T. L. Barrett

Thomas Lee Barrett, Jr. (born January 13, 1944), known professionally as Pastor T.L. Barrett and Rev. T.L. Barrett, is an American Pentecostal preacher and gospel musician. Barrett is a preacher on Chicago's South Side who released gospel albums in the 1970s; as a musician, he was largely unknown outside of Chicago until a resurgence in interest in his music occurred in the 2010s.

Biography Barrett was born on January 13, 1944, in Jamaica, New York, The financial viability of the plan was judged by a court to be infeasible, and Barrett was ordered to place his church's title in receivership as a result.

Musical career In the 1970s, Barrett's congregation included many noteworthy Chicago-area musicians, such as Maurice White and Philip Bailey of Earth, Wind and Fire, Donny Hathaway, and Phil Cohran. It was reissued by Light in the Attic Records in 2010 to critical acclaim and praise from musicians such as Jim James and Colin Greenwood. (Barrett's song "Like a Ship" plays over the closing credits of the 2022 documentary jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy.) Also in 2016, Barrett's music was used in an Under Armour commercial directed by Harmony Korine, on the soundtrack to the film Barry,

In 2022, "Nobody Knows" was used in the closing credits of an episode of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty and was featured in the title sequence and opening credits of the HBO documentary Katrina Babies, written and directed by Edward Buckles Jr.

It was sampled by Loyle Carner on the song "Nobody Knows (Ladas Road)", which was nominated for BBC Radio 1's Hottest Record of The Year the same year in 2022.

Also in 2022, "Nobody Knows" was used on the soundtrack for the film Alice.

In 2023, "Nobody Knows" was used in the closing credits of episode 2 of the BBC culinary drama Boiling Point. It was also shortly used in a scene of the biopic Priscilla.

In 2024, "Like a Ship" was used in a commercial for Athletic Greens.

"Nobody Knows" has been sampled numerous times, including on rapper Copywrite's song "Trouble," from his album Murderland, and on DJ Khaled's album Grateful.

"Like a Ship" was included as the last song on Maribou State's on BBC Radio One's Essential Mix, released on February 1st, 2025.

Also in 2025, "Nobody Knows" appeared in the film Sentimental Value.

Personal life On July 1, 1967, he married his sweetheart, Cleopatra, with whom he has seven children: Kim, Kisha, T. L., III, Torrey, Trevore, T'Shaun, and Kleo. Barrett has at least six additional children from other relationships.

Discography

Albums Like a Ship... (Without a Sail) (Mt. Zion Gospel Productions TL-8126, 1971) Vol. II; Do Not Pass Me By (Universal Awareness, ca. 1973) (Note: the "Vol. II" refers to this LP's status as a sequel to the prior "Like A Ship" LP, and not to the Gospel Roots LP of the same name, which would be released approximately three years later) I Found the Answer (Gospel Truth GTS-2718, 1973) Do Not Pass Me By (Gospel Roots GR-5002, 1976)

Sermons released on LP Please Don't Squeeze the Charmine John M. Smith (Or Do You Say Smythe?) If I Should Wake Before I Die It Tastes So Good How Would You Like to Have a Nice Hawaiian Punch? Dry Bones in the Valley Roots (Gospel Roots GR-5009, 1977)