Barry Alfonso

My background as a professional writer is diverse. I believe this diversity is a strength I bring to any writing project. Through all I've done, there's been a common thread linking my work as a journalist, lyricist and interviewer -- a love for telling stories.

My love of storytelling began with a childhood interest in comic books. It led me to help found the San Diego Comic Convention (now one of the largest media fan events in the world) when I was 12 years old. I learned how to write press releases and line up media interviews as one of the Comic Con’s early committee members, skills that helped me immensely in later years. I also got the chance to interact with such famous talents as author Ray Bradbury, artist Jack Kirby and film director Frank Capra while serving as Publicity Director.

I began writing professionally while still in college, regularly contributing features and music reviews to the San Diego Union and the Los Angeles Times. Next, I started selling articles to Rolling Stone and became assistant editor at Songwriter Magazine. Moving from San Diego to Los Angeles, I wrote bios and press materials for numerous record companies. At the same time, I pursued my goal of becoming a professional song lyricist. One of the songs I co-wrote became the title tune for the Tom Cruise film All the Right Moves.

From there, I was drawn to country music and moved to Nashville. One of the songs I co-wrote there, “In Between Dances,” became a Number One single for Pam Tillis.

I continued to seek new projects. I found particular success in writing liner notes for artists as different as Johnny Cash and Captain Beefheart. In 2005, my liner notes for the Peter, Paul and Mary box set Carry It On received a Grammy nomination. Branching out further, I became a regular contributing writer for the iTunes website, reviewing hundreds of new and back catalog albums.

An interest in gospel-inspired pop/rock as an American cultural phenomenon led me to write The Billboard Guide to Contemporary Christian Music in 2002. My latest book, A Voice of the Warm: The Life of Rod McKuen (Backbeat Books, 2019), is the first-ever biography of this controversial singer-songwriter-poet. McKuen's status as an artist who sold millions of records and books while receiving scathing reviews from academics and critics intrigued me. As I delved further, I found his complex and troubled life to be fascinating, poignant and often inspiring.

From comic books to pop music and beyond, I continue to search for tales to recount, myths to explore and people to discover. It’s all a part of telling stories.