Jean Barzh, one of many final survivors of the Golden Age of the Golden Age of R&B, whose profession is main the twentieth -century black well-liked music vary, died Sunday at his dwelling in Chicago. He was 98.
His loss of life was confirmed by his daughter Gina Barge.
Recognized by the nickname Daddy G, d -n -Barge performed exceptional hits of the rock and soul period, beginning with Chuck Willis swinging remake of the Blues normal “CC Rider”.
Galvanized by the moaning saxophone of the Barge, CC Rider reached # 1 within the R&B diagram in 1957 and stopped simply outdoors the highest 10 within the pop diagram. In 1963, Mr. Barge was launched to Calypo-production by Jimmy Dul “If you want to be happy”, A # 1 pop and R&B hit.
Nevertheless, his greatest recognition got here in 1961 with “Hard to three”, ” Pop single # 1 recorded with R&B Shouter Gary US Bonds. Hoping to reap the benefits of the success of New Orleans, his first huge hit, D -n -Bonds created “from 1 / 4 to a few” by including texts to “Night with Daddy G,” An instrument software that Mr. Barge had just lately written and recorded together with his band The Church Road 5.
“Oh, do not that I danced/danced to 1 / 4 to three/with the assistance final evening, Daddy G,” sings Mr. Bonds on the preliminary refrain.
(“A Evening Wit “Runaround Sue”, “ A miracle with a finger that headed the pop diagram on the finish of 1961)
Though he took benefit of the Snaking Saxophone slopes of the Barge – and regardless of the affinity of the Twist Dance mania of the day – “From 1 / 4 to a few” was an unimaginable feeling. Duppy and Lo-Fi, it sounded as if it had been recorded in a shower or staircase.
“This file is blurry, muses and distorted,” writes British tv producer Jack Good in 1961, the favored weekly music journal later engulfed in a recording mirror. “In line with trendy technical requirements, that is terrifying. Nevertheless, my cash is not only good, however sensational and revolutionary. “
The analysis of G -n Good for the recording turned out to be prejudiced. Duo-Wop’s lush synthesis, black gospel and preliminary Frat rock, “quarter to a few” not solely impressed the Huge-Beat Roll of the Beatles rock rock and a storage of teams equivalent to Kingsmen and Sir Douglas Quintet. It additionally offered a plan for Sachs and Voca change Clarence Clemons and Bruce Springstein, a pleasant dialog and reply that got here to find out the road group that always executed “Quarter to three” In a live performance.
Popped in pop music when the saxophone was an ascendant (and earlier than being changed by the electrical guitar), the Barge was as distinctive and common stylist as King Curtis, although much less recognized. For over six many years, he has been enjoying or producing data from Muddy Waters, Chi-Lites and the ignition group Detroit Funk Black Merda. He’s additionally touring Ray Charles, Bo Didley and Rolling Stones.
Sources differ by way of how the Barge grew to become referred to as Daddy G. you Accepted “A Evening with Daddy G” as a thematic music for his radio present. Shortly thereafter, the DOO-WOP DOVELLS group paid tribute to Mr Barge in his hit since 1961. “Bristol Stomp” “ Singing: “We lowered and twisted and shook with Daddy G.”
James Jean Barge, Jr., was born on August 9, 1926 in Norfolk, Washington, the oldest of eight youngsters of James and Telma (Edwards) Barge. His father performed Banjo and labored as a welder at Norfolk Naval Shipyard. His mom guidelines dwelling.
Mr Barge performed clarinet in highschool and began with the saxophone solely after his father introduced dwelling a tenor, which he discovered on a torpedo ship. At the moment, he was 20 and simply ended two years within the military air drive.
After graduating from the State School in West Virginia in 1950 with a level in music, he taught highschool and pursued music as an avocation. Jazz was a formative affect, particularly the bubbling phrase of the massive tenor saxophonist Leicester YoungS
The primary recordings that G -n Barj made underneath his title had been a pair of devices for Verify, a subsidiary of chess data, in 1956. Nation, his first single, was successful alongside the east coast.
“When the chess heard it, they stated,” What the hell is that? “Barge advised a file in an interview from 2007 in Virginia Residing journal.
“They’ve by no means heard a saxophone that seems like that. They even gave him a phrase: funk. That was the popularity I acquired – this Jean Barge may play funky. “
Round 1960, Barge started his brief however fruitful affiliation with producer Frank Guida, whose label Legrand launched “A Evening with Daddy G” and the early singles of the Bonds. Mr Barge and Mr. Bonds had a second main blow together with “The school is out”, “ Which reached the highest 10 in 1961, however solely loved modest success afterwards.
In 1964, as impartial recording labels of nationwide distribution had been more and more dominated by regional markets, Barja deserted educating – and the small footprint of Norfolk’s Legran – and moved to Chicago to work for chess data. Whereas there he performed on R&B hits like Little Milton’s “Grandies are not groceries” and Coco Taylor’s “Wang Dang Doodle” And so they produced albums, together with Buddy Man’s applauded efforts from 1967, “left their blues in San Francisco.”
On the finish of the Sixties, he additionally directed the music ensemble of the Chicago head of the operation of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a company headed regionally by Reverend Jesse Jackson.
Mr. Barzh later managed the Stax Information Gospel Division and within the coming many years he labored as a musician, producer and freelance arranger, principally within the Grammy Single of Natalie Cole “A sophisticated lady (she’s a different lady).” On the finish of the Nineteen Seventies, he launched into appearing regionally in Chicago (he made his debut on his display screen within the 1978 impartial movie “Stanz Island”) earlier than he finally landed roles in Hollywood motion thrillers as “underneath the siege” (1992) and “The The Determine” (1993).
Mr. Barzh remained energetic within the 2000s, serving as a 2003 PBS documentary marketing consultant at Martin Scorsse of 2003. The Blues and performed recordings like Public’s Avange’s Black in Constructing’s Black in Constructing Constructing “and with the avant -garde jazz trumpeter Malachi Thompson.
“Jean Barge is probably the most flying octogenarium I do know,” Chuck D of the general public enemy advised Virginia, dwelling in 2007, “Going from muddy waters to a public enemy is an efficient trick.”
Along with her daughter Gina, Mr. Barge survived one other daughter Gail Florence; Three brothers and sisters, Celestin Bailey, Kim Williamson and Milton Barzh; two grandchildren; And some nice -grandchildren. His spouse, Sarah Barge, died in 2008. His first marriage ended with a divorce.
G -N Barj’s profession might not have began at first, which he did with Chuck Willis’ CC Rider if it wasn’t for his endurance and good humor. After enjoying the grinding reef of the demonstration that satisfied Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler of Atlantic Information to file him as a single, he was taken to New York for the session, simply to search out that one other saxophonist was employed as a substitute.
“Ertegun and Wexler advised me they’d pay me, however they did not need to play,” Mr Barge advised Virginia Dwell.
“I went right down to the alcohol retailer, man, took my pint and sat on the ground to take heed to them. They made 27 receivables and weren’t glad. So Chuck stated, “Look, why do not you permit Jean to go right down to really feel?” So, I ran one they usually stated, “Maintain it, that is it, you understood it. Let’s lower it. “
Ash Wu Contributes to reporting.
