The Barry Sisters

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The Barry Sisters were an Australian musical group which consisted of Dorothy & Lorna Barry who were signed to Sydney's Pye label in 1959 and recorded seven singles, all of which were never released, due to a complication in the contract. From there they were transferred over to EMI's HMV (His Masters Voice) Label. They released one single, 'Baby Darling / My Love Loves Lovin' on HMV EA-4322 in December of 1959. The single got hardly any airplay, and consequently failed to chart. In 1960, the duo recorded and released 'Paper Roses / Doggie Bone' on HMV EA-4384, which was a cover of the classic Anita Bryant song, which also failed. Later in 1960 they were asked to perform on Johnny O'Keefe's Six O'Clock Rock where they met The Allen Brothers, consisting of Peter Allen and Chris Bell. The pair sang McGuire Sisters, Connie Francis and De John Sisters records on TV, but failed to secure a recording contract until heard by Pye Records A&R man Eric Jupp. They were immediatly singed on the 27th of October, 1960, where the Allen Brothers were also signed.

The two duos formed a great friendship and by the end of 1960 had recorded a single together. "No Hesitation" was released in May of 1961 and peaked at number 15 on the Sydney Top 40. Later that month, The Barry Sisters released "Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul", a jazzed-up version of the traditional nursery rhyme which charted in Sydney only at number 38. In 1961 two other Pye Singles were released,"Hush-A-Bye My Heart / Three Little Fishies" and "Tico Tico Twist / Don't Promise Me (Can Can)" - which were both wonderfully arranged and sung. The fast strings of Tommy Tycho and His Orchestra combined with the bouncing rythmic harmonies of The Barry Sisters created a sensational product - but sadly, both singles sold extremely poorly. In January 1962, just before the Pye Labels closure, the sisters released a novelty, promotional record for Pye. "See 'Ya Later Pye / My, Oh My; It's Bye-Bye To Pye" was one of the most poorly arranged singles in music history. For once, this was a deserved flop. It was such a disappointment, especially after such brilliance and talent. In this recording, you could hear the producers in the background, slurring of the words, even forgetting the words at one point, and finally finishing the song on the wrong key! Everyone involved in the release of the single were so embarrassed they stopped all pressings after two days. There was some speculation of recording one last single for Pye, but after no chart action, the label cancelled their contract with the Barry Sisters, and soon after the company ceased running.

When the Australian Pye label officially closed down in 1962, the duo was signed to Leedon Records where they released one single under the name 'Mary-Ann and Rebecca Barry'(chosen by Johnny O'Keefe, who thought it best to give the girls a new identity). Nevertheless, it flopped with a capital F and only 2 copies were sold, making it a mega-ultra-rare item today. In 1963, after no public exposure for almost a year, the Barry Sisters sprung out of no where and released 4 singles on the Leedon and Linda Lee labels, both operated by Festival Records, Sydney. One of those singles, 'Jimmy Don't Leave Me / Go Away Rebecca-Sue!' (Leedon LK-337) charted at #38, making it their last ever chartng single. The pair sang at The Stadium and on shows throughout 1963 and some of 1964, the most frequent being Bobby Limb's Sound Of Music and Bandstand.

It was later found out that two singles that were recorded way back in 1959 for Pye records were released in America on the Dot label, and finally got release here on the London label in 1962. The Barry Sisters were not aware of this until 1965 when the two singles turned up at the "Old Vinyl Outlet" in Sydney - and further investigation showed that all 7 songs recorded for Pye in late 1959 were sent to America for possible release. It is unknown if the remaining 5 songs were ever released, but the original master copies of those recordings are still in the American Dot record library - unheard by Australian ears.

After 1964 the Barry Sisters left the public scene forever leaving behind a small contribution to Australia's rock and roll scene.

In 1997 the Barry Sisters Master tapes from the Pye and Leedon volts were sold via Auction for $607 to Glenn A. Baker. He announced he would re-release the songs on CD, but nothing came of it.

Today Dorothy Barry is still doing cabaret work in Australia, and Lorna Barry married composer Norman Balfour and lives in Gosford, NSW.