Rev. F.C. Barnes

Rev. F.C. Barnes (1929 to July 11, 2011) As a teenager in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Bishop Barnes spent most of his time playing piano, singing and directing the choir at the Marks Chapel Baptist Church. After answering his call to the ministry in 1955, Bishop Barnes went on to found the Red Budd Holy Church in 1959 and later, lead the flock at the St. Paul Holy Church in Maple Hill, NC the latter of which he still serves as pastor. It was also during this period that Bishop Barnes received his Doctorate of Divinity degree from the Goldsboro, NC – based United Christian College.

Although pastoring is of great importance to Bishop Barnes, it would be music which would catapult him to national prominence. Around 1979, Bishop Barnes was doing a radio broadcast at WSRV in Rocky Mount, NC, which is where he met Rev. Janice Brown. They recorded “It’s Me Again Lord” at home on a reel-to-reel tape recorder just to play on their broadcast. Whenever the song aired, people would call in to the station asking them to play it again. They called so often that the station’s manager encouraged them to make a record of it so that he could legally play it. Bishop Barnes and Rev. Brown went into the studio and recorded that song along with “Come On In The Room”. The single eventually caught the ear of Wendell Parker who at the time worked at AIR Records. He then played it for Ron Freeman, the owner of the label. Mr. Freeman loved it and he offered them a recording contract. The rest, as it is said, is history.

 

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