Reverend Fair Cloth "F. C." Barnes (June 22, 1929July 11, 2011) was an American

gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music vary according to culture and social context. Gospel music is compo ...

ian, and the founding

pastor A pastor (abbreviated to "Ps","Pr", "Pstr.", "Ptr." or "Psa" (both singular), or "Ps" (plural)) is the leader of a Christianity, Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutherani ...

of Red Budd Holy Church,

Rocky Mount, North Carolina Rocky Mount is a city in Nash and Edgecombe counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. The city's population was 54,341 as of the 2020 census, making it the 20th-most populous city in North Carolina. The city is east of Raleigh, the st ...

. His recorded music career began in 1983, with the album ''Rough Side of the Mountain'', released by Atlanta International Records (AIR Gospel); all his fifteen albums were on that label. That album reached no. 1 in the ''Billboard'' magazine Gospel Albums chart, and six others entered the top twenty.

Early life

Barnes was born on June 22, 1929, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, as Fair Cloth Barnes. He was reared in the church at Marks Chapel Baptist Church, where he sang in the choir. He became a minister in 1955. He studied at United Christian College,

Goldsboro, North Carolina Goldsboro, originally Goldsborough, is a city in and the county seat of Wayne County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 33,657 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Goldsboro, North Carolina Me ...

, where in 1959 he earned his

doctoral degree A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

. He thereafter founded and preached at Red Budd Holy Church, and traveled with Rev. Janice Brown around North Carolina singing at churches.

Musical career

He began his recording music career in 1983 with the album ''Rough Side of the Mountain'', with Rev. Janice Brown, on Atlanta International Records (AIR Gospel). That album would go on to chart on the ''Billboard'' magazine Gospel Albums chart at No. 1. It stayed in the top ten for over a year; it sold more than a half million copies, and was therefore certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. He released fourteen more albums on the same label. Six of them reached the top twenty, but only that album captured the top spot.

Personal life

Barnes and his wife Addrine Gaskins Barnes married in

Greenville, North Carolina Greenville ( ; ) is the county seat of and the most populous city in Pitt County, North Carolina, United States. It is the principal city of the Greenville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, and the List of municipalities in North Carolina, 12t ...

; that union lasted until his death. They had four sons, Samuel, Luther, Melvin, and Tony, and two daughters, Demita and Valencia, and one other daughter who predeceased him.

Discography

References

External links

''Cross Rhythms'' Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, F. C. 1929 births 2011 deaths African-American songwriters African-American Christians American gospel musicians Musicians from North Carolina Songwriters from North Carolina 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people North Carolina Heritage Award winners People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina