Patricia Barber
Jazz Singer
Jazz and blues specialist who received the 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship in Creative Arts-Music Composition.
She developed a repertoire that combines classic-rock standards as well as original compositions, which featured witty and complex lyrics.
She was open about her lesbianism, but became tired of the constant public interest in it and how that interest tended to distract from her music.
Her father, Floyd "Shim" Barber, was a member of Glenn Miller's band.
She recorded distinct and original renditions of classic Cole Porter songs for her 2008 album The Cole Porter Mix.