Barbara K. hit the Top 10 in the 1980s with "The Future's So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades," a song that she and then-spouse Pat MacDonald performed as the duo Timbuk 3. She remained in the duo for about 15 years and branched off as a solo artist early in 2000 with the album Ready. The release was issued by Fire Sister Records, a label that she founded.
The singer/songwriter, who also goes by the name Barbara K. McKenna, was growing up in Colorado Springs when she started to show an interest in music. She got her hands on her first acoustic guitar from Sears when she was about ...