GENE BARGE

James Gene Barge Jr. (August 9, 1926 – February 2, 2025) was an American tenor and alto saxophonist in several bands in addition to being a composer.    Born in Norfolk, Virginia, on August 9, 1926, he was a founding member of the 1960s band The Church Street Five, which recorded for the locally based label, Legrand Records. Frank Guida owned Legrand Records. The band included Gene Barge (sax), Ron "Junior" Farley (bass), Willie Burnell (piano), Leonard Barks (trombone), and Emmet Shields (drums). In 1961, The Dovells were number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a song called "Bristol Stomp", which refers to Bristol, Pennsylvania east of Philadelphia. The song contains 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 read more...