BIRMINGHAM'S MUSIC COMMUNITY SUFFERED A HEARTBREAKING LOSS
Birmingham's music community suffered a heartbreaking loss last Thursday, July 1, when husband and wife Dylan Eugene Barry and Melissa Lynn Shelly Barry died in an automobile accident while traveling to Asheville, N.C. Surviving the crash was the couple's 3-year-old son Ezekiel Sky "Zeke" Barry, for whom a fund has been established at the Vestavia Hills Branch of Regions Bank. Dylan and Melissa shared laughter and music with family and friends throughout their lives; less than three weeks ago, Melissa finished recording more than a dozen original songs-on her own and with a few of her favorite musical collaborators. Thanks to the efforts of her friends, copies of the CD will be available within the next few weeks. Friends and family members have also created several journals for Zeke; anyone who knew Melissa or Dylan is encouraged to write down their memories of them for their son. For more information, write to reagandillard@hotmail.com.
July 8 - July 15, 2004 Birmingham Weekly
Zeke is recovering nicely while living with his grandparents. Information on Zeke will be forthcoming in the near future.
FAMILY REVELED IN MUSIC
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Troy Goodman
Birmingham News Staff WriterDylan and Melissa Barry surrounded themselves with music, their own and the works of artists they enjoyed and admired.
Melissa, 28, was a singer/songwriter in the Birmingham quartet Folk Salad. Dylan, 29, was not a part of the band,
but he was an amateur guitarist and budding mandolin player.Together, the Homewood couple played music and sang in area coffee houses and at home in front of friends and family. When Folk Salad played any gig, Dylan worked behind the scenes to fine-tune the sound system or promote the band.
Allison Melton, Dylan's sister, said the couple served as each other's muse. Melissa wrote poignant songs about their marriage and raising a son. Dylan often gushed about his wife's talent and their friendships with other musicians, including some college-format bands, Melton said.
"He loved music more than anybody I know," said mutual friend Jason Bailey. The Birmingham-based mandolin player was a founding member of Folk Salad, along with Melissa, fiddle-player Jannell Kanerday and Bass-player Brandon Taylor.
When Melissa sang, Bailey said, she sounded crisp and angelic, with a warm earthiness many artists strive for.
"She had a voice like a lead singer needed to have: it was unique, you knew it was her singing," Bailey said.
Friends say Dylan and Melissa's only son, Zeke, 3, grew up listening to his parent's favorite bands and original works.
Melton said she remembers when Zeke was a baby and cried, his parents would sing a certain Beatles song to soothe him. In recent years, the Barrys had bought a second home in the hills outside Asheville, N.C., where they were known to sit on the back porch with neighbors and strum acoustic instruments.
They were driving to their second home on July 1 when Dylan and Melissa were killed in a crash near Murphy, N.C. Zeke was also in the car and survived the collision.
Police say the accident happened when a 53-year-old man, driving in the opposite direction of the Barrys on U.S. 19, ran off the road, then overcorrected and crossed into the path of the couple's car. He was charged with misdemeanor death by vehicle and reckless-driving.
At a July 6 memorial service for the Barrys at the Pelham Civic Complex, about 1,000 mourners came to pay their respects, said Melissa's father, Jerry Shelly of Birmingham. He said the event felt less like a wake and more like a celebration to honor parenthood, music and friendship.
"The service was indeed unique, They touched so many people" Shelly said.
He said Dylan and Melissa ate mostly organic foods and talked about the pitfalls of modern materialism. As parents, they allowed Zeke to watch only about one hour of television per week.
Among Shelly's favorite mementos is a 16-song CD the family financed of Melissa singing and playing solo, with Folk Salad or other musicians. Three songs are studio-made demos; other tunes are home-recordings Dylan made of his wife's music.
Shelly, himself a musician, said he decided to share the last letter he received from his daughter with others in the family. In it, Melissa explains how glad she is Zeke has him for a grandfather and how lucky she felt to have Shelly's early musical influence in her life. The letter is dated June 6, less than a month before her death.
"I always tell people that you are who gave me music. I will always be grateful to you for that," Melissa wrote.
Zeke is recovering from head injuries and is being cared for by relatives in Hoover.
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Donations benefiting Zeke may be made to:
The Zeke Barry Fund c/o Regions Bank
529 Montgomery Hwy
Vestavia, AL 35216
Tel. (205) 290-5409