J. J. Barnes

Come You can do anything.

Okay, next up is J.J. Barnes, born James J. Barnes in Detroit in 1943.

J.J. Barnes was one of the city's great soul voices.

He began recording as a teenager and released records for several labels before joining Rictic, where Please Let Me In and Real Humdinger became important northern soul discoveries.

His biggest American chart success was Baby Please Come Back Home.

which was released on the Gruesville label in 1967.

Barnes also worked with Edwin Starr, contributed as a songwriter at Motown and later built a strong following in Britain, where he performed for Northern Soul audiences.

His career really shows how an artist could be underappreciated at home, yet become a major name amongst British Soul fans.

Love

And we move back to Detroit, another great Detroit voice, JJ Barnes.

Barnes was part of that extraordinary generation of singers who came through the Detroit scene in the 1960s, and he had connections with some of the city's most important labels, including Ric Tic.

There's something wonderfully infectious about this record.

Now take Ric-Tic Records from Detroit.

Founded in the early 1960s, Ric-Tic became one of the great independent Detroit soul labels, releasing records by artists including Edwin Starr, JJ Barnes, Freddie Gorman, and the Fantastic Four.

Its catalog became hugely important to the emerging northern soul scene, and when Motown acquired Ric-Tic in 1968, a chapter of Detroit independent soul effectively came to an end.

[upbeat music]

I haven't told anyone, have I? My nose growing, right? We played this a few weeks ago, but do you know what? It's such a good track.

JJ Barnes.

Help me now Somebody help me now Somebody help me I want my baby by my side Help me now Somebody help me now I need the girl to be my guy.

Yeah.

Help me now.

Somebody help me now.

1967, JJ Barnes with Help Me.

Brilliant track.