BARBARA JO’S SOPHOMORE ALBUM
BIG BLUE SKY IN THE MORNING
JUNE 1, 2020 RELEASE
RADIO INTERVIEWS
Interview with Kelly Hughes on Rising Star's New Music Showcase aired September 11, 2020
Interview with Jerry Eicher on the Ol’ Hippie Bluegrass Show aired August 27, 2020
Interview with Greg Tutwiler on Americana Music Profiles aired August 26, 2020
Alano B.Y.O. Series presents a Virtual Evening with Barbara Jo Kammer Saturday July 25, 2020
“Just this past weekend, country/bluegrass singer Barbara Jo Kammer, and jewelry designer/artist Karen Boelts, graced our computer and mobile device screens. [. . . ] Barbara Jo Kammer’s powerfully rich voice laced with overtones of recovery helped us feel we were closer to Nashville, than Boulder, Colorado.”
Interview with Artie Martello on Mostly Folk aired July 12, 2020
Interview with John Sillberg on Small Time Radio Show aired June 28, 2020
ELECTRONIC PRESS KIT
Need to share Barbara Jo's story or information about her new album in a format easy to print, fax, or mail?
MEDIA Links
Facebook || SoundCloud || YouTube || Spotify || iTunes || BandCamp || AirPlay Direct
Reviews for “Big Blue Sky in the Morning”
“I only just recently found out about Barbara Jo Kammer, but Big Blue Sky in the Morning has left me ready to hear even more of her unique sound. She doesn’t hold back from us in tracks like “Come from the Heart” and “A Perfect World,” the latter of which features Greg Blake in a dazzling duet – she puts everything into her performance here, and if it’s just a teaser for what’s still to come, this won’t be the last headline-making collection of songs she releases in her career.”
“Kammer is a wonderful songstress and a steward of history for certain, and in Big Blue Sky in the Morning, she gives audiences all the more reason to fall in love with her classic sound.”
“A stunning blend of Rocky Mountain-style bluegrass, folk, conservative country harmonies and a uniquely western moxie behind the microphone in general, Barbara Jo Kammer’s Big Blue Sky in the Morning is a must-listen LP for Americana fans around the world this September, and absolutely one of the smartest records of its kind to have come across my desk in the last couple of months.”
“Whether it be the whisper of the wind on an early morning in the mountains or the retracing of memories back to a forlorn coal mine lost to the sands of time, the imagery that Barbara Jo Kammer is dealing with in her new album Big Blue Sky in the Morning is perhaps as diverse as the American backdrop she takes so much inspiration from.”
“The chemistry between Kammer and her collaborators in Big Blue Sky in the Morning — Darrell Scott in “Revival” and Greg Blake in “A Perfect World” — is absolutely incredible, and I really hope we have the chance to hear more of it in the future.”
“I’m just now getting to know Kammer through her music, but this Coloradan is an artist I’ll be keeping on my radar for the foreseeable future without a doubt.”
“The song selection and arrangement is superb. Producer KC Groves has done a fantastic job assembling some of the finest Bluegrass and Americana musicians on the scene today to support Kammer.”
“Barbara Jo’s progress as a singer has been a pleasure to watch. Always gifted with formidable vocal chops, she explores on this record a variety of moods ranging from ebullience to quiet heartbreak, opening our ears to an enjoyable patchwork of songs framed by excellent studio production. ”
“Barbara Jo Kammer’s Big Blue Sky In The Morning is no ordinary sophomore release. Her vocals soar in such a strong way that you wonder if she drank an elixir of youthful exuberance. But, no, this is a wiser, more seasoned singer. And her confident singing, contemplative and, at times, fun choice of material reflect on a woman who’s lived through hard times but has found the light at the end of the tunnel. Look beyond the singer and the songs to her story - it really is an inspiration to know of the success she’s found through music and friendship. Kudos to Barbara Jo and her producer KC Groves. The musicianship and the production are first class and I’m proud that I was part of it.”
