Rebecca Barnard

In the 1920s her grandparents Jim and Kath Barnard ran the Kath Barnard Jazz Band.

Rebecca Barnard is the daughter of Australian jazz drummer Len Barnard (once a member of the jazz band Galapagos Duck) and Jane Chirnside.

In 1952 the Len Barnard Jazz Band recorded Australia's first microgroove LP record and toured extensively in Australia and overseas until his death in 2005.

Her uncle is Bob Barnard, who is an accomplished Australian jazz trumpet and cornet stylist.

Barnard is inherently a jazz singer and has said "I’ve always sung jazz, that’s sort of like my first love, you know, it's like breathing. It's sort of effortless."

Barnard began singing jazz in Melbourne venues when she was 16.

Barnard was born in Melbourne and grew up in the outer-eastern Melbourne suburb of Mooroolbark in an estate designed by Edna Walling.

During her childhood, she listened to Gladys Moncrieff, Fats Waller, Pinetop Smith, Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong.

She started playing music at 10 when her father gave her a guitar and started writing songs at 12.

At 14, she became acquainted with Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan.

Rebecca Chirnside Barnard (born 26 December 1960) is an Australian singer, songwriter, producer and musician.

In the late 1980s, Barnard featured on Tonight Live with Steve Vizard and The Big Gig as part of the inhouse band for the respective shows.

The band Swinging Sidewalks, featured on The Big Gig, was a jazz band which featured the singers Kerri Simpson and Shelley Scown.

Barnard has credited the journalist Jill Singer in giving her the confidence to sing her own songs.

Barnard featured in the Australian bands Daktari (1982), the Escalators (1983-1984), Black Coffee (and the Beans) (1985), Way Back Five (1986), Romance Without Finance, Peaceful Anticipation Social Aid and Pleasure Club (1990), the Stephen Cummings Band (1986 and 1990–91), the Trees (a pop band with John McAll) (1990), Triple Peaks (1991) and the Rebecca Barnard Band (1992).

The band Way Back Five were a "super group" which played funk and reggae covers and consisted of Barnard, Kate Ceberano, Phil Ceberano, James Reyne and Steve Kearney (from Los Trio Ringbarkus).

Barnard has indicated that Michael Hutchence (from INXS) sang with the band at one of their gigs.

From 1982 to 1992, Barnard refined her live performance and vocal skills and was an in-demand session singer, providing vocals and backing vocals on many Australian albums (including soundtracks and guest starring with various musicians).

She went on to record and tour with Stephen Cummings, where she met Shane O’Mara (guitarist, multi-instrumentalist and producer).

They were married in 1989 and amicably separated in 2009.

She was the lead singer of the band Rebecca's Empire from 1993 to 2000 and has forged a solo career since her debut album, Fortified, was released in 2006.

When songwriting became a focus, she founded the band Rebecca's Empire in 1993, initially as a duo with O'Mara.

In 1994, the band included Peter Luscombe and Bill McDonald.

Michael den Elzen joined in 1995 when McDonald left to play with the band Frente!.

The band toured extensively, supported acts such as Billy Bragg and Paul Kelly on their respective Australian tours, released three EPs and two albums (Way of All Things in 1996 and Welcome in 1999) and appeared on the Triple J Hottest 100 albums three years in a row.

The track "Way of All Things" was featured on the soundtrack to the Australian film Blackrock and featured on the hit television series Good Guys Bad Guys.

At this height of popularity, Barnard had her own cooking segment on Triple J called "Pot of Rock".

Barnard has said of her popularity at this time that she had "wasted a real good opportunity to do more with the momentum that we had".

Rebecca's Empire formally disbanded in June 2000 when being a mother took priority (Barnard gave birth to her son with O'Mara, Harry, on 29 January 1996) and due to conflict between herself and O'Mara.

During this time and post 2000, many Australian bands recorded their albums in O'Mara and Barnard's home studio called Yikesville.

Barnard indicated that she suffered writer's block from 2000 to 2005, hence a hiatus between Rebecca's Empire ending and her solo career commencing.

Barnard has been credited in providing the means for singer Vika Bull in starting her musical career when one of the backing vocalists in Barnard's band lost her voice.

Bull, who was a receptionist at Platinum Studios in Melbourne, volunteered to fill the space.

Her second solo album, Everlasting, was released in 2010.

After a lengthy break of just under seven years, Barnard released her third solo album, Music for Listening and Relaxation, in 2017.

She released her first solo jazz album, The Night We Called It A Day, in 2023.

Barnard is a Melbourne-based musician with a versatile musical range, delving into rock, pop and jazz genres.

She has been a constant fixture in the Australian music scene for over four decades.

Barnard has appeared on recordings by many Australian artists including Paul Kelly, Tim Rogers, Renée Geyer, Deborah Conway, the Meanies, Warped, Stephen Cummings, TISM, You Am I, the Black Sorrows, the Fauves, Kutcha Edwards, the Audreys and Guy Pearce.

Barnard comes from a rich musical family history.