Jackie James Barnes

About me:

Hard-Hitting Australian drummer Jackie James Barnes has been described as a drummer of amazing feel and endurance, with a hungry appetite for music from all different corners of the globe that continues to add many different flavors to his playing. Born into Australian music royalty as the son of legendary rock singer Jimmy Barnes, it seems Jackie was always destined to be a part of the music industry. He discovered drums at age 5 through watching Tony Brock play with his father, and grew up listening to Soul, Motown, Blues, Funk and Rock’n’Roll as well as many other genres. “I remember watching dad singing from side of stage when I was a little boy and wanting to imitate everything he did, but then I saw the guy up the back with stuff everywhere swinging his arms all over the place and bangin’ on things and I thought to myself, ‘That’s what I want to do’.” After finishing high school studies in Sydney, Australia, Jackie began working in the local music scene and eventually auditioned successfully for the Jimmy Barnes band in 2005 and immediately began touring locally and globally. After a few years in the band, he felt the necessity to branch out and expand his musical knowledge, so he applied, auditioned and began a Bachelor of Music at the esteemed Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Music in 2010. In the meantime, Jackie continues to tour in Australia and record with Jimmy Barnes and has had the chance to work such other great artists as Diesel, Ian Moss, Bob Daisley, Steve Morse and Glenn Hughes to name a few. He has recorded on over 30 releases and 2 DVDs, and he has toured Europe, USA, Asia, Africa, Middle East and Australia/New Zealand. With such great experience at just 25 it seems Jackie has a long illustrious career ahead of him. Jackie is also an accomplished songwriter currently signed to EMI music publishing.