With a career spanning back to the 1960s, singer Kathy Barnes first emerged as a child prodigy performing in a duo with her older brother Larry, and later recorded as a solo artist on a variety of labels, including for Challenge Records, MGM and for Republic Records. Barnes enjoyed modest success on the charts and even "went disco" in '78, indulging a brief fling in the pop scene that included a performance at Wembley Stadium and a tour of Japan. (Larry Barnes returned home to Henderson, Kentucky in the late 'Sixties, and went into the construction business with his brothers, though he seems to have played locally just for fun...) Like her brother, Kathy Barnes eventually gave up on the music industry, eventually settling down in South Carolina, performing only occasionally in later years. Here's a quick look at her career...
Kathy Barnes "I Started Living Today" (MGM Records, 1975) (LP)
Kathy Barnes "Someday Soon" (Republic Records, 1976) (LP)
Kathy Barnes "...Sings Gene Autry" (Republic Records, 1977) (LP)
(Produced by Dave Burgess & Les Ladd)
Her contract with Republic was Barnes's second go-round with label owner Gene Autry, including her stint on Challenge Records, and the connection is honored in this tribute to the legendary singing cowboy. She covers a bunch of classics -- tunes like "I Hang My Head And Cry" and "Silver Haired Daddy Of Mine," as well as "Tweedle-O-Twill," which was released as a single and just barely made it into the Top 100.
Kathy Barnes "Body Talkin' " (Republic Records, 1978) (LP)
