R.I.P. J.J. Barnes (30 Nov 1943 - 10 Dec 2022)

We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of one of the true Northern Soul heroes, J.J. (James Jay) Barnes who died yesterday (10 Dec '22)  aged 79.

Barnes performed at the Detroit A-Go-Go festival, St, Regis Ballroom, Detroit, in October 2022, which he said would be his final in-person concert owing to his health conditions.

His musical journey epitomises the plight of so many artists embraced by the scene. So talented, yet didn't quite get the breaks he deserved. Even after being signed to Motown via their acquisition of Ric-Tic he felt side-lined and left the company shortly afterwards.

He recorded his first single in 1960 as J.J. Barnes & The Del! Fi's on a small Detroit label, Kabel, run by Funk Brother keyboardist Joe Hunter and Fred Brown. Both sides were written by Don Davis, the flip co-written with James Hendrix who set up the Carrie label and would later form La Beat with Lou Beatty. The record was subsequently released on Rich twice in 1961 and 1962. 

Brown was a mail man who overheard Barnes and his sister Ortheia singing whilst delivering mail and he had just started his own label Kabel along with Mickay's and duly signed them both. Musicians on the first single not only included Hunter on piano, but also others who would go on to form the backbone of The Funk Brothers, Benny Benjamin (drums), Don Davis (lead guitar) and James Jamerson (bass) with an early incarnation of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, known then as The Del! Fi's aka The Del-Phis, on backing vocals who then recorded an answer song to "Won't You Let Me Know" which was "I’ll Let You Know" on Check-Mate in 1961.

He then released five singles for Mickay's in 1963-64 with the last one "Just One More Time" / "Hey Child, I Love You" gaining national distribution on Scepter. Another single appeared on Ring before he signed with Ric-Tic where he released four singles in 1965-66. It was these singles that initially brought him to the attention of the burgeoning Northern Soul scene in England with songs like "Please Let Me In" and "Real Humdinger" in particular. Ric-Tic became a very collectible label alongside Golden World and Okeh to the Northern Soul fraternity.

Golden World was founded in 1962 by Joanne Bratton and Ed Wingate. The Ric-Tic imprint came in Jul 1964 and was named after Joanne's son with boxer Johnny Bratton, Derek, who was nicknamed Ricky or Ric-Tic who died in 1962 aged 11. Berry Gordy was so concerned about the competition from both labels for Motown that he bought them in 1967 taking many of the artists to Motown. Probably the most successful being Edwin Starr but others, such as Barnes, fell by the wayside and Barnes later re-joined Don Davis at Groovesville. Other artists included The Fantastic Four, Detroit Emeralds, Laura Lee and Freddie Gorman who had earlier left Motown to join Ric-Tic/Golden World and then returned and went on to be a member of The Originals.

Barnes served as a songwriter at Motown for a short period but no material by him was released as an artist, apparently because Marvin Gaye had told Berry Gordy that Barnes sounded too much like him (which is quite evident on the unreleased song "Everytime I See You, I Go Wild!" in particular), but many unreleased songs have surfaced on compilations, such as Cellarful of Motown, over the years with songs like "Show Me the Way", "Every Time I See You, I Go Wild".

He was a member of the Holidays, a trio made up of Edwin Starr (aka Charles Hatcher) and Steve Mancha (aka Clyde Wilson) who had a #7 R&B hit in Jun 1966 with "I'll Love You Forever". Barnes' biggest hit was "Baby Please Come Back Home" on the Groovesville in 1967 which reached #9 on the R&B chart but he was never able to match or improve on this success.

His only 'true' album was "Born Again" on Perception in 1973, having released a joint album, "Rare Stamps", with Steve Mancha on Volt in 1969. On the recommendation of Edwin Starr, and the popularity of his recordings on the NS scene, Barnes moved to England in the 70s and signed to Blues & Soul's Contempo label releasing around six singles and two albums. The first album was a compilation of earlier Groovesville recordings titled "The Groovesville Masters" in 1975 followed by "Sara Smile" in 1977 which included a few covers, the Hall & Oates title track, a version of Ace's "How Long" and Larry Santos' "We Can't Hide It Anymore". 

