George Warren Barnes (July 17, 1921Ross, Sa
"Form B: Interview With George Barnes. 10 May 1939".
''Jazz Music Chicago.'' Chicago, Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2022.– September 5, 1977) was an American swing jazz guitarist. He was also a conductor and arranger of music, and became the youngest ever for NBC when he was hired by them in that role at the age of seventeen. At this age he was considered a great player by many musicians including

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

, and

Jimmy McPartland James Dugald "Jimmy" McPartland (March 15, 1907 – March 13, 1991) was an American cornetist. He worked with Eddie Condon, Art Hodes, Gene Krupa, Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, and Tommy Dorsey, often leading his own bands. He was married to ...

. Barnes also later became a recording engineer. During his career Barnes recorded with singers

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

Patti Page Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), known professionally as Patti Page, was an American singer and actress. Primarily known for pop and country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and best-selling female ar ...

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

Billy Eckstine William Clarence Eckstine (July 8, 1914 – March 8, 1993) was an American jazz and pop singer and a bandleader during the swing and bebop eras. He was noted for his rich, almost operatic bass-baritone voice. In 2019, Eckstine was posthumously ...

and

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

among many others.Yelin, Bob. "George Barnes Interview". ''Guitar Player,'' February 1975. Retrieved 6 July 2022. He was an inspiration and influence to the musician

Roy Clark Roy Linwood Clark (April 15, 1933 – November 15, 2018) was an American singer and musician. He is best known for having hosted ''Hee Haw'', a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969 to 1997. Clark was an important and influen ...

and guitarists

Herb Ellis Mitchell Herbert Ellis (August 4, 1921 – March 28, 2010), known professionally as Herb Ellis, was an American jazz guitarist. During the 1950s, he was in a trio with pianist Oscar Peterson. Biography Born in Farmersville, Texas, and raised ...

and

Merle Travis Merle Robert Travis (November 29, 1917 – October 20, 1983) was an American country and western singer, songwriter, and guitarist born in Rosewood, Kentucky, United States. His songs' lyrics often discussed both the lives and the economic expl ...

, among others.

Biography

Barnes was born in

South Chicago Heights South Chicago Heights is a village and a Chicago Southland, south suburb in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,026 at the 2020 census. Geography South Chicago Heights is located at (41.483375, −87. ...

, United States. George had first started to play the Piano at the age of five.Ross, Sam
"Form C: Interview With George Barnes. 10 May 1939".
''Jazz Music Chicago.'' Chicago, Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2022. But when George was ten, the family were forced to sell the instrument along with the home because of the great depression.Leh Barnes, Alexandra (2002)
"George Barnes ''Don't Get Around Much Anymore'' CD Liner Notes".
Accessed via Scribd. Retrieved 3 July 2022. There was an old Sears Roebuck Silvertone guitar left over, which George picked up and his father who was a guitarist began to teach him to play.Sallis, James (1982)
"Further Adventures Of Captain Guitar: George Barnes".
In ''The Guitar Players. One Instrument And Its Masters In American Music.'' Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press. p.175. Retrieved 4 July 2022. In 1931, Barnes's older brother made a pickup and amplifier for him because he knew that George wanted to play solo lines that could be heard in a band. He believed he might have been the first person to ever play an electric guitar.Sallis, James (1982)
"Further Adventures Of Captain Guitar: George Barnes".
In ''The Guitar Players. One Instrument And Its Masters In American Music.'' Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press. p.184. Retrieved 4 July 2022. When George was eleven, he heard some records with

Bix Beiderbecke Leon Bismark "Bix" Beiderbecke (March 10, 1903 – August 6, 1931) was an American jazz cornetist, pianist and composer. Beiderbecke was one of the most influential jazz soloists of the 1920s, a cornet player noted for an inventive lyrical app ...

that featured

Joe Venuti Giuseppe "Joe" Venuti (September 16, 1903 – August 14, 1978) was an American jazz musician and pioneer jazz violinist. Considered the father of jazz violin, he pioneered the use of string instruments in jazz along with the guitarist Eddie La ...

