it’s kind of a funny story

 
  • Two guys named Barry bumped into each other at Riggler’s Tavern in Oklahoma City in 1982. Turned out they both wrote commercial jingles, so after a couple cold ones at the bar they decided to team up to create the Jingle Barrys. But their first project as a jingle-writing duo wasn’t quite what you’d call a ‘success.’

    Continue below for the FULL story…

  • For their first paying gig, the Jingle Barrys were hired by Terry Johnson’s E-Z Light Fixture Warehouse in nearby Guthrie, Oklahoma to create a thirty-second “donut” jingle for a regional radio campaign. Terry wanted something that sounded like his favorite band, The Grateful Dead (as if the long hair, leather sandals, bad body odor and VW bus he pulled up in hadn’t given him away). Barry and Barry had really never heard much of the Dead’s music and certainly did not consider themselves ‘Dead Heads’, but they were up to the challenge.

    After a couple days in the studio, The Barrys had accidentally leaned WAY too far into a more country-lite Kenny Rogers sound for their first client - and after half a listen through the demo Terry thought his campaign was ruined, at first refusing to use the song at all. But fortunately for the Barrys, Terry’s delivery deadline was up. Terry winced as he delivered the song to KRLP 91.6 just short of the 6am deadline. Immediately after he had dropped the 8-track cassette into the delivery slot he knew there was no going back. Terry walked back to his VW bus, his sweaty sandals shuffling the red dirt in defeat as he climbed into the driver’s seat, and he began to cry quietly in the parking lot.

    The spot ran for about a week and Terry became the laughing stock of all of central Oklahoma (after all, the chorus of the jingle was “Terry Terry can’t you see - turn the lights on! Look at me!”). But in spite of the incessant jokes, childish lyrics and ‘annoying’ tune of the jingle, the E-Z Light Fixture Warehouse quickly became one of the most successful businesses the little township of Guthrie had ever seen, experiencing a 270% profit increase from the previous year. All thanks to a memorable jingle created by the Jingle Barrys.

  • The Barrys headed back to where it all started - Riggler’s - to grab a celebratory Miller Lite (the OFFICIAL beer of the Barrys) after their huge success with Terry, but both Barrys started feeling lightheaded as the pitcher of beer neared the bottom. They simultaneously passed out, banging their heads against each other and landing smack dab on top of the broken peanut shells and dead cockroaches than caked Rigglers laminate flooring. Next thing they knew, they woke up stumbling around in 2024…

  • Since coming to our time, things have snowballed and the Jingle Barrys are on a roll. A steamroll right out of town. Because they’re headed to YOUR town to make your next commercial jingle. Unless you don’t want a 270% profit increase! It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make a good song - but it DOES take a good song to make a good jingle. And if you are two guys named Barry it’s a no brainer. That’s what they do. Now instead of going out of business, you can go out FOR business, with the Jingle Barrys!

  • Take a number.

    Our number. 785-221-2971. Or email us here.

  • The Jingle Barrys are managed and proudly represented by the good team at Primary Color Music

  • In 1989, a local rival jingle-writing duo popped up on the Barrys’ radar. Their business model was a blatant copy of what the Jingle Barrys had sacrificed everything to achieve. Their logo and bright color palette were instantly familiar - and it just so happened that they were two guys named Bill. Take a wild guess at what they called their jingle company? Go ahead. We’ll give you a minute.

    JINGLE BILLS. Yes. The gall of these imposters was too much for the Barrys to stomach. The Bills were riding the Barrys’ corduroy coattails all the way to the bank. And the Barrys couldn’t let the legacy they were creating be tainted by these untalented half-wits, so they decided to take legal action. The Jingle Barrys have never - nor will ever - go down without a fight!

    In May of 1989, the Barrys called upon the legal office of Steve Lomax and Associates to prepare the case. What ensued was a 3-year legal battle resulting in the following actions:

    • Jingle Bills was forced to cease operations, abandon its main office, and completely dismantle its recording studio

    • Bill and Bill were ordered to never create commercial jingles for the rest of eternity, including parody songs

    • Restitution was settled out of court (but just know it was enough of a payout to maintain this website for the next several years)

    The Barrys’ lead attorney, Steve Lomax Jr., Esq., summed up the lawsuit by saying:

    “The commercial jingle writing world is one of highest ethical standards. It is an industry built upon empathy, compassion, and loyalty. No two jingle writers should ever have to fight to keep their name clear of impersonators. The Jingle Bills are but a smeared stain on the history of jingle writing and have brought shame to all advertising as we know it. May they each die a slow and painful death.”