Barbara Lynn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Barbara Lynn
Lynn on stage at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, 2008
Background information
Birth name	Barbara Lynn Ozen
Born	(1942-01-16) January 16, 1942 (age 83) Beaumont, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Rhythm and blues, electric blues
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, guitar
Years active	1962–present
Labels	Jamie Tribe Atlantic Jetstream Ichiban Bullseye Blues I.T.P. Antone's Dialtone

Barbara Lynn (born Barbara Lynn Ozen on January 16, 1942) is an American musician. She is a talented rhythm and blues and electric blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. She is most famous for her song "You'll Lose a Good Thing" which was a number one hit in 1962. In 2018, Barbara Lynn received a special award called the National Heritage Fellowship. This award honors people who are great at traditional arts.

Early Life and Music

Barbara Lynn was born in Beaumont, Texas. She went to Hebert High School. When she was young, she sang in her church choir and played the piano. Later, she switched to playing the guitar. She plays the guitar with her left hand.

She was inspired by blues musicians like Guitar Slim and Jimmy Reed. She also liked pop singers such as Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee. Barbara Lynn won many local talent shows. She even started her own all-girl band called Bobbie Lynn and Her Idols.

Becoming a Star

Barbara Lynn started performing in clubs around Texas. A singer named Joe Barry saw her perform. He introduced her to a music producer named Huey P. Meaux. Meaux helped her record her first song.

Her first song was "You'll Lose a Good Thing". Barbara Lynn wrote this song herself. It was recorded in a famous studio in New Orleans. When it came out in 1962, it quickly became a huge hit! It reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart. It also made it into the Top 10 on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart. Other famous artists like Aretha Franklin and Freddy Fender later recorded their own versions of this song.

Barbara Lynn also released an album called You'll Lose A Good Thing. This album had ten of her own songs on it.

A Unique Artist

Barbara Lynn was very special for her time. She was an African American woman who not only sang but also wrote most of her own songs. Plus, she played a lead instrument, the guitar. This was not common back then.

She soon began touring with many famous soul musicians. These included Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and James Brown. She performed at the famous Apollo Theater and appeared on the TV show American Bandstand twice.

In 1965, the famous rock band the Rolling Stones covered one of her songs, "Oh Baby (We've Got A Good Thing Goin')". They put it on their albums The Rolling Stones Now! and Out Of Our Heads. Barbara Lynn continued to record more songs and had several smaller hits.

Taking a Break and Returning to Music

In 1966, she signed with a new record label. She recorded another album called Here Is Barbara Lynn in 1968. In 1970, when she was 28, she got married and had three children. Because of her family and some issues with her record company, she decided to take a break from music for most of the 1970s and 1980s. Even so, she sometimes performed in clubs when she lived in Los Angeles.

In 1984, Barbara Lynn toured Japan. She recorded a live album there called You Don't Have to Go. After her husband passed away, she started recording music again. She moved back to her hometown of Beaumont, Texas. She also toured in Europe and other places around the world. In 1994, she released her first studio album in over twenty years, called So Good. She released several more albums after that.

Later Recognition

Barbara Lynn still lives in Beaumont, Texas. In 1999, she received a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation. In 2002, the electronic musician Moby used a part of her song "I'm A Good Woman" in his album 18.

She also appeared in a music documentary film in 2015 called I Am the Blues. As mentioned earlier, she received the National Heritage Fellowship in 2018. This is the highest honor for folk and traditional arts in the United States.

Barbara Lynn's Hit Songs

Barbara Lynn had many songs that made it onto the music charts. Here are some of her most well-known hits:

Albums by Barbara Lynn

• 1963 You'll Lose a Good Thing (Jamie)
• 1964 Sister of Soul (Jamie)
• 1968 Here Is Barbara Lynn (Atlantic)
• 1988 You Don't Have to Go (Ichiban)
• 1993 So Good (Bullseye Blues)
• 1996 Until Then I'll Suffer (I.T.P.)
• 2000 Hot Night Tonight (Antone's)
• 2004 Blues & Soul Situation (Dialtone)

See also

In Spanish: Barbara Lynn para niños