Charlie Barnett's Barnstorm – Award-winning Film & TV Composer Returns to Appalachian Roots

Best known for his award-winning film and television scores, orchestral compositions, theatrical works, and years performing with eclectic jazz band Chaise Lounge, Charlie Barnett is returning to his folk and Appalachian roots with his new band, Barnstorm.

A composer, playwright, arranger, producer, and performer whose credits range from Saturday Night Live to collaborations with Dr. Maya Angelou, Barnett brings a wide-ranging musical background to this new chapter. And he's especially pleased to be back on stage with a banjo.


Barnstorm is an Americana and folk four-piece band featuring Charlie Barnett on guitar, banjo, and lead vocals; Michael Robert Taylor on fiddle, mandolin, and backing vocals; Greg Watkins on bass and backing vocals; and Mark Carson on drums. Their gigs feature both traditional and new music in a storytelling style, and the audience is encouraged to sing along.

Join us at Godfrey Daniels for an evening of Appalachian-inspired roots and folk music in the kind of listening room where every performance gets your full attention.

Charlie Barnett
charliebarnett.com/barnstorm

An accomplished and popular American composer and playwright, Charlie Barnett is the winner of numerous awards for his film scores, including the Rome International Film Festival’s Jerry Goldsmith Award. Barnett also writes music for television; his credits include Saturday Night Live, Weeds, Royal Pains, and Archer.

Barnett’s lively orchestral and chamber works are performed both nationally and internationally. Notable collaborations include a spoken-word piece written and performed with Dr. Maya Angelou. 

A playwright of dramas, comedies, and musicals, Barnett has had works produced in New York City and along the East Coast. His plays include The Spectre of Death, Classics 101, Gene, Twelveness and Him and Jim while his musicals include 19-The Musical, When We Get There, True North and The Last Days of Cleopatra. 

As an arranger/producer, Barnett has recorded scores of pop and jazz albums for labels as diverse as Def Jam and Elektra. And as a performer, for 20 years he played guitar and piano for Chaise Lounge, an eclectic jazz band that frequently appeared on the national college-radio charts with his original compositions. Barnett continues to perform as a jazz pianist.

His new band, Barnstorm, is a sonic step back into his folk and Appalachian roots.  He is delighted to be able to set foot on stage with a banjo. 

Barnett has been heard as an occasional commentator on NPR. His essay “Hitching a Ride with Junior McGee” was included in the network’s Classic Driveway Moments compilation.