Barbara Gaidosh’s business card reads: “Oregon Folksinger & Storyteller.”
Her career as a folk musician spanned many years across many locations before she eventually found herself in Astoria, where she has lived for the past two decades.
But when she arrived to marry a retired veteran, she figured her guitar-playing days were over.
Barbara Gaidosh is a folk musician.
When her husband passed away, he left a letter requesting that she play Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” at his service.
So she got the band back together.
“It was, honestly, probably one of the hardest things I had ever done,” she said of the performance. “... But after that, I thought, can I do this again?”
Since then, Gaidosh has experienced a revival of her career.
She plays at several venues and spots across the region, including art galleries and breweries. Recently, she played in front of a packed audience in Long Beach, Washington.
But WineKraft, a wine bar at Pier 11 in Astoria, is where she plays most frequently. She considers it her homebase, of sorts.
“I never in a million years would’ve thought I could come back to doing this … the music has really saved me,” she said.
What is surprising, Gaidosh said, is how her music has been able to connect with younger audiences. She credits her stories and her voice, which somehow, she said, has continued to sound better over time.
She also credits the music community on the North Coast for helping her find a path back to being a musician. Many of them have become close friends, Gaidosh said.
“All the musicians on the coast, I don’t know if they put up with me or are just good to me but they are really good to me,” she said.
Gaidosh makes an effort to give back to the community that took her in so graciously. She leads a club in Knappa through 4-H, the youth development program. She tries to help with the food bank and does fundraisers when her time allows. If not, she is likely hiking or hanging out with her grandchildren.
At 73, Gaidosh has no plans to slow down, even after a recent cancer diagnosis. She plays around four shows a week. By 2022, she wants to raise that number to five, if not more.
“Sometimes I’m tired but do I want to sit at home and watch soap operas and be in a walker? No, I don’t,” she said. “Thank God, I’m not.”
