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From the age of seven, Beverly studied
voice with Gina Merreth. She was a member of the vocal group "The
Mystic Five", patterned after The Jackson Five. Their agent, Leo
Carter, booked them in South Florida where they captured the hearts of
audiences at Miami's National Guard Armory, Double Deck Club, The
Continental and Sir John Night Beat, in Overtown. They also performed in
Bermuda, Nassau and Trinidad. As an opening act, they appeared at
concerts with The Staple Singers, Jackie Wilson and James Brown at the
Miami Jai-Alai Fronton.
When the group dissolved in 1975, Beverly
began modeling. She received an AA at Miami-Dade Community College. In
1978, she embarked upon her brilliant jazz career with saxophonist Jet
Nero. During this time, she performed with another group, The
Cherrystones, which had a more contemporary flavor. They performed at
the Cricket Club and at Turnberry Isles, in Miami.
Beverly's delivery of a song is
mesmerizing. Her variations in tonal quality and technical mastery are
phenomenal. Inspired by her Uncle Rueben Mitchell, the first black jazz
pianist to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show, Beverly has developed into a
professional performer. She toured the Playboy Club circuit, in the
eighties, with a group called Togetherness. She sang rock and roll with
The Wright Brothers Band in Key West, Fort Walton Beach, Columbia, South
Carolina and Columbus, Georgia. Beverly's first disco record, entitled
"I want To Go Home With You", was recorded in 1985, with
Togetherness.
Later, she appeared at
Cye's Rivergate,
in downtown Miami. Since 1985, Beverly has appeared with such notable
musicians as:
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Michael Gillis at the Pier House and
Full Moon Saloon in Key West
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Ernie Goldsmith at Topsider's, in
Hollywood
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Pete
Minger
at the R&R Club, The Helm, Studio One
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Billy Marcus at Greenstreets, in Coral
Gables, and O'Hara's, Fort Lauderdale
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Jimmy Crawford at Hotel
Intercontinental
The Beverly Barkley Quartet appeared, at
the Flamingo Room at Hotel Intercontinental, in 1987. She continues to
exhibit her unique vocal talent at JAZID
in Miami Beach and Champagne's in North Miami.
Described by her fans as "the female
Al Jarreau," Beverly attributes her jazz stylings to her mentors -
Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughn, whom she
considers to have "the most unique voice of all." She also
credits Barbara Streisand and Dionne Warwick with influencing her style.
She adores Michael Jackson as a great entertainer. "I just like all
music, as long as it sounds good," she asserts. Beverly really
makes ALL music sound good!
Beverly's future goals include a compact
disk of standards and originals. She has a burning desire to produce a
musical learning tape and video for children in of all ages. She hopes
to tour Europe and Latin America where she believes that the issue of
color will not be a hindrance as it is in the United States.
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