Sidney Barnes: Funk-Soul Pioneer

Sunday afternoon. Just as seven-time Nascar champion Jeff Gordon chalked up the checkered at Texas Motor Speedway, the phone rang here in Bristol.
“Hello, this is Sidney Barnes,” came the voice by phone from Ashville, N.C.
Sidney who, you say?
Barnes will appear with the Professors of Soul on April 10 at Vision Upscale Nightclub in Johnson City.
OK, big deal. Not exactly the Godfather of Soul. Then again, dig a little into Barnes’ background, and golden nuggets emerge.
“My best friend in the music business is George Clinton,” Barnes said.
George Clinton was huge long before there was a Bill Clinton on the national scene, as the founder and leader of funk group Parliament.
Recall the out-of-space album “Mothership Connection.” Barnes appeared on that album, in addition to Parliament’s earth-quaking classic “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk).”
“I’m one of the backup singers on that song,” Barmes said. “[The album] was a monster. Lately I’ve been getting some nice checks for that because it’s being used in television commercials.”
Barnes’ touches with greatness stretch back to the 1950s. He attended high school in Washington, D.C., where he befriended several future legends, including Marvin Gaye.
“We were both in doo-wop groups,” Barnes said. “We knew each other well. Herb from Peaches and Herb, and Van McCoy were in my group in high school.”
Peaches and Herb hit big in 1979 with “Reunited.” McCoy is best remembered for his 1975 disco hit “The Hustle.”
And Barnes?
“My biggest break was getting signed to Motown in 1963,” he said. “It was Motown! Motown, man! That stuff was so good, and it was different.”
Good and different describes Barnes’ music. Particularly when he joined psychedelic soul group Rotary Connection, he had a knack for being on board as new styles were pioneered.
“I was with Rotary Connection from 1967 through 1969,” Barnes said. “We did a Rolling Stones tour, hung out with Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix. Stevie Wonder was a fan.”
At about that time, Barnes’ friend Clinton, along with Sly Stone, was finding their way as heirs apparent to the father of funk, James Brown. Meanwhile, Barnes wrote songs for such legends as Muddy Waters while finding the funk, too.
To that end, he thanks Brown.
“The whole thing came from James Brown,” Barnes said. “He got that groove and would just lay it on. James laid that funk on you.”
Then, during the mid-1970s, as Clinton’s star soared as the leader of Parliament, he invited his friends, including Barnes, along for the ride. Barnes toured and partied, though mostly wrote songs with Clinton.
“Sex, drugs, and rock and roll will drive you out of your mind, and I was pretty close,” Barnes said. “People gave you anything you want. You just go crazy. Like, if you want more cocaine, you got more cocaine. If you want more girls, you got more girls.”
Barnes hopped off the crazy train, though continues to collaborate occasionally with Clinton. What a career. He began in doo-wop, gravitated to soul, then eased into psychedelic rock and helped lead the funk boom of the 1970s.
“Music chose me, I didn’t choose it,” he said. “Music is life.”
Interview over, Barnes passed along a few parting words.
“Keep the funk alive,” Barnes said. “Tell everybody I hope to see them in Johnson City.”

IF YOU GO
Who: Sidney Barnes with the Professors of Soul
When: April 10, 10 p.m.
Where: Vision Upscale Nightclub, 1121 N. Roan St., Johnson City, Tenn.
Info: (423) 928-0920
Web: http://www.sidneybarnes.net

TOM NETHERLAND is a freelance writer. He can be reached at .