20 Facts About Barry Carl

Barry Carl was a member of Rockapella from 1988 until he left the group in 2002.

In 1958, at age 8, Barry Carl began to play the tenor saxophone, but stopped a year later and switched to the French horn at age 10.

Barry Carl won many awards and competitions for his horn playing including the Los Angeles Music Guild Award, the First Los Angeles Horn Club Award, and the Coleman Awards twice.

Barry Carl studied with Rainier DeIntinis, who was the 3rd chair hornist in the New York Philharmonic while he taught.

Barry Carl earned two degrees from Juilliard, a Bachelor of Music in 1972 and a Master of Music in 1973, and played in the Juilliard Orchestra, many Broadway shows, the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, and three seasons with the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra during his years there.

Barry Carl quit playing the horn at age 28 to further pursue his passion for singing.

Barry Carl began studying voice in 1975 and went back to Juilliard a year later at age 26 as a singer in their American Opera Center professional program.

Barry Carl answered the ad and auditioned for Sean Altman and Elliott Kerman, but did not hear back from the two for months.

That summer, while Barry Carl worked with the Minnesota Opera, Altman and Kerman asked him to be in the group and sent him a stack of music to learn.

Altman then called Barry Carl and persuaded him to try it, asserting that it would be a minimal time commitment.

Barry Carl was a member of Rockapella for 14 years, two years longer than Altman's own membership.

Barry Carl recorded many of his parts for these albums in his recording studio The BassMint, "a luxurious pro studio on the green banks of the Hackensack River" as Carl describes it.

Barry Carl released a solo CD in 2004 titled The SoLow Project, which contains 20 songs split into four sections of Negro spirituals, sea chanties, a collection of songs by Jacques Ibert, and a song cycle by Modest Mussorgsky.

Barry Carl appeared on movie soundtracks as an ensemble singer for such films as Corpse Bride and Nine; in 2007 he appeared in the independent movie The Wedding Weekend as a tough guy in prison who likes to sing.

Since 2008 Barry Carl has gotten back together with Steve Keyes, Kerman, and Altman on three occasions, billing themselves as XRP.

Barry Carl privately teaches a limited number of vocal students and coaches vocal groups.

Barry Carl started out freelance for about five years, and then signed on with William Morris Agency for ten years.

For many years he was the voice of the papa bear in the Charmin television ads; Barry Carl's voice has been used as the voice for the following various animated animals and objects: bear, pig, clam, duck, cockroach, horse, penguin, giraffe, moose, whale, shark, bass, Sasquatch, water droplet, water jug, a jug of Koolaid, a toilet, a germ, a recycling bin, and an echo in a Pepsi commercial.

Barry Carl started playing the bass guitar in 1986, was the bassist on The SoLow Project, and continues to play today.

Barry Carl writes stories and articles for various publications, is currently co-producing TV show pilots and concepts in partnership with Hilton Media, is a frequent judge at a cappella competitions such as the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella and the Harmony Sweeps Finals, and rides a 2016 Kawasaki Concours he calls "The Gray Ghost".