In the 90s he recorded some NS tailor-mades for Ian Levine's Motorcity label which included some re-recordings of several of his classic songs such as "Our Love Is In The Pocket", "Please Let Me In", "Real Humdinger" and "Sweet Sherry". It has been claimed that he recorded the Frank Wilson song ("Do I Love You") which I don't recall ever hearing, but it was released on Neil Rushon's Inferno label on 12" in 1984. I thought perhaps it would have been one of Mr. Levine's 'wonders' but it was produced by Rushton and Chris King, so the Dr Who fanatic was nowhere to be seen!

Unsurprisingly, not a great deal of his material is available on Spotify but I've pulled together the best of what is there, but have also created a YouTube playlist of most of his singles. The ones marked with an asterisk below were not found but all the others were. In addition, tagged onto the end on the YouTube playlist, are several unreleased recordings (at the time) which have later surfaced.

Discography

Albums

1969 - Rare Stamps Vol.1 [Volt]

1973 - Born Again [Perception]

1975 - The Groovesville Masters [Contempo]

1977 - Sara Smile [Contempo]

1991 - Try It One More Time [Motorcity]

1996 - King Of Nothern Soul [Motorcity]

Singles

1960-12 - My Love Came Tumbling Down / Won't You Let Me Know [Kable #437-X 45]

1961-03 - My Love Came Tumbling Down / Won't You Let Me Know [Rich #1005]

1962-02 - My Love Came Tumbling Down / Won't You Let Me Know [Rich #1737]

1963-05 - Teen Age Queen / *Some One [Mickay's #351]

1963-09 - *Love Requires Understanding / *So Far Away [Mickay's #353]

1963-11 - These Chains Of Love / Color - Green [Mickay's #300]

1964-?? - Lonely No More / *Get A Hold Of Yourself (You Belong To Me) [Mickay's #4471/4472]

1964-?? - Just One More Time / Hey Child, I Love You [Mickay's #3004]

1964-02 - Just One More Time / Hey Child, I Love You [Scepter #1266]

1964-11 - Poor Unfortunate Me (I Ain't Got Nobody) / She Ain't Ready [Ring #101]

1965-11 - Please Let Me In / I Think I Found A Love [Ric-Tic #RT-106]

1966-02 - Real Humdinger / I Ain't Gonna Do It [Ric-Tic #TR-110]

1966-05 - Day Tripper / Don't Bring Me Bad News [Ric-Tic #RT-115]

1966-08 - Say It / Deeper In Love [Ric-Tic #RT-117]

1967-04 - Baby Please Come Back Home / Chains Of Love [Groovesville #GV 1006]

1967-07 - Now That I Got You Back / Forgive Me [Groovesville #GV 1008] 

1967-07 - Easy Living / ? [Groovesville #GV 1009] (Unreleased)

1968-?? - Easy Living / I Lost You [Groove City #206] The Hollidays

1968-02 - Hold On To It / Now She's Gone [Revilot #RV-216]

1968-05 - Sad Day A' Coming / I'll Keep Coming Back [Revilot #RV-218]

1968-05 - Our Love Is In The Pocket / All Your Goodies Are Gone (instrumental) [Revilot #RV-222]

1968-08 - So Called Friends /  Now She's Gone (The LeBaron Strings) [Revilot #RV-225]

1969-06 - Evidence / I'll Keep Coming Back [Buddah #BDA 120]

1969-11 - Got To Get Rid Of You / Snow Flakes [Volt #VOA-4027]

1970-?? - *My Baby / *You're Still My Baby [Invasion #1001] 

197?-?? - Jay Rhythm - *Wouldn't It Be A Pleasure / *Soul Emotions [Leo #AR-884]

1970-?? - To An Early Grave / Cloudy Days [Magic Touch #WM 1000]

1973-12 - You Are Just A Living Doll / Touching You [Perception #PS-546]

1975-?? - I Think I've Got A Good Chance Pt. 1 / I Think I've Got A Good Chance Pt. 2 [Organic #CWO-1]

Halo Gospel Singers Featuring J. J. Barnes

1982-?? - Only Things From God (Will Last) (Part 1) / Only Things From God (Will Last) (Part Two) [Golden Age #GA-101]

J. J. Barnes And Ortheia Barnes

1990-?? - Send Some Love / I've Seen The Light [Livalot #1001]

UK Only releases (NB reissues excluded)

1974-03 - Sweet Sherry / Chains Of Love [Contempo #CS 2048]

