F. C. Barnes

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.^[1][2] He became a minister in 1955. He studied at United Christian College, Goldsboro, North Carolina, where in 1959 he earned his doctoral degree.^[1][2] He thereafter founded and preached at Red Budd Holy Church, and traveled with Rev. Janice Brown around North Carolina singing at churches.^[1][2]

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).^[1][3] That album would go on to chart on the Billboard magazine Gospel Albums chart at No. 1.^[4] It stayed in the top ten for over a year;^[1] it sold more than a half million copies, and was therefore certified Gold by the RIAA.^[1] He released fourteen more albums on the same label.^[3] Six of them reached the top twenty, but only that album captured the top spot.^[4]

Barnes and his wife Addrine Gaskins Barnes married in Greenville, North Carolina; that union lasted until his death.^[5] They had four sons, Samuel, Luther, Melvin, and Tony, and two daughters, Demita and Valencia, and one other daughter who predeceased him.