The Remains, 1966 (L-R): Bill Briggs, Chip Damiani, Barry Tashian and Vern Miller. Photo: Ed Freeman
Nashville singer, songwriter and musician Barry Tashian is to be inducted into the Boston Music Awards Hall of Fame on December 5 because of his 1960s career in the rock band The Remains.
As Boston college students, The Remains were signed to Epic Records in New York, but came to Nashville in 1965 and 1966 to record at the Quonset Hut with producer Billy Sherrill. The group’s debut album was reissued on CD and vinyl in 1999. A Remains Greatest Hits CD appeared in 2007. The Remains were the subjects of the 2009 documentary film America’s Lost Band.
During a brief career, The Remains appeared on such national TV programs as Hullabaloo and The Ed Sullivan Show. The band was chosen as an opening act on the final Beatles U.S. tour in 1966. That experience led to Tashian’s 1997 book Ticket to Ride. After the tour, The Remains broke up.
Tashian next surfaced as a sideman for Gram Parsons in the 1970s. He moved to Nashville in 1980 and was the lead guitarist in Emmylou Harris’s Hot Band in 1980-88. He records and performs today in the Americana/folk duo Barry & Holly Tashian with his wife. Son, Daniel Tashian is a Nashville pop mainstay.
The Remains last reunited for a CD and tour in 2002. In addition to Tashian on lead vocals and lead guitar, the group includes Vern Miller on bass, Bill Briggs on keyboard and Chip Damiani on drums. Tashian says they plan to perform at the induction ceremony.
“All four of us consider it a privilege and an honor to be inducted,” said Tashian.
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Robert K. Oermann is a longtime contributor to MusicRow. He is a respected music critic, author and historian.View Author Profile