and knew then that he wanted to be a jazz musician. He had become accomplished enough on guitar to join the local musicians' union at the age of twelve, and helped to aid the family's income by playing at local dances and weddings. When Barnes was young he was given blues guitar lessons by the guitarist Lonnie Johnson. Johnson tuned his 12-string guitar down a whole-tone to make it easier for George to play. Lonnie Johnson influenced the way that Barnes played the blues. George Barnes wanted to play melody and not rhythm, but during his early years of playing because so few soloed, other than Johnson no guitarist influenced the way he played. He listened to records of

Django Reinhardt Jean Reinhardt (23 January 1910 – 16 May 1953), known by his Romani nickname Django ( or ), was a Romani-French jazz guitarist and composer. He was one of the first major jazz talents to emerge in Europe and has been hailed as one of its most ...

but could not relate to his playing. So players of other instruments were also primary inspirations to him, particularly the clarinetist

Jimmie Noone Jimmie Noone (April 23, 1895 – April 19, 1944) was an American jazz clarinetist and bandleader. After beginning his career in New Orleans, he led Jimmie Noone's Apex Club Orchestra, a Chicago band that recorded for Vocalion and Decca. Classical ...

, whom George Barnes played with at the age of 16 and claimed was his single greatest influence. Barnes was also inspired and influenced strongly by the playing of the cornetist

. He wanted to capture the same feeling on guitar that Beiderbecke did through his own playing.Ross, Sam
"Form C: Text 3. Interview With George Barnes. 10 May 1939".
''Jazz Music Chicago.'' Chicago, Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2022. Other influences were

Louis Armstrong Louis Daniel Armstrong (August 4, 1901 – July 6, 1971), nicknamed "Satchmo", "Satch", and "Pops", was an American trumpeter and vocalist. He was among the most influential figures in jazz. His career spanned five decades and several era ...

, and saxophonist

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

. From 1935 to 1937, Barnes led a band that performed in the Midwest. In 1937 he played in an eight piece band called the Rhythm-Aires. Barnes did all of the arranging and orchestration for this band. Because most of the players switched from one instrument to another, he had to often double the orchestration. They toured at night around Chicago Heights. He was spotted by

Johnny Mince Johnny Mince (born John Henry Muenzenberger) (July 8, 1912 – December 23, 1994) was an American swing jazz clarinetist. Career Mince played with Joe Haymes from 1929 to 1934, and recorded with Red Norvo and Glenn Miller in 1935. He then worked ...

of the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra in 1937. Mince set up an appearance for Barnes on Dorsey's Amateur Hour after driving past his house in his car and hearing him play. George won the $75 first prize along with an appointment to play at the Chicago Theatre for a week. On March 1, 1938, Barnes played electric guitar on the recorded songs "Sweetheart Land" and "It's a Lowdown Dirty Shame" with blues guitarist

Big Bill Broonzy Big Bill Broonzy (born Lee Conley Bradley; June 26, 1903 – August 14, 1958) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His career began in the 1920s, when he played country music to mostly African American audiences. In the 1930s ...

. In 1938, when he was seventeen, Barnes was hired as staff guitarist for the NBC Orchestra. He was also staff guitarist and arranger for

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, a record label * Decca Gold, a classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, a musical theater record label * Decca Studios, a recording facility in W ...

and recorded with

Blind John Davis Blind John Davis (December 7, 1913 – October 12, 1985) was an American blues and boogie-woogie pianist and singer. He is best remembered for his recordings, including "A Little Every Day" and "Everybody's Boogie". Biography Davis was born in ...

Jazz Gillum William McKinley "Jazz" Gillum (September 11, 1902 or 1904 – March 29, 1966) was an American blues harmonica player. Biography Gillum was born in Indianola, Mississippi. He ran away from home at age seven and for the next few years lived in ...

Merline Johnson Merline Johnson (born c. 1912 or 1918, date of death unknown) was an American blues singer in the 1930s and 1940s, billed as The Yas Yas Girl. "Yas yas" was a euphemism for buttocks in hokum blues songs such as Blind Boy Fuller's "Get Yer Yas Y ...

