Chris 'BadNews' Barnes
Anyone unfamiliar with blues history might think vocalist and harmonica player Chris “BadNews” Barnes is trying something new with his contemporary blend of musical and comedic elements. But what Barnes — a satirist and writer as well as blues musician — is doing dates back at least to the late 1920s. He’s simply putting a 21st-century spin on the hokum blues, a branch of the idiom that combines wicked, often raunchy humor and alternately poignant and insightful observations with spirited, fiery blues solos and licks. It’s a style Barnes began honing more than 40 years ago, when he was the opening act for many top blues performers at famed New York City club Tramps.
“Willie ‘Big Eyes’ Smith would say to me, ‘Yeah man, tell ’em, put that hokum on ’em,’” Barnes says in a recent interview with the Scene. “The great W.C. Handy used to say, ‘You gotta hook ’em with the hokum,’ and that’s always fascinated me — taking the blues storytelling form and blending comedic and satiric observation. I’m not saying I’m as good at it as guys like Tampa Red or Barbecue Bob, and you really couldn’t get away today with saying the kind of stuff that Lucille Bogan or Big Bill Broonzy used to put in songs. But I’ve found audiences really enjoy the riffs and lines buttressed by the blues sensibility.”
Music City fans have two chances to hear Barnes with his current band The BluesBallers: They’ll appear Friday at 3rd and Lindsley during WMOT Roots Radio’s midday Finally Fridays program, and they’ll be back Tuesday night for a full show. The band features Barnes with guitarist Colin Poulton, bassist CC Ellis, keyboardist Eric Robert, drummer Brian Czach and background vocalist Tabitha Fair, augmented by a killer horn section headed by Roy Agee. Singer Gale Mayes will also appear Tuesday as a special guest.
Barnes, who’s recently relocated to Nashville, started playing music very early, and then veered into work on well-known TV shows and films. His talent as a writer was noticed almost immediately when he moved to New York in 1977, at age 17, and began doing comedy at renowned club Catch a Rising Star. His first mentor was Richard Belzer, known for his longtime portrayal of Det. John Munch on shows including Homicide: Life on the Street and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Later, Barnes became a protégé of other stars like Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd and both John Belushi and his brother Jim. After his time at Tramps and other clubs, Barnes moved to Chicago and worked with the legendary Second City sketch comedy troupe for an extended period. His writing credits include work for MTV and National Lampoon, as well as some sketches for Saturday Night Live, and he’s appeared on shows like Seinfeld, 30 Rock and Curb Your Enthusiasm.
But in 2015, Barnes returned to his first love with his debut LP 90 Proof Truth, recorded with a group of seasoned blues players and released under the name Bad News Barnes and the Brethren of Blues Band. Though response to the record was somewhat mixed, he followed some advice from blues and jazz luminary Bob Porter and took a deep dive into hokum for his 2017 follow-up Hokum Blues. That record features Barnes & Co. doing 14 songs immortalized by artists like Tampa Red, Big Bill Broonzy and pianist, vocalist and songwriter Georgia Tom — who, after a spiritual awakening, became widely known as Thomas A. Dorsey, the father of modern gospel music. In 2021, Vizztone released Barnes’ BadNews Rising, a collection of 10 originals helmed by ace Music City drummer and producer Tom Hambridge.
Those releases set the stage for an upcoming album — titled True Blues and set to come out on a date to be announced — that Barnes considers his masterwork. He sings and plays with relish and vigor, and he’s backed by a super-tight combo that includes singers Sugaray Rayford and Jimmy Hall (who’s also an expert harmonica player) as well as guitarist Walter Trout in addition to Hambridge.
“Tom and I sat down and went over what we wanted to do very carefully, and we got the right people — and I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. We’re going to shop it around and make sure we get the right folks to release it. We knocked it out of the park with this one. It’s my best vision yet in terms of taking the humor and wit of the hokum form and making it work for today’s audiences. I think anyone who loves good music and the blues is going to be thrilled with this one.”
