Luther Barnes (born March 10, 1954) is a

record producer A record producer or music producer is a music creating project's overall supervisor whose responsibilities can involve a range of creative and technical leadership roles. Typically the job involves hands-on oversight of recording sessions; ensu ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

songwriter A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...

and lead singer of Luther Barnes and the Sunset Jubilaires and the Red Budd Gospel Choir.

Biography

Barnes is an

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

minister & native son of

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 ...

. He is the second eldest son to Faircloth Barnes, who wrote the famous "Rough Side of the Mountain." He was born on March 10, 1954, and has three brothers, Samuel Barnes (deceased), Melvin Barnes (Knightdale), Tony Bernard Barnes (Rocky Mount). As an

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...

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 ...

, he has released over twenty-eight CDs. He has performed with gospel recording artists such as

Shirley Caesar Shirley Ann Caesar-Williams (Birth name, née Caesar; born October 13, 1938), known professionally as Shirley Caesar, is an American Gospel music, gospel singer. Her career began in 1951, when she signed to Federal Records at the age of 12. Thro ...

, Deborah Barnes,

Kirk Franklin Kirk Dewayne Franklin (born January 26, 1970) is an American Gospel music, gospel musician. One of the List of best-selling gospel music artists, best-selling gospel music artists, his accolades include 20 Grammy Awards. ''Variety (magazine), Var ...

, Harvey Watkins and

The Canton Spirituals The Canton Spirituals are an American gospel recording group founded in Canton, Mississippi in 1943. Background The original Canton Spirituals from 1943 were Reverend Arthur Lee Jackson Sr., Reverend I.S. Watkins, Jim T Graham, Claude Nichol ...

Lee Williams and the Spiritual QC's Lee Williams and The Spiritual QCs (Qualified Christians) was an American quartet gospel group originating from Tupelo, Mississippi, Tupelo, Mississippi, which has been in existence since 1968. The group started recording around 1970. The gospe ...

Dorothy Norwood Dorothy Norwood (born May 29, 1935) is an American gospel singer and songwriter. She began touring with her family at the age of eight, and in 1956, began singing with Mahalia Jackson. In the early 1960s she was a member of The Caravans, and in ...

, John P. Kee, and the

Mighty Clouds of Joy The Mighty Clouds of Joy were an American traditional gospel music quartet. Career The Mighty Clouds of Joy was formed in 1959 in Los Angeles as a tradition-based style group. It wasn't until 1961 as the group became famous, they added bass, ...

. In 2005 he recorded with the

Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir Brooklyn is a borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelve original counties established under Englis ...

on their release "''I'm Amazed''" Live. He sang the national anthem for

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games ...

baseball game. Barnes is currently the Senior Pastor & Founder of the Restoration Worship Center (Rocky Mount), Established in January 2014.

Education

He is a graduate of the Nash-Rocky Mount Schools System and a retired teacher. A 1976 graduate of St. Augustine's College in

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most populous city in the state (after Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte) ...

, he obtained a B.A. degree in

Music Education Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a rese ...

. He was honored as a Distinguished Graduate in February 2008.

Family

He is the son of the late Rev. FC Barnes. He is married to Pamela Anglin Barnes. He has one daughter, Bonita Barnes-Greene, who is married to Mark Greene, and a grandson, Joshua. Luther also has a host of family members, including: cousins: Deborah Barnes, Wanda Barnes and Lisa Barnes. He has many aunts and uncles, which include: Joyce Smith, Frances Walker, Leora Floyd, Haywood Barnes, Betty Phillips, James Barnes, Ernestine Phillips, the late William "Mann" Barnes, and Roy Barnes.

Early years

At the age of nine, Barnes realized that he had a special gift from the Lord. He became the Director of the "On the Rise Youth Choir" at Red Budd Holy Church. In 1987, Barnes released his first album entitled, "See What the Lord has Done."

