Barbara Edwards loves numbers; and they’ve figured prominently in her life, they’re the latitudes and longitudes of the miles she’s logged around the globe, the science of numbers in her every day life, and the creative art of numbers in the music she loves to play.
Square Roots ~
Barbara was born Barbara Newton in Panama. Her Father was in the military and as she recalls, he was “born with a tin ear and had no real interest in music,” but Barbara’s gift of music and her beautiful voice came from her Mother; Marion Newton loved music and was a big band vocalist for many years. She ran the NCO club in Panama for the six years the family was stationed there. Barbara’s Brother Jimmy was an avid record collector, music trivia expert, and also loved to sing. Barbara recalls how Jimmy would write letters to famous artists of the day; those letters would often get him backstage at concerts to meet them. “There was always music playing around our house,” Barbara recalls, “My earliest musical memory was dancing to Rosemary Clooney’s hit, ‘Come On-A My House’ in my crib.” Dancing was also a big part of Barbara’s early life, “My Mom taught Jimmy and I to Jitterbug and we danced all the time.” Barbara’s maternal Grandparents were also an important part of her musical foundation; their family name was Portuguese - Pacheco`, her Latin ancestry is one reason for her innate love and feel for Brazilian music. Her Grandfather was French-Canadian, and Barbara remembers him well, “Pa - as we called him - taught tap dancing, and played the harmonica, he would always entertain us.” It’s evident that she inherited not only her Grandparents love and appreciation for the arts, but their delight for life.
Common Denominator ~
Barbara grew up listening to an array of music, mainly 40s Big band, 50s and 60s
Pop, and Motown, but the Beatles were one of her favorite bands. Music became a
vital bridge that connected her with the familiar throughout her family’s
travels from one military base to another; Barbara explains, “I spent three of
my teenage years in Paris, France and though I couldn’t speak the language, I
discovered that my French friends loved the Beatles as much as I did.” After
years of moving from place to place around the planet (from Panama to
Massachusetts, then France, Alabama, and New Mexico), Barbara finally landed in
Colorado.
Natural Number ~
Music may have been ever-present in her life, but she always had that love for numbers, so she followed a practical path to a career in the financial world; to this day she’s employed at a bank in Nashville, Arkansas. Barbara’s knack for figures has translated well to the realm of music; a natural musician, she’s excelled farther on bass in the seven years that she’s been playing than many musicians do in a lifetime.
The Magic Number ~
Barbara’s first instrument was the guitar, and when she decided to take lessons in 1994 she found the best guitarist and best guitar teacher in Denver at the music store right across the street from the credit union where she worked. It happened to be Tonk Edwards. They became friends, fell in love, were married in 1996, and then left Denver and moved to Arkansas that same year.
Quantum Number ~
When Tonk needed a bass player he asked a hesitant Barbara if she wanted to switch from guitar to bass, she took a leap of faith, found that she had an inherent talent for it, and she’s been his first call bass player ever since. It’s quite an accomplishment to hold your own with a world class guitarist like Tonk, who’s played with some of the best bassists in the world.
Transcendental Number ~
There’s a luminescent quality about Barbara and it comes through in her singing and playing. True, she’s had a great teacher, but her intuitive feel, energy, strength, and musicality are all her own. Barbara adds up the treasures of her travels, her passion for people, and her love for life, and translates them into the one transcendent language we can all understand and appreciate - music.
