Ortheia Barnes

Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly (October 18, 1944 – May 15, 2015) was an American R&B and jazz singer who opened for Motown greats including Stevie Wonder and later entered the ministry. Barnes-Kennerly recorded in the 1960s for Detroit's Mickay Records and Coral Records, a Decca Records label. While never signing with Motown Records, she opened for a number of its stars, including Wonder, Marvin Gaye and Gladys Knight. She was the sister of singer-songwriter J.J. Barnes. In 1998, Barnes, Alto Reed, and Michael Brock of the Dramatics starred in a Sue Marx-produced tourism advertisement for the Detroit Convention Bureau titled "It's a Great Time in Detroit". Barnes died in May 2015, in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, where she went for a performance, friend and bass player, Ralphe Armstrong told the Detroit Free Press. She had at least two strokes in recent years and died of heart failure, she was 70. "Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly dies at 70; opened for Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 May 2015. "Detroit singer Ortheia Barnes dies at 70". WXYS News. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 23 May 2015. "It's a Great Time in Detroit (1998)". YouTube. 18 February 2016. "Detroit R&B-Jazz Singer Ortheia Barnes-Kennerly Dead at 70". ABC News. Retrieved 23 May 2015. Official website v t e