Barbara Hendricks was born in Arkansas (United States) in 1948 into a humble family. Her first contact with music was as a jazz and spirituals singer in the choir of her neighbourhood's Methodist Church, where her father was minister. She studied Chemistry and Mathematics at the University of Nebraska. A lawyer heard her sing and offered her the opportunity of studying at the prestigious Julliard School in New York. In 1974 she made her debut at San Francisco Opera House in Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Popea", and then launched her international career and performed with the world's most prestigious opera companies. Her repertoire includes over twenty operas, as well as American comedies, French melodies and Black Spirituals. She has sung oratorio with the world's major conductors, such as Leonard Bernstein, Zubin Metha, George Solti, Claudio Abbado or Herbert von Karajan.

She is tireless in her fight for Human Rights and has visited refugee camps in countries such as Zambia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia. Her special concern for the fate of the people of former Yugoslavia led her to perform solidarity concerts in Dubrovnick (1991) and Sarajevo (1993). The concert in Sarajevo presented a formidable challenge because the city was under constant siege, bombings and snipers' fire, making it necessary for Barbara Hendricks to wear a bullet-proof vest while walking around the city. She is also Special Advisor on Intercultural Relations for UNESCO and participates in the Organisation of European Youth Campaign against xenophobia, anti-Semitism and intolerance launched by the Council of Europe in 1994.

She is a member of the International Tribunal for Children's Rights created by the Association for Humanitarian Action and a doctor honoris causa of the Nebraska and Louvain Universities. A member of the Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo (Italy), she was awarded the Legion d'Honneur and the honour of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.