To me, this appears to be at the intersection point between soul and pre-rock easy listening. Ms. Mason's voice is soulful but the backing singers and strings could have appeared on a hit single in 1948.
Barbara Mason (born 1947) was 17 years old when she wrote and recorded "Yes, I'm Ready". It did far better in most parts of North America than it did in Toronto, as it reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on the Billboard R&B chart.
Ms. Mason continued recording and releasing singles until 1981. She reached the Billboard top 40 three other times, in 1965, 1972, and 1974, but didn't get further airplay in Toronto. In later life, she ran her own publishing company. She last released an album in 2007 and was still performing as recently as 2016.
Created August 25, 2026.