Jonnie Barnett

Jonnie Barnett (1946 – 2002) (born Jonathan Barnett Kaye in Sumter SC) [ [http://www.thedeadrockstarsclub.com/2002b.html The Dead Rock Stars Club 2002 July to December ] ] was a musician and songwriter from the 1960s until his death in 2002. He co-wrote "One Foot in the Blues" and The Chain of Love. He died in Nashville, TN of a stroke August 18, 2002. [http://www.talentondisplay.com/kicnewsarchive02.html Traditional Country Hall of Fame / News Archive #2 ] ]

Performing Career

Jonnie performed as opening act for several bands in the 1970s, including Howlin' Wolf, Brownie McGhee & Sonny Terry, Tom Waits [ [http://www.gigposters.com/poster/54370_Tom_Waits.html GigPosters.com - Tom Waits - Jonnie Barnett ] ] , New Riders of the Purple Sage [ [http://www.bottomlinecabaret.com/tline_80.html Timeline - 1980 ] ] , Cheech and Chong, Frank Zappa, Eric Burdon, Ronnie Milsap, Dion, Tom Rush, and Hank Williams Jr., among others. During these shows he sang and accompanied himself on guitar. [http://www.thechainoflove.com/waterdance.htm Waterdance Music - BMI > Welcome to Jonnie Barnett's Home Page < ] ]
During this time, Jonnie appeared in three films [ [http://www.inbaseline.com/person.aspx?person_id=154074 Jonnie Barnett Filmography - InBaseline ] ] :

Nashville (film) as himself, performing the song "My Baby's Cookin' in Another Man's Pan"
Cheech and Chong's Next Movie as Cop--Driver
Cheech and Chong's Nice Dreams as Bud Good, Concert Promoter

User dxlingr of the "Drudge Report" offers this anecdote [ [http://www.drudge.com/news/108793/vinyl-records-make-comeback Vinyl Records Make a Comeback | Drudge Retort ] ] :

A friend of mine was Cheech and Chong's opening act for years. Jonnie Barnett. Funny as shit! He told me a myriad of stories about those days. How he'd have to take on the crowd who were screaming for Cheech and Chong. He challenged one heckler to smoke an entire joint of some kick ass Hawaiian onstage. The guy bailed after a half a joint! LOL

Ah, those were the days...

Aid to Other Musicians

Jonnie was known for aiding aspiring musicians break into the music scene.
James Lee Stanley mentions his help in landing a recording contract with Wooden Nickel Records. [ [http://www.jamesleestanley.com/faqs.html all about the music - the faqs ] ]
Mersaidee Soules also mentions his kindness toward young musicians.
Jonnie's widow, Barbara, mentions his motivation for kindness on the Waterdance Music homepage:

Jonnie worked with many aspiring, struggling young artists, and they recorded in his studio free of charge. He recognized their talents and ambitions.
He sincerely remembered how hard it was for him when first starting out in the business.

Songwriting Career

In addition to the songs on the [http://www.thechainoflove.com/waterdance.htm Waterdance Music homepage] , Jonnie Barnett has songwriting credit on the following songs:

Back to Normal by Luke Walter, Jr. [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/1332363 Luke Walter Jr* - Back To Normal ] ]
Bring It Back Again by Stray Cats [ [http://www.discogs.com/release/992628 Stray Cats - Greatest Hits ] ]
Forget About You, He's a Cowboy, and Some Kinda Crazy on the Trish Lynn album [http://www.trishlynn.com/home.htm Forget About You] [ [http://www.trishlynn.com/discography/forgetaboutyou.htm Trish Lynn Bio ] ]
Hold Me While I Cry by Irma Thomas and the Professionals [ [http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2004/01/31/20040131mu.shtml A Prairie Home Companion: January 31, 2004 - Performers, Music Sources and Credits ] ]
Going Out of My Mind Sale by Johnny Adams [ [http://www.zavvi.co.uk/productdetails.jsf;jsessionid=FD7565C9B398E5FB2C4B4E97218B488C.app3?code=229469&tab=4 Johnny Adams - Man Of My Word - CD - zavvi UK ] ]
Hangin' By A Shoestring and Mistreated on the Janey Street album [http://cdbaby.com/cd/janeystreet The Street Less Traveled] [ [http://janeystreet.com/ Janey Street ] ]

Also:

Wild Dogs (as Jonathan B. Kaye), but which version is not clear [ [http://www.warnerspecialproducts.com/wcm_2/song_search/song_detail/songview_2.jsp?esongId=126492500 Warner Chappell Music ] ]
Songs on the album Good Medicine by Tommy Tate but which song(s) is not clear [ [http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:gSok9XikkB8J:https://www.isound.com/tommy_tate_2/photos/201490+jonnie+barnett&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=105&gl=us 403 Forbidden ] ]
Jonnie worked with song consultant Dude McLean, but in what capacity is not clear [ [http://www.songconsultant.com/credits.html songconsultant.com ] ]

Finally, Jonnie Barnett co-wrote several songs with Dan Penn, including: [ [http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:sx0Q07F8aGsJ:www.geocities.jp/hideki_wtnb/danpenncover.html+jonnie+barnett&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=124&gl=us 403 Forbidden ] ]

Ain't No Love
Back to Normal
Blue in the Heart
Cold Snap
Cry Like a Man
Hold Me While I Cry
I Count the Tear Drops
It Ain't the Same Thing
I Won't Cry For You
The Joke Is on You
Midnight Rainbow
To Make a Love Story Short

The Jonnie Barnett/Dan Penn collaboration One Foot in the Blues earned a nomination for the W.C.Handy "Blues Song of the Year" award in 1997. [ [http://www.thebluehighway.com/handy97.html TBH, 1997 Handy Awards ] ]

Jonnie Barnett is listed as the Music Supervisor for the film "Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel". [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0055928/ Jonnie Barnett ] ]

The Chain of Love

The Chain of Love was a country hit for Clay Walker in 1999 and appeared on his Live, Laugh, Love album [ [http://claywalker.musiccitynetworks.com/index.htm?id=8744&inc=7&album_id=870 Clay Walker New Album FALL Available Now!! ] ] . Jonnie Barnett wrote the song with Rory Lee, and Clay's version appeared in the film Space Cowboys.
The song was based on a real-life event in the life of Jonnie Barnett. [ [http://www.thechainoflove.com/ The Chain of Love.com > Welcome to the Official Web Site of The Chain of Love.com< ] ] Jonnie's performance of the song can be seen on YouTube. [ [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxYl70xaBcc YouTube - Jonnie Barnett / The Chain of Love ] ]

References