1975-07 - Baby Please Come Home / Cloudy Days [Contempo #CS 2063]

1977-01 - The Erroll Flynn / She's Mine [Contempo #CS 2105]

1977-04 - Sara Smile / Let Me Feel The Funk [Contempo #CS 2111]

1977-08 - How Long / I'm The One Who Loves You [Contempo #CS 2123]

1984-?? - Guess I'll Try It Again / Do I Love You [Inferno #12 BURN 15]

1984 ?? - Competition Ain't Nothing / Inst [Inferno #BURN7]

1988-?? - Talk Of The Grapevine / On Top Of The World [Achievement #10011]

1990-?? - Build A Foundation / Inst [Motorcity #MOTC 25]

1991-?? - I've Seen The Light / Inst [Motorcity #12 MOTC 87]

1998-?? - Sweet Honey Baby [Goldmine Soul Supply #GS030]

2010-?? - Everytime I See You I Go Wild / Where Is The Love (Rita Wright) [Hip City Soul Club #HCSC-R4]

2002-?? - Love At First Sight / Think I Got A Good Chance [Hayley #HR006

2014-?? - Lucille / You Brought Love To My Life (J.J. Barnes & Steve Mancha) [Hayley #HR022]

2016-10 - Show Me The Way / I'm Gonna Make It Up To You (Kim Weston) [Tamla Motown #536 954-2]

2018-?? - Candy / For Your Precious Love [Super Disco Edits #SDE 39]

SoulStrutter's Dozen Top Selections

(in no particular order other than chronological. All are in the YouTube playlist below)

Lonely No More

Please Let Me In

Say It 

Our Love Is In The Pocket

Got to Get Rid Of You

You Are Just A Living Doll

Can't See Me Leaving You

I Think I've Got A Good Chance

She's Mine

How Long

I'm The One Who Loves You

Love At First Sight

J.J. Barnes Singles YouTube Playlist

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

J.J. Barnes [1969] - Got To Get Rid Of You [Volt #VOA-4027]

For me this is the finest recording that J.J. (James Jay) Barnes made in his illustrious career. It was recorded towards the end of his 'main' career in 1969 before moving to England in the early 70s and recording for Blues & Soul's Contempo imprint followed by a few for Ian Levine's Motorcity 'empire' in the 90s.

It's been lined up for posting for several months just waiting for the opportunity and what better message for that contemptuous cretin in the Kremlin who is no doubt locked into his bunker whilst he orders his conscripts to terrorise the Ukrainians whilst lying to, and locking up his own citizens who dare to protest! I wonder how 'puffed up' he will be when he is held to account for the atrocious, obscene and inhumane war crimes he has already committed, but how many thousands will have to be killed, maimed and displaced beforehand, including his own conscripts? It's absolutely incomprehensible how this can happen in the 21st Century! 

He needs to be removed one way or another and I know which one would be my preference. If it was good enough for Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden then it's more than good enough for him but sadly easier said than done. However, soon enough, when the sanctions bite, his own people will turn on him and will be queuing up for his head on a plate. What's that old saying? ... you can fool some of the people some of the time etc. With a bit of luck his own people will do the job for us.

Details

Rating:	9.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Modern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	7"
Label:	Volt
Cat No:	VOA-4027
Date:	1969
Key/BPM:	2B/87
Value:	£80-£150

J.J. Barnes [1969] - I Got To Get Rid Of You [Volt VOA 4027]

Northern Soul hero J.J. Barnes with one of his best ever records. Released on Volt after leaving Revilot and one his last 60s recordings.  I believe that this was played on the Modern Soul scene first and would be classed as a crossover sound.

This record is quite sought after.  I don't think it is particularly rare as it was released on a major label, but they don't come up for sale that regularly as owners don't want to sell it.  A copy would probably cost you between £100-£150 these days.

For those not familiar with the term 'crossover', in brief, it relates to records released between around 1967-1974 that did not fit the 'formula' for Northern Soul nor Modern Soul as they were too slow i.e. not typical dancers.  It is the period between 'on the four' Motown beat and Disco when a lot of black music was going funky and the style of soul music was changing.  In the late 80s/early 90s quality soul music that would otherwise not have been played on the UK soul scene began to be played and were classed as 'crossover'.  Personally I love this genre as the records tend to be far more soulful.