, Curtis Jones, and

Washboard Sam Robert Clifford Brown (July 15, 1910 – November 6, 1966), known professionally as Washboard Sam, was an American blues musician and singer. Biography Brown's date and place of birth are uncertain; many sources state that he was born in 191 ...

. Because he only knew Barnes as a sideman to these artists,

Hugues Panassié Hugues Panassié (27 February 1912 in Paris – 8 December 1974 in Montauban) was a French Music criticism, critic, record producer, and impresario of traditional jazz. Career Panassié was born in Paris. When he was fourteen, he was stricke ...

in ''Le Jazz Hot'' mistakenly referred to Barnes at around this time as "the great Negro blues guitar player from Chicago." From January 1939, while still only seventeen, Barnes began playing at the Three Deuces nightclub in Chicago. He became a featured performer there. He would sit on a chair in front of the band and improvise for as long as he possibly could on different jazz tunes. He became a sensation and the audience would ask for many encores.Ross, Sam
"Form D: Interview With George Barnes. 10 May 1939".
''Jazz Music Chicago.'' Chicago, Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2022. On 17 February 1940, Barnes released his first solo recording, "

I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" is a popular American song written in 1918, released in late 1919, becoming a number one hit for Ben Selvin's Novelty Orchestra. It has been revived and adapted over the years, serving as the anthem of Premier Leag ...

" and "

I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" is a 1926 popular song composed by Jimmy McHugh, with lyrics by Clarence Gaskill. More than 20 recordings were made of "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" in the 16 years following its publica ...

" on

Okeh Records Okeh Records () is an American record label founded by the Otto Heinemann Phonograph Corporation, a phonograph supplier established in 1916, which branched out into phonograph records in 1918. The name was spelled "OkeH" from the initials of Ott ...

. He was drafted in 1942 and served with the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

as an intercept operator in

the Pentagon The Pentagon is the headquarters building of the United States Department of Defense. It was constructed on an accelerated schedule during World War II. As a symbol of the U.S. military, the phrase ''The Pentagon'' is often used as a metony ...

. After his discharge in 1946, he formed the George Barnes Octet and was given a fifteen-minute radio program on the ABC network. On January 17, 1947, he married Evelyn Lorraine Triplett in Chicago. In 1951, Barnes was signed to Decca by

Milt Gabler Milton Gabler (May 20, 1911 – July 20, 2001) was an American record producer, responsible for many innovations in the recording industry of the 20th century. These included being the first person to deal in record reissues, the first to sel ...

, and moved from Chicago to New York City. In 1953, he joined the orchestra for the television show ''

Your Hit Parade ''Your Hit Parade'' was an American radio and television music program that was broadcast from 1935 to 1953 on radio, and seen from 1950 to 1959 on television. It was sponsored by American Tobacco's Lucky Strike cigarettes. During its 24-year r ...

''. The band was conducted by

Raymond Scott Raymond Scott (born Harry Warnow; September 10, 1908 – February 8, 1994) was an American composer, band leader, pianist, record producer, and inventor of electronic instruments. Though Scott never scored cartoon soundtracks, his music is ...

, and Barnes was a featured soloist. Barnes, Scott, and vocalist

Dorothy Collins Dorothy Collins (born Marjorie Chandler;
''

studio musician Session musicians, studio musicians, or backing musicians are musicians hired to perform in recording sessions or live performances. The term sideman is also used in the case of live performances, such as accompanying a recording artist on a ...

in New York City, playing on hundreds of albums and jingles from the early 1950s through the late 1960s. He played guitar on

Patsy Cline Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, Patrice, or Patricia). Among I ...

's New York sessions in April 1957. Although he was primarily a

swing jazz Swing music is a style of jazz that developed in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. It became nationally popular from the mid-1930s. The name derived from its emphasis on the off-beat, or nominally weaker beat. Swing bands ...

guitarist, he participated in hundreds of pop, rock, country, and R&B recording sessions. He played on many hit songs by

the Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...

