About Me
With his melodic, but expressive, approach, guitarist and synthesizer player Barry Coates
has evolved into a highly sought after session player. His resume includes tours with the
Pointer Sisters, Angela Bofill, Willie Bobo, John Klemmer, and Engelbert Humperdink. As a member of Japanese keyboardist/composer, Kitaros band, he toured the world twice and was featured on the live album, Live in America.Coates has fared equally well on his own. His music was heard in such films as Dead Bang, Partners in Crime, and Fatal Attraction, and on television shows including Two on the Town, Eye on Hollywood, Partners in Crime, the Weather Channel and Playboy After Dark.Together with his band Barry Coates & the Hats, Coates recorded two impressive albums- Because I Love You and Move Like A Dancer, featuring saxophone player Bob Sheppard. He collaberated, on his third album, The Spirit Within, with bass player Jimmy Haslip of the Yellowjackets.Born in Oakland, California and raised in El Cerrito & San Rafael, Coates first attracted attention when he performed at the Monterey Jazz Festival with the California All-star High School Jazz Band, under the direction of Oliver Nelson. After studying with the Stan Kenton Orchestra, through a full scholarship, he attended good ol' College of Marin (Sons of Chaplin) before transferring to North Texas State University, where he earned a Bachelors degree in music.
