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Patricia Barber (born 24 March 1956 in Chicago) is an American jazz singer, pianist, songwriter, and bandleader. She was born to parents who were both professional musicians; her father is Floyd "Shim" Barber, a former member of Glenn Miller's Band. She was raised in South Sioux City, Nebraska.

Her music is centered on her singing, in a fairly low register and a traditional blues-jazz style, and her piano playing, which is technically accomplished. Her repertoire includes original compositions and standards drawn mostly from classic-rock, including "Ode to Billie Joe," "A Taste of Honey," and "Black Magic Woman." She is known for imbuing her songs with intelligence and a wide and unusual vocabulary, which results in complex and witty lyrics. Her 2006 album, Mythologies, is a set of songs based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. In September 2008, she released "The Cole Porter Mix," a collection of her unique takes on the classic Cole Porter songbook, as well as three original compositions inspired by Porter.

Barber is a lesbian; interviews with her suggest that she does not try to hide this fact, but that she 'tires' of the public interest in her sexuality and dislikes the fact that it contributes to her fame.(Interview with San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times)

In 2007, Premonition Records presented The Premonition Years: 1994-2002, a three-CD box set of Barber recordings divided into originals, standards, and pop. The set includes unreleased tracks and selected songs previously released on Cafe Blue, Modern Cool, Companion, Nightclub and Verse. Those five albums have been reissued by Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab on SACD and limited edition 45 rpm half speed mastered, 180 gram audiophile vinyl.

Discography

• Split – 1989
• Distortion of Love – 1992
• Cafe Blue – 1994
• Modern Cool – 1998
• Companion – 1999
• Nightclub – 2000
• Verse – 2002
• Live: A Fortnight In France – 2004
• Live: France 2004 DVD – 2005
• Mythologies - 2006
• The Premonition Years: 1994-2002 - 2007
• The Cole Porter Mix - 2008

External links

• Patricia Barber's Official Website: http://www.patriciabarber.com/
• Interview: Patricia Barber: Complete; Not Complacent, R.J. DeLuke (August, 2002)
• Interview: San Diego Gay and Lesbian Times
• Review: Patricia Barber’s Mythologies: An Ovid for the New Millennium Jazz Police
• Patricia Barber collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
• Review of Mythologies by JazzChicago.net