J. J. Barnes (born James Jay Barnes, November 30, 1943, Detroit, Michigan) is an American R&B singer.
He has become a favorite artist of the UK Northern soul scene, and has performed frequently in the UK. His voice is similar in tone and timbre to Marvin Gaye, which might explain why he was signed to Motown for a short period, though without a single track released.[1]
He first recorded in 1960. His early releases including "Just One More Time" and "Please Let Me In", on the record labels Mickay and Ric-Tic, had relatively little success, but were subsequently picked up as Northern soul favourites. He also covered The Beatles' "Day Tripper"”, before moving for a short period to Motown.
His biggest hit single came in 1967 with "Baby Please Come Back Home", which like many of his records he co-wrote. The song reached #9 on the US Billboard R&B chart. However, subsequent singles on a variety of labels, including covers of "Black Ivory" at Today/Perception Records, failed to repeat the success.[2]