Liz Barnez

Biography

Liz Barnez is a touring performing songwriter with over 35 years of professional experience in the music industry.[2][6] Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, she began her musical career performing in clubs and festivals at age 17, where she developed her craft in the vibrant live music scene of Bourbon Street.[2][3] Her early years in New Orleans served as her foundational music education, performing in cover bands and learning through peer correction in one of America's most musically fertile environments.[3] In the late 1980s, Barnez made a pivotal career decision by moving to Fort Collins, Colorado with her former band, The Subdudes, a move that allowed her to reinvent herself and grow beyond the musician-dense New Orleans scene.[3] This relocation proved transformative for her career, establishing her as a Northern Colorado fixture and leading to decades of creative output and community influence.

Barnez's musical style is characterized by an acoustic swamp groove evident in her guitar playing, songwriting, and soulful, R&B-inspired singing.[5] Her artistic evolution has drawn from her New Orleans roots while incorporating contemporary influences, with her recent work evoking old-school R&B sounds bordering on Motown with playful energy.[3] Throughout her career, she has been recognized for her artistic excellence and contributions to the music community. In 2012, the Fort Collins Musicians Association awarded her the Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2020, she was voted "Best Singer-Songwriter Female" for the FoCoMA Peer Awards.[7][8] Additionally, she was inducted into the Colorado Music Hall of Fame in 2019 as part of the all-women band The Mother Folkers.[3]

Beyond her solo work, Barnez has become a music matriarch and advocate for women and the LGBTQ+ community in Northern Colorado through volunteerism, songwriting, and benefit shows.[3] As of 2025, she continues to create music, with plans to release her fifth album—described as her most personal work to date—featuring the protest song "Stay Strong," which includes lyrics written by her wife, Lori Daigle.[3] At age 60, Barnez reflects that the wisdom gained with age has made it easier for her to lean into her strengths as both a musician and storyteller, and she remains committed to her craft, stating "I will play till I'm dead."[3]

Fun Facts

• The Mother Folkers, the all-women band Barnez was part of, was described as having 'the most carefully pronounced name in show business.'[3]
• Barnez's wife, Lori Daigle, became a songwriter through their collaboration on the protest song 'Stay Strong,' marking her entry into songwriting despite not being a musician or songwriter prior.[3]
• Despite receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, Barnez was far from finished creating—it took 10 years before she planned to release her fifth album, demonstrating her continued creative evolution.[3]
• Barnez was often the only woman performing onstage during her earlier years in the music industry, yet she never hesitated to lead bands, inadvertently becoming a pioneering role model for women in music.[3]

Associated Acts

• Mother Folkers

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• New Orleans Live Music Scene - Peer learning environment in Bourbon Street clubs and festivals (Cover band performances) [Age 17 onwards in New Orleans]

Key Collaborators

• The Subdudes - Former band that relocated with her to Fort Collins (Band performances) [Late 1980s]
• The Mother Folkers - All-women band collaboration (Band performances and recordings) [Active period leading to 2019 Colorado Music Hall of Fame induction]
• Lori Daigle - Wife and songwriting collaborator ("Stay Strong" (lyrics by Daigle)) [Recent work (2025)]

Artists Influenced

• Rising generation of women musicians in Northern Colorado - Role model and advocate through her pioneering presence as a female bandleader (Community mentorship and benefit shows) [Throughout her Fort Collins career]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Stay Strong (Stay Strong)
2. Listen to October (Welcome Back)
3. If I Had a Gun (Welcome Back)
4. Whiskey Bay (Revealed)
5. How Bout You? (How Bout You?)
6. Light Up (Wholehearted)
7. Wholehearted (Wholehearted)
8. The Perfect Revenge (Singer-Songwriter Heaven - The Songs Of Kevin Faherty)
9. Whiskey Bay (Live) (Meeting on the Mountain Live, Vol. 1)
10. Welcome Back (Welcome Back)

External Links

• Spotify
• [Wikipedia](Not found in search results)
• MusicBrainz