Growing up in a musical family in Cleveland, Tennessee, Barkey began singing at five years old, and started on piano at age eleven.  The next year, he got his first trumpet, his grandfather's Super Olds.  After two years in a youth symphony and winning a scholarship, he finally purchased a Bach Stradivarius trumpet.  Singing in church and school and playing in every possible musical situation, he learned many different styles of music, which led to arranging for and recording an album with a 9-piece Christian band, Pureheart.

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While attending Tennessee Technological University, his skills as a lead trumpet player and soloist were used in the top jazz ensemble.  But due to a need for a jazz pianist in the group, Barkey moved to the rhythm section and began improving his jazz piano skills.  After getting a job as a solo pianist and singer performing five nights per week at a restaurant, his skills continued to grow.  This led to becoming a performer at Walt Disney World in 1996 with the All-American College Band in Orlando, FL. 

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In 1996, he began working as a worship leader in churches in TN, which took him to OH for a few years.  While there, he played in many churches and also spent some time as a musician in a popular 80's cover band, Edison's Medicine, opening up for acts like Eddie Money and Quiet Riot.

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In 2002, moving back to TN, he worked as a worship leader and youth pastor in several churches singing and playing trumpet, piano, bass, drums, and guitar.  Having taught private students since 1995, his teaching passions have led to becoming a band director for private schools as well as starting a home school band program in 2010. 

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In 2012, Barkey realized his next endeavor was to become a university professor.  Attending Western Illinois University, he was the lead trumpet player for the Jazz Studio Orchestra and the graduate assistant for the LaMoine Brass Quintet, the faculty brass quintet.  While at WIU, his versatility allowed him to play in the Quincy Symphony Orchestra as well as regional big bands.  He also taught as an adjunct music instructor at Culver-Stockton College.  He earned his master's degree in Jazz Performance in 2014.

 

While attending the University of Illinois in Champaign/Urbana for his doctorate degree, he has played lead trumpet for the Concert Jazz Band and Latin Jazz Ensemble.  As a teaching assistant for the Illinois jazz department, he directed one of the big bands and taught lessons to university students for two years.  He has performed classical, jazz, and rock music throughout the region with ensembles such as the Danville, Symphony Orchestra, Iron Post Jazz Orchestra, New Orleans Jazz Machine, C4A Big Band, Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Low Down Jazz Orchestra, Jim Markum Big Band, Big Easy Brass, and Superbad.

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Since earning the Doctorate of Musical Arts in Jazz Performance at the University of Illinois in 2017, he stays busy as a freelance trumpeter playing for big bands, pit orchestras, teaching his private studio, and a graduate assistant, not to mention his role as a husband and father.

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Over the past 20 years, Barkey has performed in many different ensembles in a variety of styles. His skills as a performer have allowed him to share the stage with artists like Doc Severinsen, Bobby Shew, Marvin Stamm, Chris Vadala, Bria Schonberg, Ernie Watts, and Louie Bellson.