Red Budd Gospel Choir

The choir is composed of members of the Barnes Family & members of the Red Budd Holy Church. Most notably, his cousin Deborah Barnes. Deborah Barnes is the lead female vocalist of the group, with her many talents. She has been mentored in the music ministry by her cousin, Luther and together Luther Barnes and Deborah Barnes share the fame in the song "I'm Still Holding On." Deborah Barnes is the leading female vocalist heard on most of his music and the music of his father. Deborah Barnes is known as a power house in the gospel music industry. The group also consist of Wanda Barnes (cousin), Lisa Barnes (cousin), Bonita Barnes-Greene (daughter), Sean Barnes (cousin), Debbie "Happy" Barnes (cousin/Deborah's daughter) and other members. They are highly recognized on the national charts. Some of their hits includes "I'm Still Holding On", "So Satisfied", "Spirit, Fall Fresh" (written by Luther's brother Melvin Barnes), "That Other Shore", "Somehow Someway", "No Matter How High I Get" (written by Bobby Womack) and many others. Their hit "Some How Some Way" was nominated for a 2007 Stellar Award. The choir's lead vocalist are notably Luther, Deborah & Wanda Barnes. The group has appeared and traveled across the United States, singing and ministering. Pastor Barnes, Deborah and other members of the group are still traveling the world singing today.

Awards and nominations

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

of Luther Barnes and the Sunset Jubilaires, Red Budd Gospel Choir and the

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

of Luther Barnes Song Ministries he has received the 1992

Vision Award Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...

, and the Stellar and GMWA Excellence Award. He was nominated for his performance on the Barnes Family 1999 release, A Live Reunion, for The

Truth Magazine Award Truth or verity is the property of being in accord with fact or reality.Merriam-Webster's Online Dictionarytruth, 2005 In everyday language, it is typically ascribed to things that aim to represent reality or otherwise correspond to it, such as ...

, for Best Traditional Male Vocalist, GMWA 2003 Excellence Awards for Best Traditional Male Vocalist, for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Nomination 2004, for a 2005

Stellar Award A Stellar Award is an award presented by SAGMA to recognize achievements in the gospel music industry.Sagma
The Stel ...

, and a Gospel Heritage Award. He was inducted into the International Gospel Music Hall of Fame in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, the 2006

Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...

Gospel Award, and a 2007 Stellar Award nomination for Somehow, Someway,

GMA Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

nominee 2003, Distinguished award from St Augustine College, February 2008, Key to the City of

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County, Georgia, Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-larges ...

, January 2008. Key to the

City of Chesapeake, Virginia Chesapeake is an independent city in Virginia, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 249,422, making it the second-most populous city in Virginia, the tenth largest in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 92nd-most populous city in the ...

March 2008. at the Virginia Classic of Chesapeake, Spring Gospel Showcase. He served as performer, judge and participant at the Virginia Annual Showcase 2006-2007. Since 1996, he has hosted The Annual North Carolina Fall Gospel Classic, held at Red Budd Holy Church, Rocky Mount, NC in early October.

Red Budd Gospel Choir Albums

* ''See What The Lord Has Done'' * ''When We All Get To Heaven'' * ''So Satisfied'' * ''He Cares'' * ''An Invitation'' * ''Nothing Can Be Better'' * ''Someone To Lean On'' * ''Barnes Family: A Live Reunion'' * ''Come Fly With Me (Luther Barnes)'' * ''Somehow Someway'' * ''Barnes Family Reunion 2'' * ''The Favor Of God'' (Rev. Luther Barnes & The Restoration Worship Center Choir)

Sunset Jubilaires Albums

* ''Oh My Lord'' * ''Lord You've Been So Good'' * ''From The Soul'' * ''Enjoying Jesus'' * ''A LIVE Celebration '' * ''Heaven On My Mind'' * ''Barnes Family:A Live Reunion '' * ''Wherever I Go'' * ''Come Fly With Me (Luther Barnes)'' * ''It's Your Time'' * ''Barnes Family Reunion 2'' * '' Another Level''

References

External links

*
Luther Barnes Song Ministries official site

Biography at Malaco.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Luther L 1954 births Living people American performers of Christian music American gospel singers African-American Christians St. Augustine's University (North Carolina) alumni People from Rocky Mount, North Carolina