Born in the Bronx, raised in the New York City suburbs of Rockland County and living in New York State’s Hudson Valley since 1990, John W. Barry is an award-winning journalist with a passion for writing and a love of music. This combination has brought John to some pretty incredible places and put him in the company of some incredible people. From Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan to Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado and many places in between, John’s relentless pursuit of the stories, the people and the circumstances that define the world around us has enabled him to assemble the pieces of a compelling tale or two. John grew up in Bardonia, New York; and is a very proud graduate of Bardonia Elementary School; Clarkstown South High School; and the State University of New York at New Paltz. The latter is what brought John to Ulster County, New York, and set him on his path to Woodstock, Levon Helm Studios and the Midnight Ramble. Following eight years writing for his old hometown newspaper, The Journal News, John remained with the USA Today Network and took on the duties of music writer at the Poughkeepsie Journal in Dutchess County, New York. John soon found himself in the center of Levon’s Midnight Ramble house concerts, getting to know Levon, his band, his crew, his management team, Team Levon and, of course, his fans. Circumstance was kind to John and lit a path as he unleashed his relentless fervor for writing and music. The result was his book, Levon Helm: Rock, Roll & Ramble—The Inside Story of the Man, the Music and the Midnight Ramble.