Sidney Barnes (musician)

Last updated

Sidney Barnes
Birth nameSidney Alexander Barnes Jr.
Born (1941-02-06) February 6, 1941 (age 83)
Welch, West Virginia, United States [1]
Origin Welch, West Virginia, United States
Genres Rhythm and blues, blues, jazz
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active1958–present
Labels Motown, Golden World Records
Website www.sidneybarnes.net

Sidney Alexander Barnes Jr. (born February 6, 1941) is an American singer, [2] songwriter, and producer. He has been active in music since the early 1960s with Rotary Connection [3] and as a staff writer with Motown during their time with the New York office and credits on albums with George Clinton, The Jackson 5, The Supremes, and B.B. King. Barnes has appeared on more than 150 albums and CD compilations.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Early life

Barnes was born in Virginia, USA. [4]

Career

Barnes formed several doo-wop groups in high school, and sang with Marvin Gaye and Herb Heemster of Peaches & Herb. He released a solo recording, "Wait My Love". In 1963 he and his group The Serenades were signed with Berry Gordy. They made a few recordings, but the group was not financially successful. [5] Sidney joined Motown Records staff as a songwriter. [6] In 1964 Barnes composed and recorded with J.J. Jackson. [7] Barnes and Jackson became a freelance songwriting team in 1964, following Barnes' term as a lead writer, producer and talent scout for the recently opened New York office of Motown Records and Jobete Music [8] Barnes and Jackson wrote songs for several R & B solo artists of the period, including Sandra Phillips and Billy Prophet, formerly of The Jive Five. Barnes and Jackson also wrote for The Soul Sisters, [9] and became staff writers at Sue Records, one of the few black-owned record labels based in New York at the time. [8] Barnes and Jackson were soon thereafter signed to exclusive contracts with Red Bird Records and Trio Music Publishing, owed by Leiber and Stoller. [8] Through the Blue Cat Records subsidiary of Red Bird Records, Barnes and Jackson worked on songs for The Shangri-Las. Barnes also recorded for the label.

By 1965, Barnes had emerged as a solo performer, recording songs written by Barnes and Jackson, including "I Hurt On The Other Side", [10] and "I Don't Know Why". [8]

In 1966, Barnes returned to Detroit and joined George Clinton at Golden World Records. [11] During this partnership Barnes worked on "I Bet You" for The Jackson 5. When Golden World Records was sold to Motown, Barnes signed with Chess Records and was signed onto Rotary Connection. [3]

Between 1971 and 1999 Barnes worked on TV, radio jingles, recordings and occasionally toured in the west and midwest United States. He took part in a project with Jerry Goldsmith on the soundtrack for Love at First Bite as well as Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend . Barnes has continued writing and performing on a smaller scale since 2000.

Personal life

In 2000 Barnes married and moved to North Carolina. He currently resides in Asheville, where he performs locally when not travelling and performing with George Clinton.[ citation needed ]

Writing credits

Releases

Contributions

Related Research Articles

<i>Funkadelic</i> (album) 1970 studio album by Funkadelic

Funkadelic is the debut album by the American funk rock band Funkadelic, released in 1970 on Westbound Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Ross</span> American singer (born 1944)

Diana Ross is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. They remain the best-charting female group in history, with a total of 12 number-one pop singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go," "Baby Love," "Come See About Me," "Stop! In the Name of Love," "You Keep Me Hangin' On," and "Love Child."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller</span> American songwriting and record producing duo

Leiber and Stoller were an American Grammy award-winning songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerome Leiber and composer Michael Stoller. As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wrote numerous standards for Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hound Dog (song)</span> 1952 song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller

"Hound Dog" is a twelve-bar blues song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Recorded originally by Big Mama Thornton on August 13, 1952, in Los Angeles and released by Peacock Records in late February 1953, "Hound Dog" was Thornton's only hit record, selling over 500,000 copies, spending 14 weeks in the R&B charts, including seven weeks at number one. Thornton's recording of "Hound Dog" is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll", ranked at 318 in the 2021 iteration of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in February 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Bird Records</span> Defunct American record label

Red Bird Records was a record label founded by American pop music songwriters Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and George Goldner in 1964. Though often thought of as a "girl-group" label, female-led acts made up only 40% of the artist roster on Red Bird and its associated labels. However, female-led acts also accounted for more than 90% of the label's charting records.

George Goldner was an American record label owner, record producer and promoter who played an important role in establishing the popularity of rock and roll in the 1950s, by recording and promoting many groups and records that appealed to young people across racial boundaries. Among the acts he discovered were the Crows, Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, and Little Anthony and the Imperials.

<i>Love Child</i> (The Supremes album) 1968 studio album by Diana Ross & the Supremes

Love Child is the fifteenth studio album released by Diana Ross & the Supremes for the Motown label in 1968. The LP was the group's first studio LP not to include any songs written or produced by any member of the Holland–Dozier–Holland production team, who had previously overseen most of the Supremes' releases.

Lester Sill was an American record label executive, best remembered as Phil Spector's partner in Philles Records, and also as the head of both Colpix Records and the later Colgems Records. His three sons are music supervisors in the film and TV businesses: Joel Sill, Greg Sill and Lonnie Sill. His stepson Chuck Kaye is a longtime music publishing executive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marv Johnson</span> American singer and songwriter (1938–1993)

Marvin Earl Johnson was an American R&B singer, songwriter and pianist. He was influential in the development of the Motown style of music, primarily for the song "Come to Me," which was the first record issued by Tamla Records, the precursor to the famous label.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buddy Bregman</span> Musical artist

Louis Isidore "Buddy" Bregman was an American arranger and conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. J. Jackson (singer)</span> American singer, songwriter, and arranger

Jerome Louis "J.J." Jackson is an American soul/R&B singer, songwriter, and arranger. His singing style is as a belter. Jackson best known for the song "But It's Alright", which he co-wrote with Pierre Tubbs. The song was released in 1966 and then re-released in 1969, to chart success on both occasions. The liner notes to his 1967 album, J.J. Jackson, on Calla Records, stated that he weighed 285 pounds.

