the barnard sisters



Kara Barnard and Pam Barnard Hays

What do you get when you add a guitar, a mandolin, a banjo, an autoharp, a mountain dulcimer and a musical saw to a sturdy pair of clogging shoes and two singing sisters? The Barnard Sisters!

Kara and Pam Barnard were regularly tossed on stage by their mother's singing group and made several television appearances with them as self-proclaimed stage props. Their mother, Kay Allen, is still a performing singer and their late father Ralph "Banjo Man" Barnard never passed up the opportunity to be heard by the masses! They proudly lay claim to being descended from a host of bizarre vaudevillian relatives.

The Barnard Sisters with Mom, Kay Allen
With mom, Kay Allen

 

The Barnard Sisters with Dad, Ralph Barnard
With dad, Ralph Barnard

Multi-instrumentalists Kara Barnard and Pam Barnard Hays began their sister duo back in 1989 performing regularly at the Daily Grind Coffee House in Nashville, Indiana. The two went on to record three CDs together, appear in five episodes of the PBS series Btown Sounds and open for many national acts including James Taylor, Wynonna, Dave Matthews, REO Speedwagon and Fleetwood Mac on the famed Deer Creek Plaza Stage.

Kara and Pam in the big hair days
Kara and Pam back in the big hair days.

Pam Barnard Hays spent several summers performing in various Indiana theaters, before moving to Washington D.C. where she was soon working with a comedy improvisation group. Having since moved to Charleston, South Carolina, Pam now works as an actor and voiceover artist when she's not performing with the barnard sisters. Charleston residents may have caught her singing the Star Spangled Banner for the Charleston Riverdogs, something she has enjoyed doing on several occasions for the last few years. Her favorite role? Portraying Patsy Cline in the musical "Always... Patsy Cline." on Most Thursdays Pam can be found picking with the Folly Beach Bluegrass Society and belting out a few Patsy tunes.

Kara Barnard and Pam Barnard Hays
Kara and Pam today.

Kara tours and records with some of the top independent musicians in the country. She's been written about in many magazines including Acoustic Guitar and SingOut! and is currently heard on radio stations from Hawaii to New York.

 

The Barnard Sisters promo poster by Sasha Azevedo
Promo Poster by Sasha Azevedo

The Barnard Sisters perform mostly in Indiana and South Carolina. Check out their Facebook page for the latest information and to find out about upcoming performances.

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