Barbara Kooyman

Who is Barbara Kooyman?

Barbara Kooyman is an American singer-songwriter based in Austin, Texas. In the 1980s, she, her then-husband Pat MacDonald, and a beat box formed the recording act Timbuk3 whose 1986 signature song was "The Future's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades". The duo did road work with Bob Dylan, Sting, and Jackson Browne. They once appeared on Saturday Night Live and were nominated for a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1987.

After divorcing MacDonald in 1995, Kooyman remained in Austin, raising the couple's son, taking the name Barbara K, and pursuing a solo career. She became entrenched in the city's rich musical community and recorded three solo albums, two of which featured her original songs and one filled with her own interpretations of the songs of Timbuk3.

As an independent recording artist, Kooyman saw a need in the music industry for strengthening alliances between artists and media outlets. She and co-founders Wolfgang Pracht and Ben Bright conceived and created Artists For Media Diversity, or A4MD. The 501 charitable organization was formed to protect freedom of speech through the funding of services for alternative non-commercial media sources, to foster independent media voices, and to promote musical and cultural diversity.