“Keith Barrow: Unfulfilled Promise”

Guest Writer: Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley

Keith Errol Barrow was born September 27, 1954, in Chicago. His father was a welder; his mother, the civil and human rights activist Rev. Willie Barrow, was co-founder of Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity). When he was eight, young Barrow began singing and writing songs.

The developing talent first began performing in church. In his teens, he headed a group of gospel singers called the Soul Shakers. Later, Barrow attended Shiloh Seventh-Day Adventist Academy and became class president. At Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, he earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Afterward, he received a Master’s in educational psychology at New York University. 

The performer recorded an eponymous gospel album in 1973 on Jewel Records titled “Keith Barrow.”  At 22, he completed a short stint in New York and Los Angeles, which included winning a recording contract with Columbia Records. In 1976, he wrote “Teach Me (It’s Something About Love),” an R&B charting single for the group Blue Magic. 

In 1974, Barrow recorded his first album on a major record label. The first single, “Precious,” bombed; it was not until the last single, “Mr. Magic Man,” that Keith saw any real chart action. 

Michael Stokes (known for working with acts including Bill Withers) produced his second album, “Physical Attraction.” It contained his signature and biggest hit, “You Know You Want to Be Loved,” which climbed to number 26 on the R&B charts during the summer of 1978. “Turn Me Up,” a favorite of dancefloor enthusiasts, followed, reaching number 79  R&B in 1979. The title track itself became a disco hit. 

In 1979, while performing in Europe, Barrow became quite ill. He phoned his mother, telling her that he did not think he would be able to perform. She assured him he would be all right; however, he called back a few hours later, saying he could not perform and was en route to the hospital. Barrow was diagnosed with HIV. 

The entertainer secured a contract with Capitol Records, where he recorded his third and final album, “Just As I Am.” The album contained the single “Why Love Half the World (When You Can Love the Whole World).”  It was the only single released. 

After having to return home to live with his parents in 1983, Barrow died on October 22. He was 29. Over a thousand mourners attended his funeral. Patti Labelle sent a recorded message, and Roberta Flack sang “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Rev Jesse Jackson stated that the singer/performer was “a sensitive, totally involved young man” who “sang not with his voice alone but with his total being.” 

The less spoken-of tragedy in Barrow’s life was that he had not reconciled his sexuality with the religious beliefs that hovered over him. It was not until 1988, five years after his passing, that his mother acknowledged his sexuality; sometime later, at a health and religion conference, she revealed that her son had died of AIDS. 

Much like the gospel song “This Little Light of Mine,” Keith possessed a glow that shone on those who came to know his music. He is proof that…

…we were there, present now, and will always be…

I invite you to listen to his music. The song he wrote for Blue Magic (a  recording on his first solo album): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vC0SPNDK5c 

“You Know You Want to Be Loved:” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mv_ffFBgc1s 

“Why Love Half the World (When You Can Love the Whole World)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5K5OLwWmUg

Bishop Hartsel Clifton Shirley is an author, writer, singer/songwriter, and bishop from Waterloo, Iowa. He received his master’s degree in business from the International Business Management Institute in Berlin, Germany.

Currently residing in Atlanta, Mr. Shirley is a National and International Social Action bishop, part of New Direction Overcomers’ International Fellowship (based in Richmond, Virginia).   

A multi-faceted talent, Hartsel is a writer, author, and singer/songwriter. A bronze International Society of Poets prize winner, he has penned editorials for the Waterloo/Cedar Falls Courier. His best-selling novel is Three Words, Four Letters, published by Ishai Books. Additionally, Hartsel has charted at #1 several times on the ReverbNation pop music charts.  

Inspired by Langston Hughes, Bishop Shirley states, “I write what moves me. There is nothing I can’t write. I just have to care about it so I can write truthfully.”

Hartsel’s current book, The Night Eddie Sallis Died, is based on factual information he uncovered in 2002 about a 1966 jail cell “suicide” in Waterloo, Iowa (his place of birth). This revealing and riveting book pulls back the curtain on racism and police brutality. The author emphasizes, “These truths make Iowa a state not to be taken lightly–nor forget.”

Hartsel’s upcoming works include Three Words and Four Letters, the second and third installments of his first novel, and his third music project, Rebel With A Cause.

Email Bishop Shirley at hartselshirley@gmail.com