Meet Harry Barber. On the right there, behind the drums.

Here’s Harry’s abridged music CV 1964 – 1974

1964 – obtained some drums via the lost property office of a bus garage
1965 – first public appearance with The Minx at St Bernard’s Church Hall, Hampstead, Birmingham
1966 – meets Robert Plant in Casa Bamboo, West Bromwich, works with The Band of Joy(s)
1967 – plays with Ozzy in Music Machine
1968 – jams with Iommi
1969 – turns down roadie role with Zeppelin
1970 – supports Sabbath
1971/74 – the Possessed years and a time when Harry shared a watering hole with the early Priest lineups

And fast forward to 2010 when following four or so years of part-time research and endless hours in the archives of Wolverhampton and Birmingham libraries, Harry and his wife Roz self publish a book called The Band of Joy.

It’s a slim volume that collects Harry’s diary based memories, original press clippings and archive/contemporary photos of places and people in the Band of Joy story. The book sells out of its modest print run immediately, but not before Home of Metal get to hear about it.

We visited Harry at his home in Llangollen, Wales to have a chat. Whilst his book focuses on the band that Led Zeppelin’s West Midlands born Robert Plant formed, and John Bonham later played for, Harry has a great deal more to say about that period which is of interest to Home of Metal, and we hope you. The first results of this meeting are now on our archive and there’s plenty more to come.

Rob the Mod and the Casa Bamboo, the West Brom equivalent of The Speakeasy – sort of by Home of Metal

Harry’s book is at the reprint stage.