<i>Live and Learn</i> (Elkie Brooks album) 1979 studio album by Elkie Brooks

Live and Learn is an album by Elkie Brooks, released in 1979.

"Is That All There Is?", a song written by American songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller during the 1960s, became a hit for American singer Peggy Lee and an award winner from her album of the same title in November 1969. The song was originally performed by Georgia Brown in May 1967 for a television special. It was first recorded by disc jockey Dan Daniel in March 1968, but this was an unauthorized recording that, while played on Daniel's own radio show, went unissued at the songwriters' request. The first authorized recording was by Leslie Uggams in August 1968. Then came the hit Peggy Lee version in August 1969, followed by Guy Lombardo in 1969 and Tony Bennett on 22 December 1969.

<i>Framed</i> (Sensational Alex Harvey Band album) 1972 studio album by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band

Framed is the 1972 debut album by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. The title track is a cover of a Leiber and Stoller song originally recorded by The Robins. Other tracks include a cover of the Willie Dixon song "I Just Want to Make Love to You", originally performed by Muddy Waters. Both of these songs had appeared on Alex Harvey recordings as far back as the 1963 live recording from Hamburg, released in 1964 as "Alex Harvey and His Soul Band". "Hammer Song" and "Midnight Moses" are two Harvey originals that first appeared on his solo LP Roman Wall Blues in 1969. "Hole In Her Stocking" had been recorded by Alex Harvey in 1970 on the Rock Workshop eponymous release of the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes</span> 1963 single by The Supremes

"When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes" is a song written by Holland–Dozier–Holland and recorded in 1963 by Motown singing group The Supremes. It is notable as the Supremes' first Billboard Hot 100 Top 40 recording, following seven previous singles between January 1961 and September 1963 which failed to enter the Top 40. The single is also notable as the first Supremes single written and produced by Holland–Dozier–Holland, who had previously created hits for Martha and the Vandellas and Mary Wells.

James Edward Gadson is an American drummer and session musician. Beginning his career in the late 1960s, Gadson has since become one of the most-recorded drummers in the history of R&B. He is also a singer and songwriter.

<i>Leader of the Pack</i> (album) 1965 studio album by the Shangri-Las

Leader of the Pack is the 1965 debut album by girl group the Shangri-Las. The album was produced to capitalize on the group's breakthrough hits "Remember " and "Leader of the Pack" which had been co-written by Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich. After the album's focal track went to number one, The Shangri-Las' style and image had evolved into something tougher and earthier.

<i>Soul Deeper... Songs from the Deep South</i> 2000 studio album by Jimmy Barnes

Soul Deeper... Songs From the Deep South is the tenth studio album by Australian rock singer Jimmy Barnes. Following the success of his 1991 album Soul Deep, Barnes returned with another album of soul covers. A special 2CD edition was released, featuring five bonus tracks. It was certified Platinum by ARIA in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Terry (saxophonist)</span> Musical artist

Andrew Alexander "Mike" Terry was an American saxophonist, songwriter, arranger, producer and musical director. His baritone sax solos feature on the breakthrough hits of Martha and the Vandellas, and The Supremes. As a member of the Funk Brothers he performed on thousands of Motown recordings from 1960 to 1967, including at least seven US #1 hits. As was Motown's policy at the time, none of the studio musicians were credited by name. Terry was the musical arranger of the 1966 hit "Cool Jerk" by The Capitols, and later became a record producer, with partners including George Clinton, Sidney Barnes, and Jack Ashford.

References

  1. Wright, Tom (2011) Standing on Solid Ground, p. 1. BarVada Books
  2. Raynoma Gordy Singleton; Bryan Brown; Mim Eichler (August 1, 1990). Berry, me, and Motown: the untold story . Contemporary Books. p.  141. ISBN   978-0-8092-4340-2.
  3. 1 2 The Wire. Vol. 245–250. Wire Magazine, Limited. 2004. p. 45.
  4. "The Rock swings to the sounds of Motown". Blueridge Now, By Robin Tolleson, July 1, 2011.
  5. Betts, Graham (June 2, 2014). Motown Encyclopedia. AC Publishing. pp. 547–. ISBN   978-1-311-44154-6.
  6. Clemente, John (June 24, 2013). Girl Groups: Fabulous Females Who Rocked The World. Author House. pp. 225–. ISBN   978-1-4772-8128-4.
  7. "Soul star at home in Vegas". Las Vegas Sun, Jerry Fink, November 4, 2008
  8. 1 2 3 4 Biography of Sidney Barnes; sidneybarnes.net. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  9. Such as "Think About The Good Times" (1965), also produced by Barnes and Jackson. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
  10. On Blue Cat Records, a subsidiary of Red Bird Records. The song, written by Jackson and Barnes, was produced by Leiber and Stoller: Particulars of "I Hurt On The Other Side"; Discogs. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  11. Dahl, Bill (February 28, 2011). Motown: The Golden Years: More than 100 rare photographs. Krause Publications. pp. 27, 150 and 323. ISBN   978-1-4402-2783-7.
  12. "Sidney Barnes: the northern soul legend". Cross Rhythms, November 13, 2005.