, on "

This Magic Moment "This Magic Moment" is a song composed by lyricist Doc Pomus and pianist Mort Shuman. It was first recorded by The Drifters, with Ben E. King singing lead. Original Drifters version It was recorded first by Ben E. King and the Drifters, at Bell ...

" by

the Drifters The Drifters are several American doo-wop and R&B/Soul music, soul vocal groups. They were originally formed as a backing group for Clyde McPhatter, formerly the lead tenor of Billy Ward and his Dominoes in 1953. The second group of Drifters, f ...

, and on "

Lonely Teardrops "Lonely Teardrops" is a song written by Berry Gordy Jr., Gwen Gordy Fuqua, Gwen Gordy and Billy Davis (songwriter), Roquel "Billy" Davis, first recorded and released as a single in 1958 by R&B singer Jackie Wilson on the Brunswick Records, Brunsw ...

". His electric guitar can be heard in the movie '' A Face in the Crowd''. Barnes recorded three albums for

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

: ''Movin' Easy'' (1961) with his Jazz Renaissance Quintet, ''Guitar Galaxies'' (1960), and ''Guitars Galore'' (1961). The latter two contained his orchestrations for ten guitars, known as his guitar choir, which used guitars in place of a horn section. The two albums employed a recording technique known as Perfect Presence Sound. Between 1953 and 1961 he was featured on many recordings with

The Three Suns The Three Suns was an American pop group, most popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Career history The group was formed in 1939 by brothers Al Nevins (guitar) and Morty Nevins (accordion) and their cousin, radio and vaudeville veteran Artie Dunn (v ...

. Barnes received the most attention as a jazz guitarist when he recorded as a duo with

Carl Kress Carl Kress (October 20, 1907 – June 10, 1965) was an American jazz guitarist. Music career Kress started on piano before picking up the banjo. Beginning in 1926, he played guitar during his brief period in Paul Whiteman's orchestra. For most ...

from 1961 to 1965. He and Kress were invited to play at the White House Christmas party on December 17, 1964. For the occasion, Barnes wrote "Watusi for Luci" for First Daughter

Luci Baines Johnson Luci Baines Johnson (born July 2, 1947) is an American businesswoman and philanthropist. She is the younger daughter of U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson and his wife, former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. Early years Born in Washington, D.C., Joh ...

because she was known for dancing

the Watusi ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

in clubs with Hollywood celebrities. The song was used as the theme for ''

The Clay Cole Show ''The Clay Cole Show'' (1959–1967) was a rock music television show based in New York City, hosted by Clay Cole. History First broadcast on WNTA-TV (now WNET) in September 1959 as ''Rate the Records'', within two months the format was changed, ...

'' in 1965 when the TV show was renamed ''Clay Cole's Discotek''. Barnes formed a duo with jazz guitarist

Bucky Pizzarelli John Paul "Bucky" Pizzarelli (January 9, 1926 – April 1, 2020) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the father of jazz guitarist John Pizzarelli and double bassist Martin Pizzarelli. He worked for NBC as a staffman for Dick Cavett (1971) ...

that lasted from 1969 to 1972. In 1973, he and cornetist

Ruby Braff Reuben "Ruby" Braff (March 16, 1927 – February 9, 2003) was an American jazz trumpeter and cornetist. Jack Teagarden was once asked about him on the Garry Moore television show and described Ruby as "the Ivy League Louis Armstrong". Braff ...

formed the Ruby Braff–George Barnes Quartet. The quartet recorded several albums, including ''Live at the New School'' (

Chiaroscuro Chiaroscuro ( , ; ), in art, is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to achi ...

, 1974), ''To Fred Astaire with Love'' (RCA, 1975), and with singer

Tony Bennett Anthony Dominick Benedetto (born August 3, 1926), known professionally as Tony Bennett, is an American retired singer of traditional pop standards, big band, show tunes, and jazz. Bennett is also a painter, having created works under his birth ...

