NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Gene 鈥淒addy G鈥 Barge, an admired and durable saxophone player, songwriter and producer who worked on hits by Natalie Cole, oversaw recordings by Muddy Waters, performed with the Rolling Stones and helped inspire the dance classic 鈥淨uarter to Three,鈥 has died. He was 98.
He died in his sleep Sunday at his home in Chicago, according to daughter Gina Barge.
Barge鈥檚 career spanned much of the post-World War II era. He was in college jazz combos in the 1940s, backed Little Richard and James Brown when they were starting out, played a long, sweet solo on the 鈥50s standard 鈥淐.C. Rider鈥 and collaborated with Gary 鈥淯.S.鈥 Bonds on 鈥淨uarter to Three鈥 and other 鈥60s party favorites. He later recorded with such blues greats as Waters, Buddy Guy and Willie Dixon, co-produced Cole鈥檚 Grammy Award-winning single 鈥淪ophisticated Lady,鈥 toured with the Stones in the early 1980s and even played on Public Enemy鈥檚 鈥淣ew Whirl Odor鈥 album, for which he was credited as 鈥渢he legendary Mr. Gene Barge.鈥
Often cited as a precursor to the E Street Band's Clarence Clemons, he held rare status among saxophonists 鈥 so well known for a time that he was called out by name on two hits of the early 鈥60s 鈥 鈥淨uarter to Three鈥 and the uptempo doo-wop number 鈥淏ristol Stomp,鈥 in which the Dovells sing: 鈥淚t started in Bristol at a dee jay hop/They hollered and whistled never wanted to stop/We pony and twisted and we rocked with Daddy G.鈥
In the 1970s and after, he had success as a character actor in thrillers and crime stories, his films including 鈥淎bove the Law,鈥 鈥淭he Package鈥 and 鈥淭he Fugitive.鈥 Barge was also a consultant for Martin Scorsese鈥檚 documentary 鈥淭he Blues.鈥
When the musician was in his 80s, Public Enemy鈥檚 Chuck D called him 鈥渢he flyest octogenarian I know.鈥
The eldest of eight children, James Gene Barge was born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, and dreamed of professional football before playing clarinet with his high school marching band inspired him to try music. He took up the tenor saxophone shortly after ending a two-year stint in the Air Force and right before enrolling in West Virginia State College: His father, a welder in the Norfolk Navy Yard, had been given one by a visiting British World War II soldier.
鈥淭he saxophone was the instrument, coming up, that had the sound closest to the human voice,鈥 Barge told Virginia Living in 2007. 鈥淚t was the one with the impact. It was the featured instrument in the band, so that was the one you wanted to play.鈥
By the 1950s, Barge was jamming with local jazz and rhythm and blues groups and leading the Gene Barge Band. The release of his instrumental 鈥淐ountry,鈥 a minor hit in 1955, helped bring on a bigger commercial breakthrough.
Rhythm and blues singer Chuck Willis invited him to join his touring band and brought him to a recording session for Atlantic Records in New York. Willis was recording the sinuous 鈥淐.C. Rider,鈥 which topped the R&B charts in 1957 and was covered by Elvis Presley, the Grateful Dead and many others. The studio saxophone player wasn鈥檛 working out, so Barge stepped in.
鈥淭hey did 27 takes and weren鈥檛 satisfied. So Chuck said, 鈥楲ook, why don鈥檛 you just let Gene run down one to get the feel,鈥欌 he told Virginia Living. 鈥淪o I ran down one and they said, 鈥楬old on, that鈥檚 it, you got it. Let鈥檚 cut it.鈥 ... And two or three takes later, man, we had cut the song.鈥
Barge had even greater success a few years later. He had returned to Norfolk, working with a Legrand label owner Frank Guida and forming the Church Street Five, named for a major city roadway. The Church Street musicians would cut an instrumental, 鈥淎 Night With Daddy G,鈥 that was the basis of 鈥淨uarter to Three鈥 and led to Barge鈥檚 professional nickname.
鈥淒addy G鈥 originally referred to a local preacher, Bishop 鈥淒addy鈥 Grace, one of whose churches was near Legrand and the site for local shows that included members of the Church Street Five. "A Night With Daddy G鈥 was a driving dance track led by Barge鈥檚 hot tenor sax and influenced by New Orleans rhythm and blues. Bonds, a fellow Legrand artist and childhood friend of Barge鈥檚, loved the song. But he thought it needed lyrics, writing in his memoir 鈥淏y U.S. Bonds鈥 that it lacked a 鈥渃atchy phrase that makes you anticipate the entire melody.鈥
鈥淭he players were setting up and they started playing 鈥楢 Night With Daddy G,鈥欌 Bonds wrote of the studio session, 鈥渁nd I started singing some nonsense and it occurred to me that maybe I could add some words.鈥
鈥淨uarter to Three,鈥 a No. 1 hit in 1961, became a rock standard and a featured part of Bruce Springsteen鈥檚 concerts. Now known to many as 鈥淒addy G,鈥 Barge would collaborate on other hits with Bonds, including 鈥淪chool Is Out鈥 and 鈥淒ear Lady Twist,鈥 and work with a wide range of artists over the following decades.
With Chicago鈥檚 Chess Records, he played on such hits as Fontella Bass鈥 鈥淩escue Me鈥 and produced albums by Waters and Little Milton among others. With Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee, he arranged the gospel favorites 鈥淟ord Don鈥檛 Move the Mountain,鈥 by Inez Andrews, and the Beautiful Zion Baptist Church鈥檚 鈥淚鈥檒l Make It Alright.鈥
Barge鈥檚 Chicago connection helped lead to his work with Natalie Cole, daughter of Nat 鈥淜ing鈥 Cole. He befriended the writing-producing team of Chuck Jackson and Marvin Yancey and helped produce and arrange the 1970s albums 鈥淣atalie鈥 and 鈥淯npredictable鈥 among others. In a 2023 podcast with his daughter Gina, Barge remembered the late singer as 鈥渙ne of the most talented鈥 performers he worked with and most intelligent, 鈥渧ery knowledgeable鈥 about the music business in part because of her father.
Barge鈥檚 own album, 鈥淒ance With Daddy G,鈥 came out in 1965. More recently, he self-released 鈥淥lio,鈥 which included cameos from bluesman Buddy Guy and soul star Otis Clay, and he was on stage often as a member of the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings.
鈥淚鈥檓 sitting here looking at my horn now, feeling guilty because I didn鈥檛 get enough practice time in today 鈥 I鈥檓 mad because I didn鈥檛 write a song, or the intro to a song. I got things to do. I鈥檓 not looking back,鈥 Barge told Virginia Living. 鈥淢y philosophy is that you鈥檝e got to move forward, stay contemporary, read, keep up with the young people. Because that鈥檚 the future.鈥
