Biography
Ortheia Barnes stands among Detroit’s most cherished vocalists despite never landing a chart success. Her path began in church choirs before branching into independent solo releases and road work with various Motown acts, although she never joined that roster. In contrast to her older brother J.J. Barnes, whose career has been examined in detail, hers has received little scholarly attention and lacks any complete chronological discography.
She first appeared on Mickay Records in 1962 with a pairing of Dorothy Pierce songs, “Your Picture on the Wall” backed by “Same as Before.” Strong local response led ABC Records to license the single for a 1963 reissue. Those dates contradict reports that she developed an interest in secular music at age fourteen upon the release of J.J. Barnes’s major hit “Baby Please Come Back Home,” which would have placed her at nine during the Mickay session.
Further 1967 sides on Coral Records include two Northern soul favorites: “Watch Out Boy,” co-written by J.J. Barnes, Don Davis, and Kirkland Peterson, and “I’ve Never Loved Nobody (Like I Love You).” Coral followed in 1968 with “Take My Heart and Soul” b/w “Heartbreaker,” the A-side credited to Joe Hunter and Anthony “Tony” Wilson. Wilson later settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he managed Ponderosa Twins Plus One and co-wrote their track “Bitter With the Sweet.”
Barnes also supplied background vocals on studio sessions and supported other artists during live engagements. In 1980 she formed Cut Glass with Mildred Vaney, issuing two singles on 20th Century Records: “Alive With Love” b/w “Without Your Love” and “Rising Cost of Love” b/w “Sometimes Soon.” She recorded the funk number “Green Eye Monster” in 1984. In 1987 she performed at the funeral of Diana Ross’s aunt, an occasion attended by Ross herself; the two singers had been high-school friends.
At WCHB she hosted her own weekly talk program, Ortheia’s Special Touch, every Wednesday and produced a cable show carried on Bloomfield Community Television and Booth Cable, though plans for wider syndication never materialized. After marrying elder Robert L. Kennerly she became Reverend Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly, working as an evangelist and singer affiliated with SpiritLove Ministries and appearing at religious and civic events nationwide. She took part in the 83rd-birthday tribute to civil-rights activist Rosa Parks held in Nassau, Bahamas, performing with the Freedom Soldiers lineup of Barnes, Sandra Feva, Pat Lewis, and Hezekiah Williams. At the 1995 Plymouth Neon Jammin’ Ball she helped introduce a new generation of Detroiters to the city’s historic Music Hall of Fame, and she joined Reverend Jesse Jackson and other figures for A Season For Nonviolence. Barnes-Kennerly also served with Michigan’s Volunteers of America.
She first appeared on Mickay Records in 1962 with a pairing of Dorothy Pierce songs, “Your Picture on the Wall” backed by “Same as Before.” Strong local response led ABC Records to license the single for a 1963 reissue. Those dates contradict reports that she developed an interest in secular music at age fourteen upon the release of J.J. Barnes’s major hit “Baby Please Come Back Home,” which would have placed her at nine during the Mickay session.
Further 1967 sides on Coral Records include two Northern soul favorites: “Watch Out Boy,” co-written by J.J. Barnes, Don Davis, and Kirkland Peterson, and “I’ve Never Loved Nobody (Like I Love You).” Coral followed in 1968 with “Take My Heart and Soul” b/w “Heartbreaker,” the A-side credited to Joe Hunter and Anthony “Tony” Wilson. Wilson later settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he managed Ponderosa Twins Plus One and co-wrote their track “Bitter With the Sweet.”
Barnes also supplied background vocals on studio sessions and supported other artists during live engagements. In 1980 she formed Cut Glass with Mildred Vaney, issuing two singles on 20th Century Records: “Alive With Love” b/w “Without Your Love” and “Rising Cost of Love” b/w “Sometimes Soon.” She recorded the funk number “Green Eye Monster” in 1984. In 1987 she performed at the funeral of Diana Ross’s aunt, an occasion attended by Ross herself; the two singers had been high-school friends.
At WCHB she hosted her own weekly talk program, Ortheia’s Special Touch, every Wednesday and produced a cable show carried on Bloomfield Community Television and Booth Cable, though plans for wider syndication never materialized. After marrying elder Robert L. Kennerly she became Reverend Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly, working as an evangelist and singer affiliated with SpiritLove Ministries and appearing at religious and civic events nationwide. She took part in the 83rd-birthday tribute to civil-rights activist Rosa Parks held in Nassau, Bahamas, performing with the Freedom Soldiers lineup of Barnes, Sandra Feva, Pat Lewis, and Hezekiah Williams. At the 1995 Plymouth Neon Jammin’ Ball she helped introduce a new generation of Detroiters to the city’s historic Music Hall of Fame, and she joined Reverend Jesse Jackson and other figures for A Season For Nonviolence. Barnes-Kennerly also served with Michigan’s Volunteers of America.
Albums
