Barnes initially intended to become a drummer after being given a pair of drumsticks by Sonny Greer during a visit to the Earle Theatre.
[1] In the 1950s, Barnes played with various musicians in Philadelphia, including Lee Morgan, Philly Joe Jones and Bill Cosby (then a drummer).
[4] Barnes was elected as the youngest-ever assistant secretary of Philadelphia's Local 274 of the American Federation of Musicians, serving from 1969 to 1971.
[5] In an article for Patch, Kim Tucker wrote, "Barnes has toured the world performing the music he loves, jazz in places like St. Croix US Virgin Islands, to Europe and back home to Philadelphia.
[9][10] He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in 2023 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; his thesis was a study of Barnes and his influence on the Philadelphia jazz community.