Richard Barnes (musician)
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9 July 1944
Richard Barnes | |
|---|---|
| Born | Richard John Barnes 9 July 1944 Surrey, England |
| Died | 19 December 2025 (aged 81) Suffolk, England |
| Genres | Pop |
| Occupations | Singer, actor, bassist |
| Years active | 1967–1976 (singer, musician) 1977–2016 (actor) |
Richard Barnes (9 July 1944 – 19 December 2025) was a British singer and actor who saw limited chart success in the early 1970s.[1] He also worked as an actor.[2]
His professional music career started with The Quiet Five in 1964, where he played bass guitar and sang vocals. The group broke up around 1967.[3] Barnes released a solo album on Philips Records in 1970, which was produced by Gerry Bron,[4] and scored two chart hits in the UK Singles Chart that same year. His first hit, "Take to the Mountains" reached number 35 in May 1970, and "Go North" peaked at number 38 in November. In the Dutch charts "Take to the Mountains" reached number 15.[1] Both hits were written by Tony Hazzard.[5]
Acting work
Barnes played Jesus in the original London production of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Palace Theatre in 1972.[2][6][7] He continued working as an actor in various television and musical theatre roles, including in the BBC's Count Dracula (1977), Doctor Who: Nightmare of Eden (1979), The Winds of War (1983) and the 1990 UK tour of Chess as Freddie Trumper.[8][9][10]
Death
Barnes died on 19 December 2025, at the age of 81. His death was confirmed in January 2026 by fellow singer Tony Hazzard.[11]