SoulStrutter's Rating: 9.5

L.V. Johnson [1997] - I Got To Get Rid Of You [Stardust URS 119]

SoulStrutter's Rating: 8.8

Cover version of J.J. Barnes song.  I think this was released late 90s early noughties, but that's only a guess as I think that's around the time I bought my copy.  I believe that it was the first release of a previously unreleased  track.  It was issued by Goldmine Soul Supply on 45 in 1997(but only as a promo - perhaps a licensing dispute?) - I seem to recall that the Canadian Stardust release came first (?).

NS521 J.J. Barnes [1970] - Sweet Sherry [UK Contempo CS.2048]

521 J.J. Barnes [1970] - Sweet Sherry [UK Contempo CS.2048]

b/w:	Chains Of Love
Format:	45
Label:	UK Contempo
Cat No:	CS.2048
Year:	1970
Value:	£15-£25

The 'evergreen' Sweet Sherry was the third of four recordings by J.J. Barnes at Groovesville (555).  The Originals are on backing vocals.  Apparently it was never officially released.  It found release in the UK on Blues & Soul's Contempo label in 1970.

J.J. Barnes is one of the 'heroes' on the UK Northern Soul scene with many of his Ric-Tic recordings being played from the beginning of the scene along with his outings on Groovesville and Revilot and some earlier recordings on Mickays. He released a solitary US LP on Perception 'Born Again' in 1973 followed by a UK only 'Sara Smile' LP on Contempo in 1977.  Ian levine cut 'Try It One More Time' album with him in 1991 on his Motorcity label.  A couple of noteworthy compilations included Rare Stamps on Volt which  also has tracks by Steve Mancha and The Groovesville Maters on Contempo both of which used previously recorded Groovesville material.

The story goes that although Barnes signed with Motown when the acquired Ric-Tic they thought he sounded too similar to Marvin Gaye at the time and he was kept for a while for his song-writing but eventually let go and joined Don Davis at Groovesville.

Some other J.J. Barnes tracks played on the scene include:
Please Let Me In (Ric-Tic)
Say It (Ric-Tic)
Real Humdinger (Ric-Tic)
Baby Please Come Back Home (Groovesville)
Our Love Is In The Pocket (Revilot)
Got To Get Rid Of You (Volt)
How Long (Contempo)
... and many others

J.J. Barnes [1970] - Chains Of Lovey [UK Contempo CS.2048]

Biography @ Soul Train

J.J. Barnes' "Baby Please Come Back Home" (June 1967) jammed all over the Midwest, East Coast, South, and west of the Mississippi River. This was the 11th single and the sixth recording company (Groovesville) of Barnes' career. 

Barnes co-wrote most of his recordings; "Baby Please Come Back Home" was co-written with Don Davis, a guitarist, songwriter, producer, music publisher, and record label owner. Barnes sang the lyrics with so much pain that the single went to number nine on Billboard's R&B chart. Unofficially, it was number one at inner city skating rinks -- skaters loved rolling to its cool, slinky, mercurial rhythm and pinging accents. 

James Jay Barnes, born November 30, 1943, in Detroit, MI, had more than 25 single releases after his big hit, but none duplicated its captivating aura, sales, or chart position. Barnes' gospel background (the Halo Gospel Singers) isn't apparent on his recordings; he came along at a time in Detroit when the city's blues and R&B bases were strong. 

