Unheralded Chicago music-biz veteran Willie Barney died of heart failure on Monday, February 20, at age 89. Born in Arkansas in 1927, he’s best known as the founder of west-side institution Barney’s One Stop and Record Shop, which he opened in 1953 as Barney’s Swing Shop. His career in music began rather modestly, according to his son, Ray: “He borrowed $300 from his family and started selling records out of the trunk of his car.” In the 60s, Barney expanded into distribution and launched a couple short-lived labels, Four Brothers and Bright Star. Barney’s One Stop eventually became a hub for house music, and in the mid-80s Ray (who’d joined his father’s business in 1980, shortly after graduating from Bradley University) began running influential ghetto-house label Dance Mania out of the shop. Both Dance Mania and Barney’s One Stop wound down in 2001.
Empress/Abscess by Immortal Bird
