MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2007 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Dawkins, Horhn, Jackson (11th), Jordan, Jackson (32nd), Ross, Frazier, Burton, Butler, Dearing, Kirby, Thomas, Walls, Williamson
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION COMMENDING THE LIFE AND CAREER OF PRENTISS BARNES OF MAGNOLIA, MISSISSIPPI, WHO SANG WITH THE 1950 VOCAL GROUP "THE MOONGLOWS" AND IS A MEMBER OF THE ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME.
WHEREAS, Prentiss Barnes, who sang with the 1950s vocal group "The Moonglows" and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, died in a traffic accident in southwest Mississippi on September 30, 2006; and
WHEREAS, Barnes, 81, was born on April 12, 1925, in Magnolia, Mississippi. He was a bass singer for The Moonglows and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2000. He is also a member of the Vocal Group Hall of Fame and a Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer; and
WHEREAS, The Moonglows' Rhythm and Blues and doo-wop recordings include "Blue Velvet," "Most of All," "We Go Together," "Over and Over Again," "Just a Lonely Christmas," "Starlite," "See-Saw," "Love is a River" and "Ten Commandments of Love." The McGuire Sisters recorded a pop version of their 1950s hit "Sincerely." The Moonglows disbanded in the mid-1960s, and Barnes went solo; and
WHEREAS, in 1969, Barnes struck out on a solo career and headed for California. On the westward trip, Barnes was injured when a train struck his car in Texas. After the wreck, it took two years and ten operations before Barnes was well enough to return to Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, Barnes, who grew up in Mississippi, moved as a teenager to Louisville, Kentucky, where he met his band mates. "He knocked on the door of my apartment and said 'My name is Prentiss Barnes and I can sing,'" says Moonglows frontman Harvey Fuqua. Inspired by the "Ink Spots," the fivesome began gigging around Cleveland as the Crazy Sounds in 1951. Within two years the group had a new name, courtesy of DJ Alan Freed, and was topping the charts with "We Go Together," "Sincerely" and "Ten Commandments of Love." In 2000, Barnes reunited with the surviving Moonglows when the group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, Mississippi Musicians Hall of Fame founder Jim Brewer of Hazlehurst said Barnes' death is another loss of the state's musical legacy. "He was a real Mississippi music treasure, and like so many Mississippi musicians, throughout his career he had to sustain himself with performances," and it is with sadness that we note the passing of this great Mississippi musician who contributed to the musical legacy and brought honor to our state:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby commend the life and career of Prentiss Barnes of Magnolia, Mississippi, who sang with the 1950s vocal group "The Moonglows" and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and extend the sympathy of the Legislature to his surviving family on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Prentiss Barnes and be made available to the Capitol Press Corps.