Howard Ellington Riddiford Barnes (1 November 1909 – 28 December 1991), sometimes known as "Boogie" Barnes, was an English popular song lyricist. Barnes was born in

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

, London. As an

amateur football Amateur sports are sports in which participants engage largely or entirely without remuneration. The distinction is made between amateur sporting participants and professional sports, professional sporting participants, who are paid for the time ...

er in 1930, he joined

Wimbledon F.C. Wimbledon Football Club was an English football club formed in Wimbledon, south-west London, in 1889 and based at Plough Lane from 1912 to 1991. Founded as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club were a non-League team for most of their history. ...

, playing as an

inside-left Forwards (also known as attackers) are Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield positions in an association football team who play the furthest up the pitch and are therefore most responsible for scoring Goal (sport)#Association footbal ...

. He also played for

Crystal Palace F.C. Crystal Palace Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Selhurst in the London Borough of Croydon, Borough of Croydon, South London, England, who compete in the Premier League, the highest level of English ...

in the 1934/35 season before returning to Wimbledon. In January 1936, he played in the England amateur international trial, but never played at international level. In 1937 he joined Charlton F.C. "Howard Barnes", ''History of Wimbledon F.C.''
Retrieved 26 September 2022 In 1941, he was injured as the result of an air raid in London, after which he had one leg amputated. He then worked as a lyricist of popular songs. According to BMI, he is credited with almost 200 songs. His earliest successes came as part of a writing partnership with Harry Fields and Joe Roncoroni, who collectively used the name John Jerome. Working with composer

Bernard Grun Bernard Grun (german: link=no, Bernhard Grün; 11 February 1901 28 December 1972) was a German. composer, conductor, and author. He is primarily remembered as the compiler of ''The Timetables of History''. Early life Grün was born on 11 Feb ...

, they wrote " Broken Wings", first recorded by

Dickie Valentine Richard Bryce ( Maxwell; 4 November 1929 – 6 May 1971), known professionally as Dickie Valentine, was a British pop singer who enjoyed great popularity in Britain during the 1950s. In addition to several other Top Ten hit singles, Valentine ha ...

and a number one hit in Britain in 1953 for The Stargazers. Also with Fields and Roncoroni, this time using the collective pseudonym Milton Carson, Barnes wrote " My Love and Devotion", recorded by

Doris Day Doris Day (born Doris Mary Kappelhoff; April 3, 1922 – May 13, 2019) was an American actress, singer, and activist. She began her career as a big band singer in 1939, achieving commercial success in 1945 with two No. 1 recordings, " Sent ...

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

, and

Matt Monro Matt Monro (born Terence Edward Parsons, 1 December 1930 – 7 February 1985) was an English singer. Known as "The Man with the Golden Voice", he performed internationally during his 30-year career. AllMusic has described Monro as "one of the m ...

, among others. The song won Most Outstanding Song, Musically and Lyrically, at the 1963

Ivor Novello Award The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They have been presented annually in London by the Ivors Academy (formerly the BASCA) since 1956, and over 1,000 statuettes have been a ...

s. Other songs written by the team of Barnes, Fields and Roncoroni include "

A Blossom Fell "A Blossom Fell" is a popular song written by Howard Barnes, Harold Cornelius, and Dominic John and published in 1954. The best-known version was recorded by Nat King Cole. The recording was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 3095. Th ...

", a hit for

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...

, Dickie Valentine and others; and "Tulips and Heather", recorded by

Fred Waring Fredrick Malcolm Waring Sr. (June 9, 1900 – July 29, 1984) was an American musician, bandleader, and radio and television personality, sometimes referred to as "America's Singing Master" and "The Man Who Taught America How to Sing". He was also ...

and his Pennsylvanians, and by Perry Como. Songs written by Howard Barnes, ''Secondhand Songs''
Retrieved 26 September 2022 He is credited with the advertising line " Murray Mint, Murray Mint, the too good to hurry mint", originally included in the Stargazers' 1955 song "Sorry, You'll Have To Wait". "Sorry, You'll Have To Wait", ''International Lyrics Playground''
Retrieved 26 September 2022 In the late 1950s and 1960s, Barnes frequently collaborated on songs with composer and vocal group arranger

Cliff Adams The Cliff Adams Singers were a British male/female vocal group, known for ballads and novelty songs, and especially their regular performances on BBC Radio from the 1950s onwards. The ensemble was established in 1954 by Clifford William Adams ( ...

, who had been a founder member of the Stargazers. Barnes died in

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, char ...

in 1991 at the age of 82.

References

External links

* 1909 births 1991 deaths English lyricists {{songwriter-stub