Gene Barge (9th August Birthday)

[john poole]

(James) Gene Barge aka “Daddy G” (and occasionally “Raven Wildroot”) - born 9th August, 1926 (Norfolk, Virginia) - saxophonist, arranger, producer, songwriter, actor - he’s ninety today.

Chuck Willis - ‘C.C. Rider’ (1957) an early hit with Gene prominent on saxophone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACpeuOQP1nw

The Church Street Five - A Night with Daddy “G” (1960/61) - an instrumental that was re-recorded a few months later with added lyrics as ‘Quarter to Three’ by U.S. Bonds; Gene would also be involved with Bonds’ following hits
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAcy6jkLN7I
“Daddy G” was a reference to the then recently departed “celebrity preacher” Bishop “Daddy” Grace, but Gene himself would become known by the name
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelino_Manuel_da_Graca

He left Norfolk in 1964 to become an A&R man at Chess; played the solo on ‘Wang Dang Doodle’ by Ko Ko Taylor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCoXlFfe09A
w. Willie Dixon, Lafayette Leake, Buddy Guy, Jack Meyers (bass), Fred Below

YT also has a live version with Ko Ko and Gene reunited a few decades later, although disappointingly he didn’t play the solo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2F8GHtEFIok

‘Love is a 5-Letter Word’ - a song Gene wrote for Little Milton who did not want to record it, so he cut it instead with James Phelps (1965)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU8kATH_hL8

his life condensed to 68 seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHOeIxcS-VA

or in more detail -
http://billdahl.com/pages/gene_barge.html
http://www.virginialiving.com/culture/a ... h-daddy-g/