A Beaumont Original Just Made Blues History

She has been right here the whole time.

When the Blues Foundation called to tell Barbara Lynn she was being inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, her response said everything. "We have been looking for you," they told her. "I say looking for me. I live right here. Right here."

The crowd laughed. Beaumont already knew.

Barbara Lynn Ozen was born on January 16, 1942, right here in Beaumont. She taught herself to play guitar left-handed after watching Elvis Presley on television as a child, eventually forming an all-girl band called Barbara Lynn and The Idols while still in school. 12newsnow

Her big break came in 1962 with "You'll Lose a Good Thing," which hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart. The song has since been recorded by Aretha Franklin, Freddy Fender, and Lucinda Williams. The Rolling Stones personally called her to ask permission to record her music. She went on to tour with Chuck Berry, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, and B.B. King, among others. Yahoo!

She never left Beaumont. The city named a street after her.

Last Wednesday in Memphis, three generations of her family watched her walk across that stage. All three of her children were there. Five of her six grandchildren. Two of her six great-grandchildren. Friends from Beaumont. Family from Louisiana. Musical friends from across the country. Yahoo!

From the stage, she said she had long hoped for the call. "I've waited for this moment," she told the crowd. "I see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I see all these other people getting in. I say maybe one day. So finally I got a call."

Eighty-four years old. Still in Beaumont. Still the real thing.

Welcome to the Blues Hall of Fame, Barbara. We always knew you belonged there.

Photo credit: Visit Beaumont CVB