Trivia

Worked as a producer and arranger with Chess Records in Chicago in the 1960s and '70s.

To date he has only appeared in movies directed by Andrew Davis.

Played the tenor sax solos on the 1957 hit, "C.C. Rider" by Chuck Willis.

Is the "Daddy G" referred to by Gary U.S. Bonds in the 1961 song, "Quarter To Three" due to his sax playing on an earlier record, "A Night With Daddy G" by The Church Street Five. Played the tenor sax solos on the song as well. Also mentioned in the 1961 hit, "Bristol Stomp" by The Dovells. Barge picked up the name Daddy G from Bishop Daddy Grace, founder of The United House Of Prayer For All People in 1919.

Mr. Barge, who was a longtime resident of Chatham before moving to Bronzeville about 13 years ago to be closer to his daughter, grew up in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 1946, just before enrolling at West Virginia State College, he started playing a waterlogged saxophone that a British sailor had given his dad, who worked as a welder in the navy yard.

While in high school Barge joined the air force's new aviation cadet program, but World War II ended before he was assigned to a unit.

He moved to Chicago in the 1960s to become a staff musician and producer with Chess Records.

Soon Barge switched majors from architecture to music and began gigging locally; he served as the lead soloist in his college jazz band till graduating in 1950.

In 1961, the Dovells reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a song called "The Bristol Stomp", which refers to Bristol, Pennsylvania, and includes the line "We ponied and twisted and we rocked with Daddy G". Since Gene Barge had earlier co-written "A Night With Daddy 'G' - Part 1" and "A Night With Daddy 'G' - Part 2" (Legrand LEG 1004), many applied the pseudonym 'Daddy G' to him.

Barge toured and played with such notables as Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Chuck Willis, the Rolling Stones, Gary U.S. Bonds, and Natalie Cole.

In the 1970s, he continued to produce as well as arrange records, including Natalie Cole's early hits.

He was a founding member of the 1960s band The Church Street Five, which recorded for the locally based label, Legrand Records, operated by Frank Guida.

The lyrics to Gary U.S. Bonds' 1961 hit on Legrand, "Quarter To Three", which were added to the original Church Street Five instrumental, mention the Church Street Five and Daddy G, and contains the lyrics "With the help last night, of Daddy G" and the exhortation "Blow, Daddy!".

Gene Barge was an American tenor and alto saxophonist and composer in several bands. He has also toured in recent years under the pseudonym 'Daddy G.'.