Ava Barber
(Singer, Songwriter, Piano)
- Date of Birth: June 28, 1954
- Place of Birth: Knoxville, Tennessee
- Married: Roger
Ava Barber made her professional debut at age 10 and by the time she was 15, was a cast member on the syndicated TV series Bonnie Lou and Buster. Because of her popularity on that show, she played locally at clubs and barn dances. In 1973, her mother encouraged her to write to famed band leader Lawrence Welk, sending details of some of her work. Several months later, she obtained a reply and when Welk came to Nashville to play in a golf tournament, Ava went to see him and auditioned in a tent. He told her she would be perfect for a Country show coming up. She and her husband moved to Los Angeles, where she joined the Lawrence Welk Show as a regular Country vocalist from 1974 to 1982. She toured with the Lawrence Welk touring show and during the late 1970’s appeared on the WWVA Jamboree at Wheeling, West Virginia.
Ava has headlined at major Nevada hotels, guested on several TV shows and did two guest appearances on the Grand Ole Opry. While working on the Welk show, she met Dick Dale and they worked and toured together after the show ended. She appeared on the Smoky Mountain Hayride Show in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and in 1990, Ava and Dick opened the Rainbow Music Theater there, where she still performs.
Recordings include:
- Waitin’ at the End of Your Run
- Bucket to the South
- I Think I Could Love You Better Than She Did