Barkley McKay

Barkley McKay is Senior Lecturer in Music Production at Leeds College of Music.

Since studying jazz and composition at Leeds College of Music (1990-1993), Barkley’s original works have appeared on several recordings and been performed at countless venues throughout the UK and America, as well as at festivals such as the Dublin Blues Festival and the Cork Jazz Festival. He composes both independently and in collaboration with others and has done compositional work for many UK-based bands. These include the Shears Yard Band (sponsored by Chris Barber), the Bluebirds, and Paul Armfield and the Four Good Reasons. Barkley is currently recording his first collection of instrumental compositions.

Barkley's performance career spans over 20 years and has included jazz, blues, pop, rock, punk, country-western, calypso, reggae, funk and classical. Though trained in the jazz discipline and gaining a Distinction in piano performance from Leeds College of Music, Barkley has also enjoyed a prolific career on lead and rhythm guitar, performing with acts as diverse as The Pretty Things and Crystal Gayle. He has also performed live on Radio 2 and at bars, clubs and festivals throughout the US and continental Europe. In addition to piano, Hammond organ, electric and acoustic guitar, Barkley also plays mandolin, Fender Rhodes and most other keyboard instruments, and sings backing vocals.

Barkley has enjoyed a prolific career as a session musician and has featured on albums which include artists as diverse as Steve Earle and David Bowie. He has recorded alongside Matt Fisher of Procul Harem, Jon Langford of The Mekons and Waco Brothers, Kelly Hogan, The Pretty Things, Neko Case, Paul Armfield, and The Pine Valley Cosmonauts. Recording at studios such as Island Records, London; Eastcote Studios, London; and Bloodshot Records, Chicago, he has worked with many producers in America and England throughout his career. Most recently he has been working with producer Ian Caple (Adam and the Ants, Kate Bush, Tricky) on a project for Naïve Records.

Barkley offers a range of engineering services, including live sound, studio design, and consultancy, as well as a comprehensive production package which includes recording, mixing and mastering of a project. He has worked as a producer with many successful Leeds jazz acts such as Jamil Shariff, Rommi Smith, Kevin James and Dave Kane, as well as on other pop and classical projects. His live work has included bands such as Chumbawumba and Kava Kava. Barkley has served as Studio Consultant for several Leeds-based projects including the ESF-funded Host Media and Interplay Theatre.