Barbara K. MacDonald
Encyclopedia
Barbara Kooyman (born October 4, 1958 in Wausau, Wisconsin
is an American
singer-songwriter
based in Austin, Texas
. In the 1980s, she, her then-husband Pat MacDonald, and a beat box formed the recording act Timbuk3 whose 1986 signature song was The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
. The duo did road work with Bob Dylan
, Sting, and Jackson Browne
. They once appeared on Saturday Night Live
and were nominated for a Grammy Award
for Best New Artist in 1987.
After divorcing MacDonald in 1995, Kooyman remained in Austin, raising the couple's son, taking the name Barbara K, and pursuing a solo career. She became entrenched in the city's rich musical community and recorded three solo albums, two of which featured her original songs and one filled with her own interpretations of the songs of Timbuk3 (all three albums released on her own label Sparrows Wheel).
As an independent recording artist, Kooyman saw a need in the music industry for strengthening alliances between artists and media outlets. She and co-founders Wolfgang Pracht and Ben Bright conceived and created Artists For Media Diversity, or A4MD. The 501(c)(3) charitable organization was formed to protect freedom of speech through the funding of services for alternative non-commercial media sources, to foster independent media
voices, and to promote musical and cultural diversity.
One of the projects the organization has underway for empowering independent artists and community radio stations is a live music archive that artists and stations can contribute live performance tracks and from which other stations can access recordings for their own broadcast purposes.
Kooyman's work, both musical and organizational, is rooted in social activism and responsibility. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
in 2010, Barbara K and Wolfgang Pracht wrote a reflection on the ominous environmental implications of such a disaster: "Swimming In Blackwater." The video features Kooyman and her frequent musical collaborator Richard Bowden.
Wausau, Wisconsin
Wausau is a city in and the county seat of Marathon County, Wisconsin, United States. The Wisconsin River divides the city. The city is adjacent to the town of Wausau.According to the 2000 census, Wausau had a population of 38,426 people...
is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
. In the 1980s, she, her then-husband Pat MacDonald, and a beat box formed the recording act Timbuk3 whose 1986 signature song was The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades
"The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades" is a song by Timbuk3. It is the opening track from their debut album, Greetings from Timbuk 3. It was released by I.R.S. Records in 1986. The song made the Top 20 in the United States and The United Kingdom .- Background :The inspiration for the song,...
. The duo did road work with Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
, Sting, and Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne
Jackson Browne is an American singer-songwriter and musician who has sold over 17 million albums in the United States alone....
. They once appeared on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and were nominated for a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best New Artist in 1987.
After divorcing MacDonald in 1995, Kooyman remained in Austin, raising the couple's son, taking the name Barbara K, and pursuing a solo career. She became entrenched in the city's rich musical community and recorded three solo albums, two of which featured her original songs and one filled with her own interpretations of the songs of Timbuk3 (all three albums released on her own label Sparrows Wheel).
As an independent recording artist, Kooyman saw a need in the music industry for strengthening alliances between artists and media outlets. She and co-founders Wolfgang Pracht and Ben Bright conceived and created Artists For Media Diversity, or A4MD. The 501(c)(3) charitable organization was formed to protect freedom of speech through the funding of services for alternative non-commercial media sources, to foster independent media
Independent media
Independent media refers to any form of media, such as radio, television, newspapers or the Internet, that is free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications...
voices, and to promote musical and cultural diversity.
One of the projects the organization has underway for empowering independent artists and community radio stations is a live music archive that artists and stations can contribute live performance tracks and from which other stations can access recordings for their own broadcast purposes.
Kooyman's work, both musical and organizational, is rooted in social activism and responsibility. After the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
Deepwater Horizon oil spill
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill is an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico which flowed unabated for three months in 2010, and continues to leak fresh oil. It is the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry...
in 2010, Barbara K and Wolfgang Pracht wrote a reflection on the ominous environmental implications of such a disaster: "Swimming In Blackwater." The video features Kooyman and her frequent musical collaborator Richard Bowden.
Album discography
- Ready (2000)
- Undercover, The Songs of Timbuk3 (2005)
- Ghosts and Sparrows, Relative Truth (2005)
Timbuk3 album discography
- Greetings From Timbuk3Greetings from Timbuk 3Greetings from Timbuk 3 was the debut album from Timbuk 3. The album contains their only charting single, "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades".-Track listing:...
(1986) Billboard Hot 100 #19, UK Album Charts #21 - Eden Alley (1988)
- Edge of Allegiance (1989)
- Big Shot In The DarkBig Shot in the DarkBig Shot in the Dark is the fourth album from Timbuk 3, and their debut as a four-piece band. It was the first major release for Trinidad-Tobago native Courtney Audain who played bass and added steel drums to the group's instrumentation, and for drummer/percussionist Wally Ingram who later went on...
(1991) - Some Of The Best Of Timbuk3: Field Guide (1992)
- Espace Ornano (1993) their only live album, recorded at Espace Ornano, Paris, France November 1991
- Looks Like Dark To Me (1994) 6-track EP
- A Hundred LoversA Hundred LoversA Hundred Lovers is the sixth and final album from Timbuk 3. It was released in 1995.-Track listing:# "Sunshine is Dangerous"# "A Hundred Lovers"# "Just Wanna Funk With Your Mind"# "Legalize our Love"# "Cynical"# "Not Yet Gone"# "Prey"...
(1995)