"House Concerts - you and the music. No distractions."

Barb Ryman

charming, funny, intimate

Email Artist | see Website


Member since: 2008-09-23
Home: Minneapolis, MN, US
Frequently Tours: MN , CA , TX , FL , MD
# of Members: 1
Sound Equipment: Please Inquire
Main Instrument: Vocals, Acoustic guitar
Other Instruments: Ukulele
Genre: Folk, singer-songwriter
Style: Varied
Content: varied, crosses many topics
Rating: G - PG

Quotes / Recommendations

"Charming vulnerability and a rare knack for detailing the profound truths of everyday life. her clear, ringing voice reminiscent of Sandy Denny or Iris Dement.” - Minneapolis Star Tribune

Bio

A natural storyteller with a deep compassion for the lost and forgotten voices of our culture, Barb Ryman expects music to be more than entertaining. With a crystalline voice and skillfully played guitar, she delivers a rich mosaic of contemporary folk, drawing from country blues, Celtic balladry, old-time gospel/bluegrass.

Her latest CD, Earthbound, is reflective of the breadth & depth of her musical musings, and is receiving play on folk programs across the nation including the nationally syndicated, Midnight Special. From the Cedar Cultural Center in Minnesota, to Uncle Calvin?s in Texas, to the Portland Folk Society in the West, to Club Passim in the East, Barb draws in audiences with her captivating live concerts as she tours the U.S.

Ryman is distinguished for her ability to write music that heals. Having lost her father, a navy pilot, when she was four, she was intuitively drawn to the healing professions and became an accomplished speech-language therapist helping children with special needs develop communication skills. Barb went on for her masters in counseling psychology, facilitated grief groups and delved into other spiritual pursuits. This background seamlessly integrated itself into her music, making her concerts both entertaining and restoring.

Her career launched in 1996 when the Minneapolis Star Tribune ranked her CD, Lay Me Open, a top ten release across all genres, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press proclaimed ?You can?t help being amazed at the power of her presence and the sound of her voice. You can?t help but listen?. Now with five CDs, her latest, Earthbound, features guest musicians of Prairie Home Companion fame, Peter Ostroushko, Adam Granger, and Prudence Johnson.

Since her start, Ryman has received nine nominations for Minnesota Music Awards including Songwriter Of The Year, Recording Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Female Vocalist. In 2002, the American Composers Forum awarded her the coveted McKnight Composer Fellowship. Also known for her topical humor, ABC television bought rights to her satirical song ?All American Dysfunctional Family? to promote a 2006 sit-com pilot. In 2007, she was a New Song Winner at the Winfield Folk Festival, a major U.S. festival.

"Barb Ryman proves herself a strong vocalist, talented composer, and an astutely irreverent student of the human condition." - Dirty Linen