George Barnes
b. 17 July 1921, Chicago Heights, Illinois, USA, d. 5 September 1977. Although first achieving a measure of national prominence by winning a Tommy Dorsey Amateur Swing Contest in 1937 when he was only 16 years old, Barnes was already a seasoned guitarist. He had previously worked extensively in the mid-west as leader of his own small group. He followed his contest success with a string of recording dates in which he accompanied leading blues singers, among them Big Bill Broonzy, Blind John Davis, Jazz Gillum and Washboard Sam. Interestingly enough, given such classical country blues associations, Barnes had been an early exponent of the electric guitar, which he had taken up in 1931. Apart from his army service, Barnes spent most of the '40s in staff jobs with NBC and ABC in Chicago and with Decca in New York. In the '60s, Barnes worked with fellow guitarists Carl Kress and Bucky Pizzarelli. Known as a decidedly prickly individual, Barnes broke up publicly with Pizzarelli before beginning an equally antagonistic—but musically profound—partnership with cornetist Ruby Braff. Barnes's blues playing was always superb, as was his melodic interpretation of the best standards. He played and recorded many fine examples of his brilliant single-line solos. His duets, especially with Braff and Joe Venuti, reveal an almost supernatural understanding of his fellow musicians. His death, in September 1977, while still very much in his prime, was a great loss to jazz guitar playing.