, ''Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs'' (Improv, 1976). From 1973 until 1977, Barnes recorded several well-received solo albums for

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

and with the quartet he had formed with Braff. He also recorded two albums with jazz violinist

for the label. Barnes and his wife, Evelyn, left New York City after his last European tour in 1975 to live and work in the San Francisco Bay area. He died of a heart attack in

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, California, in 1977 at the age of 56.

Style and technique

Barnes's style took shape before the development of

bebop Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...

, and he remained a swing stylist throughout his career. His lines were usually short, melodic, bluesy and "inside" (i.e., diatonic), compared to the chromaticism and long lines of bop-era guitarists. His improvisations often employed

call and response Call and response is a form of interaction between a speaker and an audience in which the speaker's statements ("calls") are punctuated by responses from the listeners. This form is also used in music, where it falls under the general category of ...

phrases, and his tone was clearer, cleaner and brighter than many other jazz guitarists (such as

Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...

or Jim Hall) and reflected his "happy" approach to music. His playing was noted for its bright quality and melodic style. The single note lines in his solos never strayed far from the tune that was being played. He often made use of blues phrases, string bends and vibrato. His use of vibrato was developed from watching Violinists and would start slowly, then the speed increased."The Technique: George Barnes – the first electric guitarist. George Barnes the best guitarist you (thought) you never heard".
One Man's Guitar. Retrieved 5 July 2022. When creating vibrato he did it across the fingerboard, rather than in line with it."George Barnes".
Via Acoustic Disc.com. Retrieved 3 July 2022. He played a right-handed guitar, but George Barnes was left handed, seeing it as an advantage to use the strongest hand for work on the fretboard. Claiming that it gave him more control, Barnes held the pick between his thumb and middle finger playing mainly with downstrokes. He only used alternate picking when picking very rapid notes on the fretboard. By tightening or loosening his grip on the pick, Barnes could change the volume and dynamics of his guitar sound. Believing that it helped to give him good tone, he always used the thickest picks, and the heaviest gauge strings possible. Not long before his death, Barnes recorded three live albums—two produced from an April 17, 1977, concert at the San Francisco club Bimbo's 365, the other at the Willows Theatre in Concord, California. The albums are good examples of his swinging, happy and often mischievous style. The albums also include his banter with the audience and his introductions of tunes and his band, giving the listener a glimpse of his sense of humour. In a review of the album ''Don't Get Around Much Anymore'' (material from a 1977 concert in Concord, California, recorded a little more than a month before Barnes's death at the age of 56),

Jim Ferguson James Edwin Ferguson (born December 23, 1948) is an American guitarist, composer, journalist, and educator. Born in Dayton, Ohio, Ferguson began his early music education playing the trombone at age 7, and then after eight years of study, swit ...

wrote, "Often overlooked in a sea of more modern-sounding, bebop-oriented guitarists, George Barnes could swing like mad and spin out intricate, frequently bluesy phrases with awesome precision and musicality...From start to finish, this well-recorded performance demonstrates the qualities that qualify Barnes for a position among the most elite players in the annals of jazz guitar." In 1942, Barnes wrote the first electric guitar method book, ''The George Barnes Electric Guitar Method'', published by Wm. J. Smith. In 1961, he wrote and recorded ''George Barnes' Living Guitar Method: The Easy Way to Learn All the Chords and Rhythms'' and ''Ten Duets for Two Guitars'' (recorded with his partner

) for

Music Minus One Music Minus One (MMO) is a music production and recording company in Westchester, New York. Their recordings are meant to be accompanied by the listener on whichever instrument (or voice type) is excluded from the recording, as an aid to practice, ...

. In 1965, he wrote ''How to Arrange for Solo Guitar'', published by

Peermusic Peermusic is a United States-based independent music publisher. History Ralph Peer, a field recording engineer and A&R representative for Victor Records, went on a scouting trip to Bristol, Tennessee. For two weeks, he recorded artists such as ...

. He also produced the first guitar course offered on cassette tape, ''The Great George Barnes Guitar Course'', published in 1970 by

Prentice Hall Prentice Hall was an American major educational publisher owned by Savvas Learning Company. Prentice Hall publishes print and digital content for the 6–12 and higher-education market, and distributes its technical titles through the Safari B ...

