George Barnes (musician)

George Barnes
Background information
Birth nameGeorge Warren Barnes
Born(1921-07-17)July 17, 1921
South Chicago Heights, Illinois, U.S.
DiedSeptember 5, 1977(1977-09-05) (aged 56)
Concord, California
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • arranger
  • composer
  • producer
  • author
  • music educator
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1931–1977
Labels
Websitegeorgebarneslegacy.com

George Warren Barnes (July 17, 1921[1]– September 5, 1977) was an American swing jazz guitarist.[2] 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.[3] At 17, he was considered to be a great player by many musicians, including Tommy Dorsey, and Jimmy McPartland.[4] Barnes was also proficient as a recording engineer.[5] 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.[5] He was an inspiration to, and influenced guitarists Chet Atkins, Roy Clark, Herb Ellis and Merle Travis, among many others.[6]

  1. ^ Ross, Sam "Form B: Interview With George Barnes. 10 May 1939". Jazz Music Chicago. Chicago, Illinois. Library of Congress. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  2. ^ Wilson, John S. (1977). "George Barnes, 56; Jazz Guitarist Won Acclaim for Style". The New York Times.
  3. ^ "George Barnes – the first electric guitarist. George Barnes the best guitarist you (thought) you never heard". One Man's Guitar. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Interview19391 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Yelin, Bob. "George Barnes Interview". Guitar Player, February 1975. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Herb was invoked but never defined (see the help page).