Barry Melton

Barry "The Fish" Melton (born June 14, 1947) is the co-founder (1965) and original lead guitarist of Country Joe and The Fish. Barry appears on all the Country Joe and The Fish recordings and he also wrote some of the songs that the band recorded. He appeared in the films made at Monterey Pop and Woodstock, and also appeared as an outlaw in the neo-Western film, Zachariah, and other films in which Country Joe and the Fish appear. Melton is also a founding member of The Dinosaurs.

Life and career

Melton was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of Taube "Tillie" (née Kuchuck) and James Melton. His mother was from an East Coast Jewish family (her parents were from Odessa) and his father was from a Texas pioneer family and shares ancestry in colonial Virginia with George Washington, as well as deep roots in Ireland.^[1][2] Instead of attending law school, he completed the correspondence program of La Salle Extension University,^[3] Melton has been a criminal defense lawyer for over 30 years. He retired in 2009 as the Public Defender of Yolo County, California, to enter private practice. He currently works as a contract Public Defender in Lake County, California. He is a Certified Specialist in Criminal Law (the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization).

Barry also continues to be active in music. Since 2001 he has performed in Italy, England, France, Thailand and Russia (he appeared with the Russian band, Crossroadz, in Moscow). He often appears with his own band, mainly around Northern California, and generally tours Europe briefly in the summer. Peter Albin of Big Brother and The Holding Company has continued to play with Melton for over 40 years.

References

External links

• Barry "The Fish" Melton homepage
• Law Office of Barry Melton (website)
• CJFishlegacy.com
• 2011 interview with Barry Melton on Prog Sphere
• October 2011 KDRT radio interview leading up to Davis benefit concert