ERNIE BARNES
July 15, 1938 - April 27, 2009
Considered one of the leading African-American artists and is well-known for his unique style of elongation and movement, Ernie Barnes was also a football player, actor and author. He is the first American professional athlete to become a noted painter. |
| "The Sugar Shack" was made famous by the sitcom "Good Times" and a Marvin Gaye album cover. This painting was based on a party Ernie Barnes sneaked into at the Durham Armory when he was teenager. |
Barnes’ work appears on the following album covers:
- "The Sugar Shack" painting on Marvin Gaye’s 1976 "I Want You"
- "The Disco" painting on self-titled 1978 "Faith, Hope & Charity"
- "Donald Byrd and 125th Street, NYC" painting on self-titled 1979 album
- "Late Night DJ" painting on Curtis Mayfield’s 1980 "Something to Believe In"
- "The Maestro" painting on The Crusaders' 1984 "Ghetto Blaster"
- "Head Over Heels" painting on The Crusaders’ 1986 "The Good and Bad Times"
