Music has taken Kirby Green Barber to many places in the world.
And now it is bringing the 2006 Salmon Arm Secondary grad back to the community in which she was raised.
Kirby will perform with husband Dave Barber on the Shade Stage on Sunday afternoon of the festival, a stage where the music is often chill and patrons enjoy a more relaxed experience.
A longtime songwriter, Barber plays stand-up and electric bass and in 2014, she won Best Bass Player in the British Columbia Country Music Association awards.
“Interestingly, it’s the reason I got one of my first bigger gigs in Nashville; the particular artist was looking for a bassist who could play electric, upright, and sing harmonies,” she said, pointing out that in a town like Nashville it’s hard to stand out. “You’re up against the best players in the world, but the more you have going for you, and the more diverse you are, the more likely you will land a great gig."
Her talent and ability has taken Barber on tours to China with country star Tenille Townes, Italy with Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo, Barenaked Ladies’ Ed Robertson and Barney Bentall and Switzerland with Heidi Newfield. Barber accompanied Michelle Wright, Patricia Conroy and Shaun Verrreault of Wide Mouth Mason to the “North Pole” aka Alert, Nunavut, the northernmost continuously inhabited place in the world.
Barber was part of group performing for Canadian troops and was given the exciting opportunity of adding a sign to post indicating Salmon Arm as being 3,972 km south.
“So few people get to go there because it’s a military base,” she said. “I was proud to entertain the troops and bring a touch of Salmon Arm to the North Pole.”
Her talent has also taken her on cross-Canada tours with country singer Aaron Pritchett, and U.S. tours included opening for Willie Nelson, and Reba, with Brittney Spencer.
“A big highlight was joining Willie Nelson on stage in Raleigh, NC for a Farm Aid event in 2022,” she says. “Music has taken me on a wonderful journey of travels, and experiences, but most importantly, it has given me some very special friendships across the world.”
The daughter of former Salmon Arm residents George and Tovie Green, Barber said her mother is a wonderful singer and music filled their home.
“My parents started me in piano lessons when I was about 10 and then I asked for a guitar around 12, followed by a bass shortly after,” she said, adding that she spent time in her room writing songs. “I loved to write, it was my diary.”
During her school years, Barber played in the school band and realized how strong her passion for music was once she hit high school.
Barber calls then-music teacher Brian Pratt Johnson fantastic, having given many students a great foundation in music and helping them see that a career in music was a possibility.
"Gordon Waters was also a big influence in my early musical journey; he always strove for excellence and as students, we really respected him,” said Barber. “He taught us the importance of working together as a group, and not letting each other down, which to this day stands to be just as important in every musical group I’m in.”
Following high school, Barber studied music at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, where she met her future husband Dave Barber, who was studying guitar there at the time.
The couple enjoyed playing in the Edmonton music scene for six years, followed by seven years in Vancouver, five years in Nashville and have now set up home in Penticton.
“The music industry is an ongoing journey of highs and lows,” she said. “It has taken me 20 years in the music business to realize that only those that are truly meant for it will last. It’s definitely a calling.”
Barber said she is currently enjoying touring with Aaron Pritchett, Barney Bentall, Shari Ulrich, the High Bar Gang, as well as with her husband for this year’s ROOTSandBLUES gig.
“I still write a lot, and enjoy performing some of those songs in the Dave Barber Trio,” she said, pointing out she draws upon her own life experience to produce authentic lyrics. “I like all sorts of music and I get to perform everything from jazz to bluegrass and everything in between.”
Barber does session work from home, recording bass and harmony vocals for various artists’ albums. During the pandemic, she recorded bass and background vocals on Barney Bentall’s latest record Cosmic Dreamer.
ROOTSandBLUES holds a special place in Barber’s heart as she recalls the welcoming feel of festivals she attended when she was growing up in Salmon Arm. She is looking forward to hearing other performers and gaining a different perspective returning as one of them.
“I feel through music I have already lived such a blessed, rich life and my dream is to continue making music as long as I can, with people I love,” she said of her future. “Whether it’s to a crowd of 10 or 100,000, I will always be grateful for every time I get to take the stage and share the gift of music. I will never take it for granted.”
Hear Dave Barber and Kirby perform a blend of folk, classic country and jazz on the Shade Stage on Sunday afternoon of the festival that plays out July 26 to 28.
Visit rootsandblues.ca.