Discography

As leader

* ''The George Barnes Sextet'' (

Keynote Records A keynote in public speaking is a talk that establishes a main underlying theme. In corporate or commercial settings, greater importance is attached to the delivery of a keynote speech or keynote address. The keynote establishes the framework f ...

, 1946) * ''Country Jazz'' ( Colortone, 1957) * ''Guitar in Velvet'' ( Grand Award, 1957) * ''Guitars...By George!'' (

, 1958)"New Releases: Barnes, George. ''Guitars...By George!'' Decca – DL 8658". ''Billboard,'' 3 November 1958, p.6. Retrieved 9 July 2022. * ''Guitar Galaxies'' (

, 1960) * ''Guitars Galore'' (

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it is ...

, 1961) * ''Town Hall Concert'' with

(

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

, 1963) * ''Guitars, Anyone? Why Not Start at the Top?'' with Carl Kress (

Carney Records Carney may refer to: * Carney (surname) Places In the United States * Carney, Maryland * Carney, Michigan * Carney, Montana * Carney, Oklahoma * Carney, West Virginia * Carney, Pennsylvania In the Republic of Ireland * Carney, County Sligo * ...

, 1963) * ''Smokey and Intimate'' with

and

Flo Handy ''Flo'' is an American sitcom television series and a spin-off of '' Alice'' that aired on CBS from March 24, 1980, to June 30, 1981. The series starred Polly Holliday reprising her role as sassy and street-smart waitress Florence Jean "Flo" Cas ...

(

), 1964 * ''Guitars Pure and Honest'' with

( A&R Records, 1971) * ''The Guitar Album: The Historic Town Hall Concert'' with

(

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

, 1972) * ''Swing, Guitars'' with

Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...

(Famous Door, 1973) * ''Live at the New School'' with

Michael Moore Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism. Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...

, Wayne Wright (

, 1974) * ''Gems'' with

(

, 1975) * ''Braff/Barnes Quartet Salutes Rodgers and Hart'' with

(

, 1975) * ''Blues Going Up'' (Concord Jazz, 1977) * ''Live at the Concord Summer Festival'' with Joe Venuti (Concord Jazz, 1977) * ''Plays So Good'' (Concord Jazz, 1978) * ''Two Guitars Volume 1'' with Carl Kress ( Stash, 1983) * ''Two Guitars and a Horn'' with Carl Kress,

Bud Freeman Lawrence "Bud" Freeman (April 13, 1906 – March 15, 1991) was an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer, known mainly for playing tenor saxophone, but also the clarinet. Biography In 1922, Freeman and some friends from high sc ...

(Stash, 1983) * ''Don't Get Around Much Anymore'' (

Acoustic Disc David Grisman (born March 23, 1945) is an American mandolinist. His music combines bluegrass, folk, and jazz in a genre he calls "Dawg music". He founded the record label Acoustic Disc, which issues his recordings and those of other acoustic mu ...

, 2002) * ''The Uncollected George Barnes and His Octet 1946'' (

Hindsight Hindsight bias, also known as the knew-it-all-along phenomenon or creeping determinism, is the common tendency for people to perceive past events as having been more predictable than they actually were. People often believe that after an event ha ...

, 1977) With

* ''I Love Jazz'' (Decca, 1962) * ''Louis and the Angels'' (Decca, 1957) * ''Louis and the Good Book'' (Decca, 1958) With

Al Caiola Alexander Emil Caiola (September 7, 1920 – November 9, 2016) was an American guitarist, composer and arranger, who spanned a variety of music genres including jazz, country, rock, and pop. He recorded over fifty albums and worked with some of ...

* ''High Strung'' (RCA Victor, 1959) * ''Italian Guitars'' (Time, 1960) * ''Spanish Guitars'' (Time, 1976) With

Ben E. King Benjamin Earl King (né Nelson; September 28, 1938 – April 30, 2015) was an American soul and R&B singer and record producer. He is best known as the singer and co-composer of " Stand by Me"—a US Top 10 hit, both in 1961 and later i ...

