New York, NY (Top40 Charts) A long, long, long time ago, 1995 to be exact, before a stadium crowd numbering more than 80,000 and an estimated television audience of 17 million viewers, the first American in history won the Grand Prix prize for best performer and best song at the Voice of Asia competition in Almaty, Kazakhstan. That young American who won was named Barth Beasley.
A year later another American named
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, or better known just as Tom Hanks, was still riding the wave of success after starring in films like "
Splash", "Big", "Philadelphia", "Forrest Gump" and "Apollo 13", decided to try his hand at film writing and directing. The outcome of that venture led to a 1996 movie called "That Thing You Do". It was a story about music, musicians, the music business and a little bit about love. And that is where the young actor and now writer/director, Tom, crossed paths with the young singers, Barth, and casted the Voice of Asia winner in the aforementioned film.
The road that led
Battle Creek, Michigan, native Barth Beasley to the once Soviet Union influenced Republic of Kazakhstan, then to Hollywood, California, to a successful music career in
Europe and finally back to Michigan has been long. It's been strange. It's also been hard.
The combined problems and heath issues his family was going through back in
Battle Creek weighted heavily on Beasley's shoulders. Although his career in the entertainment business had been steadily ascending his family's needs came first. It was a choice of one or the other. In 2006 Barth chose family. He also never forgot the advice that his hero, R&B legend Ray Charles, once shared with him, "…just keep doing your thing."
Now fast forward to 2015. He was unquestionably older and hopefully wiser, but he never lost that fire in his belly for the fame he sought to acquirer in those years gone by. Attracting the attention of Emmy Award winning producer Allan Phillips he returned to the recording studio with an outstanding line up of who's who in the music world and walked out with his first single in many years.
"Run On To Detroit" (www.reverbnation.com/rpk/barthbeasley) fits comfortably into today's neo-soul sound that been a source of new direction for many artists over the past several years. It's been said that all roads lead to Rome. Some have surmised that that phrase referred specifically to the Milliarium Aureum monument in the Roman Forum. For singer/songwriter and keyboardist Barth Beasley it appears that all roads led home.