“What I really love about Barbara Jo Kammer is that every note she sings is honest and from the heart. ”
“Barbara Jo has made a strong second album: more sure footed, great song selection, great sound and production—and Barbara Jo is sitting perfectly at home in the center of it all. It’s great to hear her growth.”
IndieShark’s Album of the Week (September 21, 2020)
Nominated by IndieShark for Album of the Year
#13 Folk DJ July Top Albums
#15 Folk DJ July Top Artists
Peaked at #2 in the Top Ten Placement on the NCAA Chart (August 4, 2020) by All Folk KEUL
Press Release
Much is made of music’s power to help people heal and grow. To inspire them to surrender to something more powerful than themselves, setting them on a path toward things they hadn’t thought possible, Barbara Jo Kammer embodies that journey. Driven by a personal mission of service to the elder community, she’s a performer with uncommon range, impeccable taste, and an exciting new songwriting voice. In her music, Barbara Jo fuses her growth as a writer and performer with her journey of recovery from drug and alcohol abuse. The joy and openness she feels in her recovery, and her ability to connect, make music that is already highly personal feel even more so. Upon hearing her sing for the first time, it’s hard not to feel that you’ve heard her before. Her sound is reminiscent of some of the iconic singers of the Folk Revival, but it quickly becomes clear that her musical voice is unquestionably her own.
Her new album, Big Blue Sky in the Morning, available June 1, 2020, finds Barbara Jo leaning into her considerable versatility, putting it on display alongside some of the top musicians in the world of roots music. The title track, her second ever original song, relies only on voices and body percussion to achieve a feeling that is spare, yet deep and rich. It’s a joyous, anthemic work, one that tells the listener that this record has something special in store, and one track at a time it delivers on that promise. Folk, country, classic rock ’n’ roll, cowboy songs, and more, are all here, shining brightly, and with each song Barbara Jo shows that the styles are all well within her command.
Barbara Jo was inspired to make her first record after attending an album release concert by Colorado music legend, KC Groves. The pair teamed-up to work together on Barbara’s Groves-produced debut album, One Song at a Time. It’s no surprise that Big Blue Sky in the Morning finds KC back in the producer’s chair, says KC: “Barbara is one of the most talented vocalists I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. It is clear Barbara Jo has studied voice, but she also has one of those naturally agile voices, when she opens her mouth it seems like effortless notes were just waiting there, dying to get out into the world.”
Barbara Jo feels a kinship between herself and those who may feel forgotten and left in the cold, and thrives on being able to bring something truly wonderful to an often overlooked community. “I’m so blessed to use the gift I was given as a singer to be of service,” says Barbara Jo. Compelled to connect with and serve elders, Barbara Jo takes her music-making to retirement homes and hospice facilities throughout Colorado’s front range and Wyoming.
BARBARA JO’S DEBUT SOLO ALBUM
ONE SONG AT A TIME
SEPTEMBER 1, 2017 RELEASE
Radio Interviews
Interview with Marcia Campbell on WSM's All Nighter (650am) aired October 15, 2017.
Interview with John Sillberg on Small Time Radio Show aired September 3, 2017.
Thank you, John Sillberg, for taking the time to interview me and let me play a few of my songs from my album:
Medicine Wheel / Barbara Jo Kammer / One Song At A Time
Interview Barbara Jo Kammer (phone) - Part 1
Choices / Barbara Jo Kammer / One Song At A Time
The Winning Side / Barbara Jo Kammer / One Song At A Time
I Can See Clearly Now / Barbara Jo Kammer / One Song At A Time
Interview with Joe Posznek on Radio Nowhere aired in 2017.
Interview with Artie Martello on Mostly Folk aired September 9, 2017.
Interview in "The Message"
I asked myself what am I most passionate about? ...my recovery and that’s what I could write about. [ . . . .] The relationship between my sobriety and my creativity is that it is all one. I can’t do one without the other.
— Barbara Jo Kammer, “Creativity and Sobriety”
Read Barbara Jo Kammer's full interview with Liza W. on "The Message," Boulder County's Al-Anon community newsletter.