* ''

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

'' (Atco, 1961) * '' Don't Play That Song!'' (Atco, 1962) * '' Young Boy Blues'' (Atco, 1964) With others *

Steve Allen Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen (December 26, 1921 – October 30, 2000) was an American television personality, radio personality, musician, composer, actor, comedian, and writer. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-cre ...

, ''Jazz for Tonight'' (Coral, 1955) *

, ''Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs'' (Improv, 1976) *

, ''Tony Bennett Sings More Great Rodgers & Hart'' (Improv, 1977) *

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...

, ''If You Need Me'' (Atlantic, 1963) * Solomon Burke, ''King Solomon'' (Atlantic, 1968) *

Russ Case Russ Case (March 19, 1912 – October 10, 1964) was an American trumpeter and bandleader who led jazz and light music orchestras. Biography Case was born in Hamburg, Iowa. His professional career began when he was hired at WOC (AM) in Da ...

, ''Dances Wild'' (Vik, 1957) *

The Coasters The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. Beginning with "Searchin'" and " Young Blood" in 1957, their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing ...

, ''Young Blood'' (Atlantic, 1982) *

Hans Conried Hans Georg Conried Jr. (April 15, 1917 – January 5, 1982) was an American actor and comedian. He was known for providing the voices of George Darling and Captain Hook in Walt Disney's ''Peter Pan'' (1953), Snidely Whiplash in Jay Ward's ''Dudle ...

, ''Peter Meets the Wolf in Dixieland'' (Strand, 1959) *

Jackie Cooper John Cooper Jr. (September 15, 1922 – May 3, 2011) was an American actor, television director, producer, and executive, known universally as Jackie Cooper. He was a child actor who made the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first ...

, ''The Movies Swing'' (Dot, 1958) *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

, ''

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan ''The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, released on May 27, 1963 by Columbia Records. Whereas his self-titled debut album ''Bob Dylan'' had contained only two original songs, this album ...

'' (Columbia, 1963) *

, ''Something Tender'' (United Artists, 1962) *

Ronnie Gilbert Ruth Alice "Ronnie" Gilbert (September 7, 1926 – June 6, 2015), was an American folk singer, songwriter, actress and political activist. She was one of the original members of the music quartet the Weavers, as a contralto with Pete Seeger, Le ...

, ''In Hi Fi The Legend of Bessie Smith'' (RCA Victor, 1958) *

Johnny Guarnieri John Albert Guarnieri (March 23, 1917 – January 7, 1985) was an American jazz and stride pianist, born in New York City. Career Guarnieri joined the George Hall orchestra in 1937. He is possibly best known for his big band stints with Be ...

, ''The Duke Again'' (Coral, 1957) *

& Mary Mayo, ''Moon Gas'' (MGM, 1963) *

Little Willie John William Edward "Little Willie" John (November 15, 1937 – May 26, 1968) was an American R&B singer who performed in the 1950s and early 1960s. He is best known for his successes on the record charts, with songs such as " All Around the World" (1 ...

, ''Talk to Me'' (King, 1958) *

Betty Madigan Betty Madigan (born 1928) is an American traditional popular singer and actress.Harris, Harry (December 24, 1956)"Screening TV--'Stingiest Man'" ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. Retrieved October 18, 2020.Leahy, Jack (April 30, 1961)"Sing and Be H ...

, ''The Jerome Kern Songbook'' (Coral, 1958) *

Wingy Manone Joseph Matthews "Wingy" Manone (February 13, 1900 – July 9, 1982) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader. His recordings included " Tar Paper Stomp", "Nickel in the Slot", "Downright Disgusted Blues", "There'll Come a ...

, ''Trumpet on the Wing'' (Decca, 1958) *

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

, ''Mad About the Man/Carmen McRae Sings Noel Coward'' (Decca, 1958) *

Lou McGarity Robert Louis McGarity (July 22, 1917 – August 28, 1971) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Benny Goodman big band during the late 1930s and early 1940s. After serving in the military, he was a studio musician in New York Ci ...

