James Jay Barnes (November 30, 1943 – December 10, 2022) was an American R&B singer and songwriter.[1]
J.J. Barnes | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Jay Barnes |
| Born | November 30, 1943 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | December 10, 2022 (aged 79) |
| Genres | Soul, pop, R&B |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1960–2022 |
| Labels | Motown Ric-Tic Micay Records Groovesville Buddah Contempo Records |
Biography
editHe recorded several singles, starting in 1960.[2] His early releases including "Just One More Time" and "Please Let Me In", on the record labels Mickay and Ric-Tic, had relatively little success, but were subsequently picked up as Northern soul favorites in the UK.[2] He was later signed to Motown Records, where he contributed as a songwriter but did not have any recordings released as a singer.[2] Some of his Motown material has subsequently been released on the A Cellarful of Motown! compilation album series.
Barnes was a member of the Holidays, a trio which also included Edwin Starr and Steve Mancha. They had a #7 R&B hit in June 1966 with "I'll Love You Forever" (#43 in Canada).[3] Barnes' biggest hit single came in 1967 with "Baby Please Come Back Home" on the Groovesville label, which, like many of his records, he co-wrote.[2] The song reached No. 9 on the US Billboard R&B chart, and No. 25 in Canada.[4] However, subsequent singles on a variety of labels, including covers of "Black Ivory" on Today/Perception Records, failed to repeat the success.[5]
On the recommendation of his friend Edwin Starr, Barnes moved to England in the 1970s, becoming popular. Starr had arranged for Barnes to appear on a series of shows, which led to him signing a deal with Contempo Records.[6] He became a favorite artist of the UK Northern soul scene, and performed frequently in the UK.[2] Early recordings from Barnes, such as "Please Let Me In" and "Real Humdinger", were re-released in the UK on the Tamla Motown label to cater for the buyers of Northern soul records.[7]
In the 1970s, Contempo Records released seven singles and an album, Sara Smile from Barnes, all without chart success. In the 1980s, he released five more records including a version of the Northern soul favorite by Frank Wilson, "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)",[6] and he recorded with producer Ian Levine in the 1990s.
His song "Chains of Love", originally the B-side of his 1967 hit "Baby Please Come Back Home", achieved further renown when it was covered by the Dirtbombs on their Ultraglide in Black album in 2001.
References
edit- ^ "JJ Barnes". Discogs.com. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (1993). The Guinness Who's Who of Soul Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 16/7. ISBN 0-85112-733-9.
- ^ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 11, 1966" (PDF). Collections.gc.ca.
- ^ "RPM Top 30 R&B - October 28, 1967" (PDF). Collections.gc.ca.
- ^ Hamilton, Andrew, J.J. Barnes, E-guide.com. Retrieved March 2011
- ^ a b "J.J. Barnes". AllMusic. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ "J. J. Barnes– Real Humdinger". Discogs.com. September 1973. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
- ^ Rizik, Chris. (December 10, 2022) "1960s R&B star J.J. Barnes dies at age 79", SoulTracks. Retrieved December 11, 2022.
- ^ DeVito, Lee (December 11, 2022). "R.I.P. Detroit soul singer J.J. Barnes, dead at 79". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
External links
edit- J. J. Barnes discography at Discogs