Hi there! I'm Tess Barr. I was born and raised in Portland Oregon and moved to the San Juan Islands in Washington State when I was 21 to live aboard a sailboat for 7 years. My first memory is when I was 2 and I woke up in the back of a station wagon asking where my mom was and I was told she wasn't done singing in the bar yet. I have always had a singing voice, my Auntie Fern says it is because I am Welsh, but I have wanted to play guitar since I was six.
I got my hands on my first guitar when I was 13, Dick from Rapid Transit (a Portland early 70's Hendrix band) showed me a few chords and played until I had my first baby at 30. I played singles on San Juan Island and then joined The Chevy's, an 80's rock-n-roll band up in the Islands. It was fun Island hopping to gigs on the weekends and playing the clubs, resetting the band after hours and playing until dawn. Too much fun! I moved to Port Townsend when I met my husband Patrik Guitar Barr in 1986 and also met Johnny Basham in Seattle who decided I was definitely a blues singer, not country or rock-n-roll. He was very strict about traditional blues, so I learned under his domain and we played the Seattle circuit for a few years as Blue Side Out, (Johnny filled Kotex machines way back when and there was a message on the box which said "keep blue side out", I didn't know this until years after we stopped playing!) Fat James was in that band for about 6 months, he taught me to really get some soul down into my then skinny little white chick bones. We played the Pike Street Bar and Grill every other Saturday for a year and a half. I really miss those guys. Rest in Peace Johnny boy, I'm stilll holding on to those values for that you painfully had to jam into my brain. I stopped playing and singing totally from the time I was 30 until I was about 45 to raise to children. A friend brought by NW great Alice Stuart to meet me and told her she had to hear me sing. Afterward, she said why aren't you singing and playing? I told her I didn't even know what to do anymore or how to start again, she said, "it's the blues honey, come to Sirens and sit in with the band tonight". I did and since then I have been playing anywhere I can. What a mentor! She has been an inspiration every since. I moved back to Oregon in 2003, not knowing again where I could fit in. My best friend from childhood Sandra told me to go to the Trails End Saloon in Oregon City and hear the Women and Blues on Thursday night. I did, I met Sonny Hess and Lisa Mann (don't forget Bob Furante!). I sang a few tunes with them and now I am proud to say I get to hang with tem whenever I can. Boy, I'm one lucky gal. I have my own band Tess Barr Blues Band here in Hood River and love doing features with the NW Women and Blues anytime I can. AWESOME! It's so good to be home!
