Barbers

This family band, which began releasing recordings in 2000, has nothing to do with the kind of Barbers hippie musicians were scared of being sent to in the '60s. The surname Barber has a history in the music business, such as William C. Barber, a piano-tinkling swinger who was an original member of surf combo Dick Dale & the Del Tones. His son, Billy Barber, recorded a track with one of his main bands, Flim & the BB's, that wound up being used as the theme for the soap opera All My Children. Now, this particular Barber hopefully was able to make a hefty down payment on a house for this particular accomplishment, although realities in the music business might dictate otherwise. The Barbers began in the late '90s as one of Billy Barber's many projects, which continue to include film and television music and recording sessions in genres such as new age, jazz, and folk. The band also includes two of his children: the accomplished Julia Barber, who has been singing in the recording studio since the age of six, and Chris Barber, who at 12 already plays guitar, bass, and drums and writes music which he performs and engineers himself in his home studio. Kathy Mueller completes the lineup with vocals and flute. She has sung on a variety of commercial jingles, including a soothing sonata for soup, an oldies ordeal for orange juice, and a serious serenade for cereal. Billy Barber began branching off into children's music in the early '90s, including a series of projects with the Music Workshop for Kids collective that included his own songs, such as "Family Playground." ~ Eugene Chadbourne, All Music Guide