Larry Semmins

Saying on FB she has passed away. Here too http://www.freep.com/story/entertainment/music/brian-mccollum/2015/05/15/ortheia-barnes-kennerly-obituary/27409865/ added by site Veteran Detroit singer Ortheia Barnes, known for her rich alto voice, and also her ministry and work in Africa, died Friday in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands... Barnes-Kennerly, blessed with a powerful contralto voice, grew up singing gospel music in her church choir, moving into the R&B world in her teens after her older brother, J.J. Barnes, scored success... ...Rev. Robert Smith of New Bethel Baptist Church said people need to know she was more than a singer. "She was also a great missionary who planted water wells all over Africa. This was a great passion for her. A person with that kind of love — she could receive applause and accolades for her singing, but many people drinking water in Kenya have no idea that the well is there because she worked so hard. She was a great giver of life." http://www.detroitnews.com/story/obituaries/2015/05/15/ortheia-barnes-detroit-singer-minister-dies/27403563/

On BBC Radio 4 next Saturday morning. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01rtzdx hope this is of interest. Steve added by site Over on the East Coast, in New Jersey's Rahway prison, Reginald Haynes was another inmate with a similar initiative. Reginald was spotted at a convict talent show by established music producer George Kerr and a group now known as The Legendary Escorts was formed. Reginald tells the extraordinary story of how the group's first album was produced, and of the changes the scheme would bring to his later life on the outside. Duration: 30 minutes First broadcast: Saturday 13 April 2013 repeated and up again for 30 days 15th Nov 2018

Reggie Sears has just posted on FB that J Blackfoot has passed away,the sad news seems to be getting a bit too regular now.A great voice is no more R.I.P J Blackfoot Steve added by site - mainstream info and tribute link "What I remember more than anything about him was his naturalness," said Stax songwriting legend David Porter, who discovered Mr. Blackfoot more than 40 years ago. "When I first heard him, there was naturalness in his phrasing, in his charm, that was unique. He always stayed true to that." John Colbert was born in Greenville, Mississippi, moving to Memphis, Tennessee with his family as a child. Generally known as "J." or "Jay", he acquired the nickname "Blackfoot" as a child, for his habit of walking barefoot on the tarred sidewalks. In 1965, while spending some time in Tennessee State Penitentiary in Nashville for car theft, he met Johnny Bragg, the founder of the Prisonaires vocal group. After leaving prison he recorded a single under his own name for the small Sur-Speed label, before returning to Memphis, where he was heard singing in a street corner group by David Porter of Stax Records. After the plane crash that claimed the lives of Otis Redding and four members of The Bar-Kays, he joined the reconstituted group as lead singer, and performed with them for several months but did not record. In 1968, after Sam & Dave had moved from Stax to Atlantic Records, Porter and his songwriting and production partner Isaac Hayes decided to put together a new vocal group of two men and two women. They recruited Blackfoot, together with Norman West, Anita Louis, and Shelbra Bennett, to form The Soul Children. Between 1968 and 1978, The Soul Children had 15 hits on the R&B chart, including three that crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, and recorded seven albums. The Soul Children disbanded in 1979. Blackfoot worked with bands in the Memphis area, and recorded solo for the local Prime Cut label. In 1983, he began working again with writer and producer Homer Banks, with whom he had recorded with The Soul Children, and recorded "Taxi", a song originally written for Johnnie Taylor but not recorded by him. Blackfoot's record rose to no. 4 on the R&B chart and no. 90 on the pop chart, also reaching no. 48 in the UK.[5][6] He recorded several albums, and had several more R&B hits on Banks' Sound Town label before moving to the Edge label formed by Al Bell in 1986. In 1987, he had another significant hit, "Tear Jerker", a duet with Ann Hines, reaching no. 28 on the R&B chart. He later moved to the Basix label, continuing to release albums into the new millennium. In 2007, Blackfoot and West reformed the Soul Children, with Hines and fourth member Cassandra Graham. In 2010, Blackfoot appeared as part of David Porter's music revue. On November 30, 2011, Blackfoot died after having being diagnosed with cancer. A tribute with the complete J. Blackfoot/the Soul Children story is available at Soul Express http://www.soulexpre...ackfoot_rip.htm soul walking bio page http://www.soulwalki...0Blackfoot.html