Barry Steele
# Barry Steele – Biography
Barry Steele's journey into professional entertainment is an extraordinary story of talent discovered by chance.
After serving in the Royal Air Force, Barry enjoyed a successful career in retail. Although he loved music, he had never sung in public and had no ambitions of becoming a professional performer.
Everything changed while on holiday at a Holiday camp in Looe, Cornwall. Encouraged to enter the camp's talent competition, Barry stepped onto a stage for the very first time.
Performing "Angels" by Robbie Williams, he amazed both the audience and the judges, winning the competition despite having never sung publicly before.
That unexpected victory changed the course of his life.
Inspired by the response, Barry began performing professionally, quickly earning a reputation for his exceptional voice, natural stage presence and dedication to musical excellence. What began as a spontaneous holiday competition grew into a career spanning more than two decades.
Today, Barry Steele is recognised as one of Britain's foremost theatre performers. His acclaimed production, **Barry Steele's Roy Orbison Story – The Platinum Years**, tours leading theatres across the UK, combining outstanding musicianship, spectacular production values and an emotional celebration of Roy Orbison's timeless music, together with an acclaimed accolade to The Traveling Wilburys.
Known for his professionalism, humility and perfectionism, Barry remains hands-on in every aspect of his productions, from rehearsals and musical arrangements to staging and audience experience. His passion for delivering the very highest standards has earned him the respect of theatres, fellow musicians and audiences across the country.
From serving in the Royal Air Force, to a career in retail, to discovering an extraordinary gift on the stage of a holiday camp in Looe, Barry Steele's story is a reminder that sometimes the greatest journeys begin with one unexpected opportunity.
Supported by an exceptional band, the show takes you through Orbison's evolution, from his rockabilly roots at Sun Records to his chart-topping hits of the 1960s and his time with the Traveling Wilburys. Expect to hear timeless classics like "Pretty Woman," "Crying," "I Drove All Night," "You Got It," "Only the Lonely," "In Dreams," "California Blue," and "Handle with Care," along with many of Roy's beloved ballads, famous covers, and rock and roll anthems in a breathtaking two-hour theatrical performance.
Roy Orbison's music, much like the man himself, is timeless, so join us as we celebrate the operatic magic of “The Caruso of Rock.”
As the co-writer of ‘Crying’ and ‘Oh Pretty Woman’ stated when Barry duetted with him in Hendersonville ‘Wow! Wow! Wow!
There are tributes and then there is Barry Steele “The mirror.”
True Identikit Brilliance – “The Stage”
A range to match the Master. “Wanganui Chronicle
