Biography
Having spent her entire life in the Philadelphia region, singer-songwriter Barbara McDonald has identified Joni Mitchell, Carole King, and Judy Collins as central influences and has also voiced regard for Kate Bush, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Jann Arden, and Lisa Cerbone. Born in Philadelphia in 1956, she relocated to nearby Southern New Jersey in 1970 and began composing songs and poetry while still a teenager. She completed a degree in special education at Rowan University in the late 1970s, then married a few years afterward and settled in the Philadelphia suburbs. McDonald appeared at coffee houses and open mics throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, yet once she became a mother she set music aside to devote herself to full-time parenting. After going online in 1995 she connected with numerous musicians and songwriters through the Internet, which encouraged her to consider resuming her musical pursuits in earnest. One such contact was British folk-pop singer John Perkins, who took an interest in McDonald’s material. The late 1990s saw her return to performing and undertake substantial writing; in 1998 she co-wrote and co-produced her debut album, Madmen & Lovers, for Perkins’ White Eagle label.
Albums
