George Warren Barnes (July 17, 1921Ross, Sam "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 jazz guitarist. He was also a conductor, composer, arranger, producer, author, and educator. He was hired by the NBC Orchestra at the age of 17, making him the youngest musician on staff."George Barnes – the first electric guitarist. George Barnes the best guitarist you (thought) you never heard". One Man's Guitar. Retrieved 5 July 2022. At 17, he was considered to be a great player by many musicians, including Tommy Dorsey, and Jimmy McPartland. Barnes was also proficient as a recording engineer. During his career, Barnes recorded with singers Mel Tormé, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Patti Page, Dinah Washington, Lena Horne, Billy Eckstine and Johnny Mathis among many others.Yelin, Bob. "George Barnes Interview". Guitar Player, February 1975. Retrieved 6 July 2022. He was an inspiration to, and influenced guitarists Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Herb Ellis and Merle Travis, among many others.
Biography Barnes was born in South Chicago Heights, 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. 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.Milkowski, Bill (2002). "George Barnes 7/17/21-9/5/77". In Jazz Times Archives. Secret Strings: 10 Most Underrated Guitarists in the History of Jazz. Retrieved 4 July 2022. 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 that featured Joe Venuti 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.National Public Radio, Inc. (NPR) (2021). "Marking The Centennial Of 2 Early Electric Guitarists: George Barnes And Mary Osborne.', Fresh Air (podcast), 14 July". Retrieved 4 July 2022. 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 but could not relate to his playing. So players of other instruments were also primary inspirations to him, particularly the clarinetist Jimmie Noone, 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 Bix Beiderbecke. 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,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.181. Retrieved 4 July 2022. and saxophonist Johnny Hodges.
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 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. 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 and recorded with Blind John Davis, Jazz Gillum, Merline Johnson, Curtis Jones, and Washboard Sam. Because he only knew Barnes as a sideman to these artists, Hugues Panassié 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" and "I Can't Believe That You're in Love with Me" on Okeh Records."Okeh 05798". In OKeh 5600 - 6000 (1940 - 41). Retrieved 5 July 2022. He was drafted in 1942 and served with the U.S. Army as an intercept operator in the Pentagon. After his discharge in 1946, he formed the George Barnes Octet and was given a fifteen-minute radio program on the ABC network.Yanow, Scott (2021). "Album Reviews: George Barnes. Guitar In Velvet". In The Syncopated Times, 29 January 2021. Retrieved 8 July 2022. On January 17, 1947, he married Evelyn Lorraine Triplett in Chicago.
In 1951, Barnes was signed to Decca by Milt Gabler, and moved from Chicago to New York City. In 1953, he joined the orchestra for the television show Your Hit Parade. The band was conducted by Raymond Scott, and Barnes was a featured soloist. Barnes, Scott, and vocalist Dorothy Collins (Scott's wife) also recorded together.
Barnes worked often as a studio musician 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's New York sessions in April 1957. Although he was primarily a swing jazz guitarist, he participated in hundreds of pop, rock, country, and R&B recording sessions. He played on many hit songs by the Coasters, on "This Magic Moment" by the Drifters,"Atlantic – 45-2050". Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 6 July 2022. and on "Lonely Teardrops". His electric guitar can be heard in the movie A Face in the Crowd.
Barnes recorded three albums for Mercury: Movin' Easy (1961) with his Jazz Renaissance Quintet,"Mercury – MG 20605.(1961)". Jazz Renaissance Quintet – Movin' Easy. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 7 July 2022. 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."Mercury – PPS 6011.(1960)". George Barnes - Guitar Galaxies. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 7 July 2022."Mercury – PPS 6020.(1961)". George Barnes - Guitars Galore. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
Between 1953 and 1961 he was featured on many recordings with The Three Suns.
Barnes received the most attention as a jazz guitarist when he recorded as a duo with Carl Kress 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" "Carney Records – 45-1005". George Barnes And Carl Kress – Watusi For Luci. Written by G. Barnes. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 6 July 2022. for First Daughter Luci Baines Johnson because she was known for dancing the Watusi in clubs with Hollywood celebrities. The song was used as the theme for The Clay Cole Show in 1965 when the TV show was renamed Clay Cole's Discotek.
Barnes formed a duo with jazz guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli that lasted from 1969 to 1972. In 1973, he and cornetist Ruby Braff formed the Ruby Braff–George Barnes Quartet. The quartet recorded several albums, including Live at the New School (Chiaroscuro, 1974),"Chiaroscuro Records – CR 126". The Ruby Braff ~ George Barnes Quartet* – Live At The New School. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2022. To Fred Astaire with Love (RCA, 1975),"RCA – APL1-1008". Ruby Braff / George Barnes Quartet – To Fred Astaire, With Love. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2022. and with singer Tony Bennett, Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs (Improv, 1976)."Improv - 7113". Tony Bennett Sings 10 Rodgers & Hart Songs. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2022. From 1973 until 1977, Barnes recorded several well-received solo albums for Concord Jazz and with the quartet he had formed with Braff. He also recorded two albums with jazz violinist Joe Venuti for the label."Concord Jazz - CJ-14 (1975)". Joe Venuti And George Barnes - Gems. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2022."Concord Jazz - CJ-30 (1977)". Joe Venuti And George Barnes - Live At The Concord Summer Festival. Accessed via Discogs. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
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, California, in 1977 at the age of 56. He was survived by his wife, and their daughter, Alexandra.
Style and technique Barnes's style took shape before the development of bebop, 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 phrases, and his tone was clearer, cleaner and brighter than many other jazz guitarists (such as Joe Pass 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.