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 amazing American musician. She is a talented guitarist, singer, and songwriter. She is known for her rhythm and blues and electric blues music.

Barbara Lynn is most famous for her number one hit song, "You'll Lose a Good Thing". This song topped the R&B charts in 1962. In 2018, she received a special award called the National Heritage Fellowship. This is a very high honor for artists in the United States.

Life and Music Career

Barbara Lynn was born in Beaumont, Texas. She went to Hebert High School. As a child, she sang in her church choir and played the piano. Later, she switched to playing the guitar. She plays the guitar left-handed.

Starting Her Music Journey

Barbara Lynn was inspired by blues artists like Guitar Slim and Jimmy Reed. She also liked pop singers such as Elvis Presley and Brenda Lee. She won several local talent shows. After that, she formed her own band, called Bobbie Lynn and Her Idols. It was an all-female band.

She started performing in clubs around Texas. A singer named Joe Barry saw her play. He introduced Barbara Lynn to a music producer named Huey P. Meaux. Meaux ran several record labels in New Orleans.

Her Big Hit Song

Barbara Lynn's first song was "You'll Lose a Good Thing". She wrote this song herself. It was recorded in a studio with other musicians. When it was released by Jamie Records, it became a huge hit.

In 1962, it reached number one on the US Billboard R&B chart. It also made it into the Top 10 on the main Billboard chart. Later, famous singers like Aretha Franklin recorded her song. It even became a country music hit for Freddy Fender.

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

It was very special for the time that Barbara Lynn was an African American female singer. She wrote most of her own songs. She also played a main instrument, the guitar.

Soon, Barbara Lynn was touring with many famous musicians. She performed with Gladys Knight, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dionne Warwick, Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, James Brown, and B.B. King. She performed at the famous Apollo Theater. She also appeared on the TV show American Bandstand twice.

In 1965, the famous band the Rolling Stones covered one of her songs. They recorded "Oh Baby (We've Got A Good Thing Goin')" on their album. Barbara Lynn continued to record for the Jamie label until 1966. She had several more smaller hit songs.

Later Years and Awards

In 1966, she signed with Tribe Records. She recorded the song "You Left the Water Running". The next year, she signed with Atlantic. She recorded another album called Here Is Barbara Lynn in 1968.

Barbara Lynn got married in 1970 and had three children. She decided to take a break from the music business for a while. She was also not happy with how her record company was promoting her music.

Even though she took a break, she sometimes performed in clubs. In 1984, she 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.

In 1994, she recorded her first studio album in over twenty years, called So Good. She released several more albums after that. 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.

In 2015, she appeared in a music documentary film called I Am the Blues. She received the National Heritage Fellowship in 2018. This award is given by the National Endowment for the Arts. It is the highest honor in the folk and traditional arts in the United States.

Barbara Lynn's Music

Here are some of Barbara Lynn's songs that made it onto the music charts.

Chart Singles

Albums

• 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