George Barnes (July 17, 1921 – September 5, 1977) was a world-renowned
swing jazz guitarist, who claimed he played the first
electric guitar in 1931, preceding
Charlie Christian by six years. George Barnes made the first recording of an electric guitar in 1938 in sessions with Big Bill Broonzy.
Biography
George Barnes was born in
South Chicago Heights,
Illinois. He started his career accompanying blues vocalists such as
Big Bill Broonzy. In the mid-1930s, Barnes toured throughout the
Midwest. By 1938, he was working as a musician on the staff of
NBC studios. After a stint in the
Army, Barnes recorded with his
octet and worked as a studio musician for Decca.
In 1940, Barnes released his first recording under his own name on Okeh Records, "I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles" backed with "I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me".
He did not receive national acclaim until he recorded an album called
Two Guitars with
Carl Kress. After the death of Kress, Barnes recorded several albums with
Bucky Pizzarelli. Their partnership lasted through the early 1970s. He also worked as a session musician for
The Jodimars in the late 1950s.Before his death, Barnes also made well-received albums with
Joe Venuti. He also contributed an album entitled
Guitars a'plenty, under the name The George Barnes Guitar Choir, for Mercury Records in 1962. It was part of a series of recordings known as "Super Stereo Sound" as technical "state...
Read More