For as long as he can remember, Sidney Barnes’s life in music was clearly mapped out from a young age. Singing with schoolmates including a certain Marvin Gaye…
By Ian Woolley
young Sidney Barnes
As a singer, songwriter, and producer, Barnes wrote songs for all the talented artists emerging at that time. Ramsey Lewis, The Dells, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, and many others. He also formed a musical rock group called Rotary Connection.
“We were the first integrated psychedelic rock group out of the East Coast and we ended up opening shows for Janice Joplin, Rolling Stones, Moody Blues, and all the big rock acts who were coming over here to break into the US market from the UK at the time. We were very fortunate to be on the scene when another genre invaded you know”.
Signatures single ‘I Hurt On The Other Side’
Now a Northern Soul classic, I asked him about the new Signatures version of one of the first records he recorded called ‘I Hurt On The Other Side’ in 1965. Had he heard it?
“I’m really impressed by it and when we do these little shows together, Stefan Taylor their lead singer and I do a sort of duet together because we do it so well”.
Over the years, Barnes has penned tracks for the likes of Marv Johnson, Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters, Denise Williams, Supremes, Jackson 5, and BB King and The Pretty Things.
Always smartly dressed, his youthful looks hide his eight decades on this planet. What is his secret?
“Music keeps me young but at 82 obviously I’ve had a few things wrong with me but the music keeps me going. I feel I’ve accomplished as much as I’m happy with. I didn’t want to be a star and it didn’t make me a star. I get my kicks at just making people happy and smile and the motivation to keep going and writing and perform and create you know”.
“So many of them now like Chaka (Khan) and other young writers come to me now and I’m like the elder Uncle Sid. We discuss things and they ask me questions because I’ve experienced everything. I try to give them good advice and push and motivation as I can”.
Sidney Barnes with Stefan Taylor of the Signatures.
Seems Uncle Sid is a busy man. “I’ve got a movie script I’m working on and right now I’ve got maybe 30 singles of mine on Spotify. I’m writing a lot and producing younger artists and I’ll probably put a little group together and play around the States. That’s in between coming back over to the UK to sing with the likes of Tommy Hunt and the Signatures”.
Talking of the Signatures, Sidney has flown over to the UK to perform with them for a Northern Soul Weekender.
Recently the 10-piece group acted as the house band for BBC Radio 6 Music’s Northern Soul All-Nighter last month and recorded ‘I Hurt On The Other Side’ at Maida Vale Studios for Craig Charles’ Funk & Soul show. Recorded at Maida Vale, it’s about to be released as a single.
The Signatures released their debut studio album Run For Cover in 2021 to great acclaim receiving extensive BBC radio airplay and praise from Best of British. The national magazine said ‘To play soul music properly you need a real band with a tight rhythm section, the right keyboard sound, a compact, punchy brass team and backing vocals and that’s what the Signatures have. They can be heard to great effect on ten tracks including James Brown’s ‘There Was a Time’ and Oscar Brown Junior’s ever-popular ‘The Snake’.
Read the full exclusive interview with Sidney Barnes in the November issue of The Beat where he talks about getting Marvin Gaye in his school group, his love for Northern Soul fans, his long friendship with George Clinton, and the ’60s racial tension that forced him out of New York. Order your copy today via our website.
More details about Sidney are at sidneybarnes.net
The Signatures’ new single ‘I Hurt On The Other Side’ is out on October 16th, 2023, and available to pre-order at thesignatures.co.uk and all streaming platforms.
For more Beat interviews Ian had with other Northern Soul legends, look up Jimmy Thomas and Tommy Hunt.