John runs away from a detailed biography of his life. “So much of that stuff is nonsense and hyperbole – it’s all about the music anyway. You like it or you don't. It shouldn't just be about how many tattoos you have or a stint in rehab. As musicians, we love to be cool - and we'll tell  you anything to make it seem so. Listen to my music and lyrics - then you might know me a little better."

John was born in the midwest but moved to southern California at age twelve. He began playing guitar at fourteen and soon after started writing songs. After high school, he attended Cal State University Long Beach and earned a couple of non-music degrees ("I'm proud of my education - but mentioning it seems so uncool in the music world. It's kind of sad."). John received a songwriting contract for his catalog of songs from his first CD "Stay the Night" in 1999.  After taking a break from music for awhile, John formed his latest band, The Eleventh Floor, in 2004, culminating with his 2nd CD "Best of Days." John was fortunate to play live with songwriter and musician extraordinairre Luther Tatum in 2007. He will be reforming a new 11th Floor in 2010 in support of his new CD, "Blood on the Trees." John currently lives in California with his wife Amie and two children.

John Barney is a storyteller. “I think songs are more interesting if there is a narrative rope to climb,” he states. And I love the Tall Tale - I mean, who didn't like Paul Bunyan."  On “Best of Days," John’s second CD, he combines the power of his lyrics with roots/pop/blues-oriented music to produce lively examples of good songwriting. While John claims all the songwriting, producing, and musical performance credits, he teams up with vocalists Lew Kerns and Reina Sanchez to provide the voice of his musical journey. “I’ve known Lew a long time – we’ve been guitar jamming partners for years, and he has a distinctive voice. Reina I met through work – and her more polished vocals add a nice contrast to Lew.” John does sing on one song, though – the fiery “Waiting for the Sun” where he gets a chance to tear up his guitar in a throwback to the guitar-demon songs of some well-known southern rock bands.

On his new CD "Blood on the Trees," John explores some new musical territory, using more keyboards and unique rhythmic patterns and arrangements. In addition, he handles the lead vocal chores himself. "Obviously, I'm not a great singer - kinda halfway between Bob Dylan and Keith Richards - but fortunately I had former "Floor" members Lew Kerns and Eric Barnes to help me out." The song "Blood on the Trees" is a reflection of John's concern for the environment. "You can argue global warming all you want, but common sense would say that putting a zillion tons of garbage in the air is going to impact the natural cycle of life on earth. But we're seeing a lot of progress in both technology and awareness - so I'm hopeful."

John claims many influences, from Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, Rory Gallagher and Johnny Winter to Bob Dylan, John Mellencamp, Counting Crows, CSNY, Tori Amos, John Prine, and many others. Unlike many of his peers, he distances himself somewhat from the “classic rock” that he was brought up on. “I still like that stuff but there is a lot of good music happening today that is interesting. Life is too short not to explore.”

He isn’t afraid of tackling controversial subjects like contemporary religion. “The hypocrisy and profiteering in religious circles provides so much fodder for song material – how can I not write about it." “Bible Blues” is a good example of this – although strangely it was chosen to be included in the soundtrack of a Japanese DVD about car audio – go figure!