One Less Star - Barb Barton

Barb Barton was born in Angola, Indiana on May 15, 1958. She started playing guitar when she was 5 years old and graduated to electric guitar in elementary school. Barton was part of a neighborhood rock band during that time, performing at a local fair and at school talents show. Barton's family moved to Edwardsburg, Michigan in 1970 and she became interested in playing the 12 string guitar and songwriting. Her first 12 string acoustic was custom painted on the back with the trendy airbrush murals of the 70's. Barton joined a rock band in the early 1980's as rhythm guitarist and vocalist and played the local music scene in south central Michigan. Now playing an Ovation 12 string acoustic electric, she became more serious with her songwriting and left the band to begin performing her original music. Her career took off when she moved to Lansing, Michigan in 1985 and she began performing in the Midwest and New England along with lead guitarist and producer Hideko J. Mills. Barton released her first recording "No Shirt Required" with Mills in 1991.

Barton went on to perform solo, winning Best Vocalist in Folk Music from the Metro Times Detroit Music Awards and Folk Artist of the Year from the Metro Area Artists and Songwriters Association. She was selected as one of the first Artist in Residence at Isle Royale National Park before moving to Pennsylvania in 1992. The move allowed Barton to expand her audience by playing along the East Coast and in mid-Atlantic region, while still returning to Michigan for her annual performances at the Ark. In 1992 she released her 2nd and 3rd CDs "From the Eye of Hawk" and "Live at the Ark".

Barton returned to Michigan in 2000 where she resumed performing in coffeehouses, folk venues, house concerts and benefits. She released three more CDs - "Coming Home" , "The River " (her first instrumental CD), and her latest release "Turtle Dove" (2010). Barton continues to write and perform from her home base in Lansing.

Early influences include Buffy Sainte-Marie, Roy Clark, Glen Campbell, Led Zepplin, Heart, Dan Fogelburg, and Wishbone Ash. Later Barton was exposed to the incredible guitar playing of the late Michael Hedges and focused on writing instrumentals that showcase her strong and rhythmic style.

In addition to her musical career, Barton has had a long and interesting career as an endangered species biologist, working for The Nature Conservancy and the Michigan Natural Features Inventory as well as consulting. She has contributed important population ecology information on the federally endangered Mitchell's satyr butterfly, and has authored several papers and reports.

Barton also has a lifelong interest in wild foods and has worked tirelessly in the conservation of wild rice in Michigan. She has a business called "Where the Wild Foods Grow" that provides education and wild food products. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.