, ''Blue Lou'' (Argo, 1960) *

, ''That Happy Dixieland Jazz'' (RCA Camden, 1960) *

Sy Oliver Melvin James "Sy" Oliver (December 17, 1910 – May 28, 1988) was an American jazz arranger, trumpeter, composer, singer and bandleader. Life Sy Oliver was born in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. His mother was a piano teacher, and his ...

, ''Easy Walker'' (Sesasc, 1962) *

Glenn Osser Abraham Arthur "Glenn" Osser (August 28, 1914 – April 29, 2014) was an American musician, musical arranger, orchestra leader, and songwriter. His birthname was Abraham (Abe), but much of his work was under the name Glenn; he can be found with re ...

, ''Be There at 5'' (Mercury, 1956) *

Don Redman Donald Matthew Redman (July 29, 1900 – November 30, 1964) was an American jazz musician, music arrangement, arranger, bandleader, and composer. Biography Redman was born in Piedmont, West Virginia, Piedmont, Mineral County, West Virginia, Un ...

, ''Don Redman All Stars'' (Sesac, 1960) *

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York ...

Gene Krupa Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of "Sing, Sing, S ...

, ''Burnin' Beat'' (Verve, 1962) *

Ernie Royal Ernest Andrew Royal (June 2, 1921 in Los Angeles, California – March 16, 1983 in New York City) was a jazz trumpeter. His older brother was clarinetist and alto saxophonist Marshal Royal, with whom he appears on the classic Ray Charles big ban ...

, ''Accent on Trumpet'' (Urania, 1956) *

Charlie Shavers Charles James Shavers (August 3, 1920 – July 8, 1971) was an American jazz trumpeter who played with Dizzy Gillespie, Nat King Cole, Roy Eldridge, Johnny Dodds, Jimmie Noone, Sidney Bechet, Midge Williams, Tommy Dorsey, and Billie Holiday. He ...

, ''Excitement Unlimited'' (Capitol, 1963) * George Siravo, ''Rodgers & Hart Percussion & Strings'' (Time, 1960) * Tommy Reynolds, ''Jazz for Happy Feet'' (King, 1956) *

Jimmy Scott James Victor Scott (July 17, 1925 – June 12, 2014), known professionally as Little Jimmy Scott or Jimmy Scott, was an American jazz vocalist known for his high natural contralto voice and his sensitivity on ballads and love songs. After ...

, ''Little Jimmy Scott'' (Savoy, 1984) *

Lou Stein Lou Stein (April 22, 1922 – December 11, 2002) was an American jazz pianist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Stein joined Ray McKinley's band in 1942. He played with Glenn Miller when the latter was stateside during World War II. Afte ...

, ''Honky Tonk Piano Featuring Lou Stein'' (Mercury, 1956) *

, ''Saloon Favorites'' (Mercury, 1957) *

Roy Smeck Leroy Smeck (6 February 1900 – 5 April 1994) was an American musician. His skill on the banjo, guitar, and ukulele earned him the nickname "The Wizard of the Strings". Background Smeck was born in Reading, Pennsylvania. He started on the vau ...

, ''The Magic Ukulele of Roy Smeck'' (ABC Paramount, 1959) *

Cootie Williams Charles Melvin "Cootie" Williams (July 10, 1911 – September 15, 1985) was an American jazz, jump blues, and rhythm and blues trumpeter. Biography Born in Mobile, Alabama, Williams began his professional career at the age of 14 with the Yo ...

, ''Cootie Williams in Hi Fi'' (RCA Victor, 1958) *

, ''Joe Venuti and the Blue Five'' (From the Jazz Vault, 1979)

References

External links

Official site

* ttps://www.npr.org/2010/08/16/129158670/five-pioneers-of-electric-jazz-guitar?sc=tw Five Pioneers of Electric Jazz Guitar (NPR, January 2013)
George Barnes recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, George 1921 births 1977 deaths People from Cook County, Illinois American jazz guitarists Swing guitarists Mainstream jazz guitarists 20th-century American guitarists American male guitarists Jazz musicians from Illinois 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians