Char Busse

Char Busse

Austin artist, singer and songwriter Char Busse passed into peace at 2:30 am, Sunday, July 15, 2012 after a long, brave battle with ovarian cancer. She is survived by her loving Life Partner and Soulmate, Byron Beyer of Austin, Texas, her sister, Paula Busse-Barnet of Clarion, Iowa, and her cousin Mildred Bergman of Waterloo, Iowa. Char was born on May 22, 1951 in Waverly, Iowa. She attended junior college in Fort Dodge Iowa and college in Maryville, Missouri. She got herself to Texas as quick as she could, in 1974. Char earned a Masters degree in Art at Texas Womens' University in Denton. She moved to Austin in 1982 to play music and make art. Like so many others, she held many different jobs in order to keep her artistic expression completely in her control, most notably at Music of the Spheres WIndchimes. She played frequently at "Folkville Ice Cream" (Later "Folkville World Fare" , later "The Beach", presently "Crown and Anchor Pub") where she sat in with local band Debussy Fields on occassion. Char also played at Emmajoe's and was a regular at The Chicago House. In 1988, she released "Mad Woman", a cassette tape of original songs, and appeared on KUT FM. She recorded eleven further tracks with Wes and Victoria Hammil that were never officially released. In the 1990s, she began to concentrate on her painting and artwork in other media, and amassed a huge body of works in many media. She and partner Byron Beyer released a series of cards and prints in 2001 under the name of "CharCardz" and a storefront on CafePress by the same name in 2003. Char was one of the original members of the womens' singing group "Hildegirls", led by Susan Lincoln. She was also previously a member of The Tapestry Singers, a local womens' choir. Char's sweet and innocent heart, exuberant and mischievous smile, and incredibly original artistic vision touched every person she ever interacted with, and left everyone she met with a warm and loving feeling. A celebration of Char's Life, Art and Music will be held in the near future, public notice will be given when details are finalized. In the meantime, instead of flowers and other "tributes", Char would rather you slam a $20 bill into the tip jar of the next struggling musician you hear, buy a piece of art from the next struggling artist you see, or tip your next server more than 20%.