McNair's big break came with a win on "Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts", which led to bookings at The Purple Onion and the Cocoanut Grove. Described by the "New York Times" as "a gorgeous looking woman with a warm, easy, communicative personality and a voice that can range from softly intense ballads to the edges of gospel", Barbara soon became a popular headliner and a guest on such television variety shows as "The Steve Allen Show", "Hullabaloo", "The Bell Telephone Hour", and "The Hollywood Palace". Among her hit records while recording for the Coral, Signature, Motown, and TEC Recording Studios labels, were "You're Gonna Love My Baby" and "Bobby".