy in 2012.
In 2013 he and Jerry Douglas formed the Earls of Leicester, a band that plays the music of Flatt and Scruggs. He has produced albums for Adam Steffey, Sierra Hull, and Russell Moore and IIIrd Tyme Out.
Playing style
Bales grew up on classic bluegrass and western swing records. In the Earls of Leicester he plays the part of Jake Tullock, the longtime Flatt and Scruggs bass player. His video lessons and interviews deal with gut strings, plywood basses, and where the finger meets the string.
Influences and legacy
Bales learned from his father’s records and from Jake Tullock, whose role he plays in the Earls of Leicester. He has played beside Alison Krauss, Dan Tyminski, Ron Block, Adam Steffey, and Jerry Douglas. He produced records for Sierra Hull and Russell Moore.
Essential recordings
O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack Paper Airplane, Alison Krauss and Union Station The Earls of Leicester, the Earls of Leicester
Awards and honors
IBMA Bass Player of the Year (2008, 2013, 2014, 2016) Grammy Award, with Alison Krauss and Union Station, for Paper Airplane (2012)
Watch and listen
Bales introduces his course on bluegrass bass.
What to learn from Bales
Learn the bass part to a Flatt and Scruggs song from the Earls of Leicester record, then the same song from an Alison Krauss record if she covers one. Compare how much room each band gives the bass. The skill to steal is fitting the band: the same bass player can sound right in a 1950s style and a modern one if he listens first.
Sources
Barry Bales, Wikipedia Bales, Barry, BluegrassBios.com Jake Tullock, Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame and Museum Awards by Category, IBMA
Related players
See the bass players hub and the bass guide. Jake Tullock is the player Bales channels in the Earls of Leicester. Jerry Douglas is his bandmate in both Union Station and the Earls.