His style emulated Southern soul singers; the session players in Detroit in the early '60s were R&B players and gave Barnes' records a Southern feel. Other Detroit singers with a similar sound include Joe Stubbs, Steve Mancha, Darrell Banks, Sammy Ward, and Lee Rogers. In 1960, when he was 17, Barnes cut his first single, "My Love Came Tumbling Down" b/w "Won't You Let Me Know," for Kable Records, which did nothing but add "recording artist" to Barnes' resum‚. This was not a title to take lightly -- a few spins on the radio enabled an artist to jack their price up at the neighborhood club. No longer was he, J.J. Barnes, appearing Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights; now J.J. Barnes, the recording artist, was appearing live and in person. Mickay Records issued four singles by Barnes; the first, "Just One More Time" (1963), is sought after by Northern soul fanatics. Scepter Records realized its potential and plucked it for national distribution, but the sales never amounted to much. "These Chains of Love," "Teenage Queen," and "So Far Away" -- all released in 1963 and 1964 -- were good efforts that few heard. He cut one record for Ring Records in 1964, "Poor Unfortunate Me" b/w "She Ain't Ready." Ric-Tic Records issued Barnes' seventh record and followed it with three more, debuting with "Please Let Me In" in 1965; like many of Barnes' recordings it had a pronounced, four-on-the-floor beat -- the beat that defined the early Northern soul sound. Initially, if a tune didn't have that beat, it wasn't played in Northern England's popular dance clubs. Inner-city teens hated the beat (it wasn't cool to dance to) and R&B disc jockeys rarely played these tunes. Still, his Ric-Tic debut sold better than previous singles. "Real Humdinger," its successor, charted at number 20 on the R&B chart and number 60 on the pop chart, but, despite these numbers, wasn't played in some cities, mainly because of its hokey beat. An update of the Beatles' "Day Tripper" became his most successful record at the time. Barnes' smooth interpretation of the British rocker received substantial play in many urban cities. With Edwin Starr (lead) and Steve Mancha, Barnes hit with "I'll Love You Forever" as the Holidays. The record was a complete fluke -- the trio just happened to be around when producer Don Davis got an itch to cut the tune. They never toured as the Holidays, Davis recruited other singers for that. "Say It" b/w "Deeper in Love" didn't stand a chance because Ed Wingate was in the process of selling Ric Tic/Golden World Records lock, stock, and barrel to Motown. Barnes wasn't happy being Motown's property, neither was his ex-Ric-Tic bud, Edwin Starr. 

Motown never released anything by Barnes, the company was more interested in his songwriting abilities and released at least two songs co-written by Barnes: "Show Me the Way" by Martha & the Vandellas (October 1967) and "Don't Make Hurting Me a Habit" by the Marvelettes (December 1968). 

Motown released Barnes from his contract and he hooked up with Don Davis again, scoring the first time on Groovesville Records with "Baby Please Come Back Home." Its successor, "Now That I Got You Back" b/w "Forgive Me" (1967), a stomper and a pleader, threw a rod at number 44. The third, "Sweet Sherry," with the Originals harmonizing behind Barnes, didn't sell despite its immense charm. Then came "Easy Living" b/w "I've Lost You," with backing vocals by the Holidays, on the Groove City label, which sank upon release. 

A stint on Revilot Records resulted in four singles, including "Our Love Is in the Pocket," a popular Northern soul song. Barnes co-wrote his final Revilot single, "So Called Friends" (1969), with George Clinton (Parliament) and two unknown brothers by the last name of Taylor. Buddah, Volt, Leo, Magic Touch, Perception, and Invasion Records issued Barnes' next five releases from 1969 to 1973. None hit, but "Snowflakes," the Volt release, was later acclaimed by some Britishers. 

Perception issued the first J.J. Barnes album, Born Again, in 1973; the Perception sides didn't compare to earlier recordings, nor did what followed. 

Old friend Edwin Starr moved to England and became very popular; remembering Barnes, Starr arranged for his old buddy to come over and do a series of shows with him. This proved to be a lucrative move, as Barnes signed a deal with Contempo Records, a U.K. label, in the mid-'70s. Contempo cranked out seven undistinguished singles and an album, Sara Smile, for Barnes. 

He debuted on Contempo with "To an Early Grave," cut a remake of Hall & Oates' "Sara Smile," and tried to popularize an inner city dance tune, "The Errol Flynn." He released at least five more records -- including "Think I Got a Good Chance" on Organic, an update of Carl Carlton's "Competition Ain't Nothing" on Inferno in 1984, an attempt to recapture the magic of Frank Wilson's Motown release (which was ignored in the U.S.A.) "Do I Love You (Deed I Do)" on Inferno in 1985, and two on Motor City. 

Albums include Rare Stamps on Volt Records, which features cuts by Barnes, Steve Mancha, and Darrell Banks; he also recorded an album on Motor City Records entitled Try It One More Time. A virtual nobody in the States, Barnes is one of Northern soul's most beloved artists. A janissary of soul fans worldwide love him, but at home his sister, Ortheia Barnes, is more known. Ortheia Barnes never had a hit, but once hosted a radio show in Detroit on WCHB every Wednesday called Ortheia's Special Touch; she's fondly remembered by witnesses of her electrifying live performances. 

~Andrew Hamilton