Reviews for "One Song at a Time" (2017)
“Kammer’s original “The Winning Side” chronicles her reflection of how far she’s come in the ten years since putting drugs and alcohol aside. This is a track brimming over with gratitude and even the often sad cry of fiddle and steel guitar take on a very different hue here. They are more elegiac, mindful of the long road that made this song possible, and contribute to a rich musical tapestry.”
“The songs [. . .] underscore Kammer’s skills as an interpreter of worthy material from others, a lost art in an age when anybody wielding an acoustic guitar is automatically presumed to compose her own songs. It helps, too, that the album has an excellent producer, KC Groves, a founder of the late, lamented all-female stringband Uncle Earl. Groves, Kammer and the accompanying musicians work their way through an intelligent selection of numbers. The effect is a sort of splitting of the difference between Linda Ronstadt in her prime and the 1960s Judy Collins; in other words, the cuts range from country to folk to bluegrass, sometimes fusing them in evocative ways.”
“Barbara Jo brings so much joy, service and clarity to so many people...
Barbara Jo’s voice harkens back to the best of Linda Ronstadt. She is the missing 4th member of the Trio!
[T]his album will awaken surrender in even the most hardened liver.”
“Barbara Jo Kammers new CD “One Song At A Time” has been a long time coming but worth the wait, and weighty it is. The song selection itself is praiseworthy and she delivers high voltage vocals that will make you a believer quickly and then settle you down with a soulful tender side.
Barbara Jo is a positive upbeat maverick of sorts and righteously closes the project with her own song, “Winning Side”.
“One Song At A Time” was skillfully produced by KC Groves and plays out tastefully thanks to a stellar cast of accomplished pickers from our Rocky Mt. region. It will find a comfy home on my twangy bluegrass radio shows .”
“Barbara Jo applies her formidable vocal chops to an interesting variety of songs and pours her heart into them. The musical support and production are top-notch.”
“If you want to be transported to the comfort of distant and better times listen to Barbara Jo Kammer. A mixture of Joan Baez, Mary Chapin Carpenter meets Kate Wolf.
Out of a rich spacious Americana bed of sound her voice rises up like a clear torch of hope and wisdom.”
“I devoured the first 6 songs [. . . .] Deliciously delightful and heartening!
What a beautiful songbird you are and the musicians backing you are “top notch!” What heart and passion is felt through your lyrics and sonorities! [. . . .] I am moved by your story put to music!
[I was] moved especially by Medicine Wheel [. . . .]
Brava Bella! Well Done!”
Visit Lisamarie's website here.
Electronic Press Kit
Need to share Barbara Jo's story or information about her new album in a format easy to print, fax, or mail?
Press release
"A First At 62"
Barbara Jo Kammer has been making music for quite a while. Her career as a music therapist working with the elderly and folks suffering from addiction keeps her quite occupied. When she’s not doing that, she entertains guests at the local coffee house with band, The Hippie Buckaroos.
“It’s been a dream come true,” she told us recently, referring to getting to record her very first CD ever, at the age of 62. She proudly shared that she’s been in recovery from alcohol addiction for 10 years now, and hopes that her own journey and celebration in recovery through music can provide inspiration to others.
Her CD, scheduled to come out in September is called, One Song At A Time. “It’s never too late to follow your dream,” she said. “And I feel like I living it, right now. It’s an amazing opportunity to make a debut solo album at this stage of my life.”
“It’s only because of my recovery and sobriety that I have this opportunity,” she stressed. “If I can do it, anybody can do it. If I can give hope to someone that’s struggling, or knows someone who is, then it’s been worth it.”
Barbara Jo even got to write her first song for the project. “I’ve never written a song before. My wonderful producer KC Groves suggested I write one for the CD.” Barbara Jo resisted at first but the Colorado resident says it was her daily walks with her dogs around a nearby lake two weeks before she went into the recording studio that inspired her to want to create a song for this project. “Each day I would go back home and write down what had come to me on the walk. Sometimes it was the melody, and sometimes it was the words. It’s the last song on my album and I can’t even tell you how happy I am to have that on there.”