Music

Barry has been a traveller for most of his life.
He was born the son of a diplomat whose assignments took his family to a new home every few years. But Truter’s wandering lifestyle didn’t cease when he moved into adulthood; his first job was as a deck cadet on a merchant ship sailing from Europe around Africa and into the Red Sea. Barry’s journeys are reflected in the musical styles and diversity of his two Traveller albums. 

The first Traveller album was released in 2011 and contains nine original songs and tunes from Barry’s Traveller book plus seven carefully chosen covers. The album’s arrangements range from  sparsely emotive versions of Bruce “Utah” Phillips’ “The Killing Ground” and the Fijian farewell song “Isa Lei” to tasteful licks and soulful backing vocals by some fine Vancouver musicians on the self-penned “Levuka Town” and Leadbelly’s “The Bourgeois Blues.”

There is no dearth of content on the album. Originals such as “Song for Robert Dziekanski” and “Ships of the Deep” are reminders that we live in an insecure world of increasing inequity. But there is also hope and spiritual regeneration on offer in the lyricism of “Roll River Free”, the east/west musicality of “Dravida”, and the anthemic chorus of “This Old World.”

Song Titles

Levuka Town
Walking Blues
I Wandered By A Brookside
Duncan’s Dream/The Soda Jig/Siobhan’s Gallop
The Killing Ground
The Bourgeois Blues
Song For Robert Dziekanski
Roll River Free
Dravida
The Amphritite
Ships Of The Deep
This Old World
Time To Go
Isa Lei

Traveller 2 was released in 2024 with a further eleven songs and tunes from Barry’s Traveller book completing the set of studio recordings. 

“Barry Truter’s just-released Traveller 2 is a real treat. The album carries the listener on a journey through space and time, with influences ranging from the protest songs of Trinidad to the polyrhythms of South Africa, and from the early 20th century to the ultra-contemporary. Truter’s arrangements are rich and varied, offering a listening experience that is both nourishing and refreshing.”  – Christina Ray, Vancouver Folk Song Society

“The rhythms, melodies, and lyrics of Traveller 2 immediately touched my heart. This is an album for our time, in melding the directly political with the need for community and inner peace.”  – Andy Rose, High Spirits Choir

“Traveller 2 is a gift to anyone who cherishes the folk tradition, or a wonderful introduction for someone who hasn’t had the opportunity before.” – Tom Sandborn, writer/activist

Song Titles

Living in Barbados
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Little Cat Paws
Let Your Heart Lead
Stillness
Talking ‘Bout Greed and Hypocrisy
Sweet Enough
Time to Unwind
The Lifting of the Mist
These Trees
Main Street Shuffle

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