Motown fixture starts new chapter in Vegas by getting involved

By Jerry Fink

Thursday, July 31, 2008 | 2 a.m.

Sidney Barnes could retire and bask in reflected glory.

The 67-year-old R&B singer, songwriter and producer has worked with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Minnie Riperton, Chaka Khan and George Clinton.

Barnes has continued to work with Clinton over the years, most recently at the Joint at the Hard Rock.

“That’s when I decided to move here,” says Barnes, who moved to Las Vegas from Asheville, N.C. “It’s a great town for shows, and I love shows.”

Barnes is putting a band together, networking, looking for a steady gig.

“I want to start working the casinos,” he says. “I’m bringing a Motown revue to town later in the year, I’ve just got to put it together.”

First he’s headlining the 25th annual National Night Out festivities on Tuesday in Las Vegas. It is sponsored by Metro Police, the Downtown Business Operators Council and the Silver Lining Construction Co.

The event, which takes places in thousands of communities across the country, is designed to raise awareness of crime and drugs, and to generate support for prevention programs. There also are National Night Out events in North Las Vegas and Henderson.

Barnes was born in Welch, W.Va., and grew up in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

“When I was growing up my mother was a church choir director and she was always putting shows together and I was with her, always involved,” Barnes says. “I watched her develop kids through music. They wound up being proud of themselves, finding self-esteem.

“When I was young I made up my mind this was what I was going to do. I love singing and writing and producing.”

Barnes has had success with all three.

In high school he and Gaye were in a band together. Barnes performed in groups such as the Serenaders and recorded solo hits with “I Hurt on the Other Side” and “You’ll Always Be in Style.”

He had even more success as a songwriter and producer. He teamed with J.J. Jackson, known for his 1966 hit “But It’s All Right!”

“We wrote a bunch of pop stuff,” he says. “We went on the road with Little Richard and went to Chess Records and worked with Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley and a bunch of others. It goes on and on and on.”

Barnes also produced groups such as the Flirtations and the Rotary Connection, where he traded vocals with Riperton. “I remember I performed at the Riviera with Minnie in ’77 or ’78,” Barnes says. “We opened for the Smothers Brothers. Minnie was going solo at the time.”

And he has had a long relationship with Clinton. They’ve worked together on many projects, from Edwin Starr to Clinton’s groundbreaking groups Parliament and Funkadelic.

“We first met in New Jersey,” Barnes says. “Back in the ’50s he had a barbershop in Plainfield and we became friends.”