Chris Barber facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Chris Barber
|
|
|---|---|
Barber in 2010
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Donald Christopher Barber |
| Born | 17 April 1930 Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England |
| Died | 2 March 2021 (aged 90) |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments | Trombone, double bass |
| Years active | 1950-2019 |
| Labels |
|
| Associated acts |
|
Chris Barber (born Donald Christopher Barber, 17 April 1930 – 2 March 2021) was a famous English jazz musician. He was best known as a bandleader and played the trombone. He also played the double bass.
Chris Barber had a big hit song called "Petite Fleur" in 1959. It reached the top 20 in the UK. He also helped many other musicians become famous. These included the blues singer Ottilie Patterson, who was his wife for a time. He also helped Lonnie Donegan. Donegan's performances with Barber started the skiffle craze in the 1950s. Lonnie Donegan had his first big hit, "Rock Island Line", while playing with Barber's band. Chris Barber also helped bring African-American blues musicians to Britain. This was important for starting the British rhythm and blues and "beat boom" music of the 1960s.
Contents
Early Life and Music Beginnings
Chris Barber was born in Welwyn Garden City, England, on 17 April 1930. His father was an insurance statistician. His mother was a headmistress. Chris started learning the violin when he was seven years old.
He went to Hanley Castle Grammar School until he was 15. During this time, he became very interested in jazz music. After World War II, he went to St Paul's School in London. He started visiting clubs to listen to jazz groups. Then, he studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. There, he met friends like Alexis Korner and began playing music with them.
Chris Barber's Music Career
In 1950, Chris Barber started a group called the New Orleans Jazz Band. It was a non-professional band with up to eight musicians. Alexis Korner played guitar, and Barber played double bass. They played both trad jazz and blues songs. Barber had trained to be an actuary, which is someone who works with statistics for insurance. But in 1951, he decided to leave his job and become a full-time musician.
Forming the Band
In late 1952, Barber and clarinet player Monty Sunshine formed a new band. Pat Halcox joined them on trumpet. They started playing in London clubs. In early 1953, they got an offer to play in Denmark. Pat Halcox couldn't go, but Ken Colyer, who had been in New Orleans, was available. Colyer joined the band, and they called themselves Ken Colyer's Jazzmen. The group also included Lonnie Donegan, Jim Bray, Ron Bowden, and Barber on trombone. They played their first show in Copenhagen, Denmark, in April 1953.
In Copenhagen, they recorded songs for a new record label. Some of these recordings featured only Monty Sunshine, Lonnie Donegan, and Chris Barber. The band played Dixieland jazz. Later, they also played ragtime, swing, blues, and R&B. In 1954, Pat Halcox returned to the band. Ken Colyer left due to musical differences. The band then became "The Chris Barber Band."
First Recordings and Big Hits
The Chris Barber Band's first recording session was in 1954. They made an LP called New Orleans Joys. It included the song "Rock Island Line" sung by Lonnie Donegan. When "Rock Island Line" was released as a single under Donegan's name, it became a huge hit. This launched Donegan's solo career and started the British skiffle music boom. The Barber band also recorded several live albums in the 1950s.
In 1959, their recording of "Petite Fleur" became a massive success. It was a clarinet solo by Monty Sunshine. The song stayed on the UK Singles Charts for 24 weeks and reached No. 3. It sold over one million copies and earned a gold disc. After 1959, Barber toured the United States many times. "Petite Fleur" also became a hit there.
Bringing Blues to Britain
In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Chris Barber helped arrange the first UK tours for famous blues artists. These included Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, and Muddy Waters. This helped inspire young musicians like Peter Green, Eric Clapton, and The Rolling Stones. This new British blues music led to the "British Invasion" of the USA music charts in the 1960s.
In 1963, a big trad jazz event happened in Britain at Alexandra Palace. Many famous jazz musicians performed there, including Chris Barber.
Band Changes and Later Years
In 1964, Chris Barber surprised some fans by adding blues guitarist John Slaughter to his band. John Slaughter played with the band until 2010. Barber then added a second clarinet and saxophone player. This lineup continued until 1999. Later, Barber added another trombonist and more musicians. This larger group became the "Big Chris Barber Band" in 2001. It had eleven members and could play a wider range of music, including the early music of Duke Ellington.
Chris Barber published his autobiography, Jazz Me Blues, in 2014. He announced his retirement from performing on 12 August 2019, after almost 70 years. The band continued to perform under the direction of Bob Hunt.
Chris Barber received an OBE in 1991 for his contributions to music. In 2006, he received an honorary doctorate from Durham University. He also received several awards in Germany for his work in popularizing the blues in Europe.
Long-term Musical Partnerships
Chris Barber had very long partnerships with his band members. Pat Halcox, the trumpeter, played with the Chris Barber Band for 54 years. This is one of the longest continuous partnerships in jazz history! He retired in 2008.
John Crocker, who played reeds, retired in 2003 after 30 years. Vic Pitt, the double bass player, retired in 2007 after 30 years with the band.
Personal Life
Chris Barber was married four times. His second marriage was to the singer Ottilie Patterson. They were married from 1959 to 1983. He later had two children.
Chris Barber passed away on 2 March 2021, at the age of 90. He had been suffering from dementia before his death.
Select Discography
- New Orleans Joys Chris Barber Jazz Band, with Lonnie Donegan Skiffle Group, 1954
- Bestsellers: Chris Barber & Papa Bue's Viking Jazzband, 1954
- Original Copenhagen Concert, (live) 1954
- Chris Barber in Concert, (live) 1956
- Chris Barber Plays, Vol. 1, 1955
- Chris Barber Plays, Vol. 2, 1956
- Chris Barber Plays, Vol. 3, 1957
- Chris Barber Plays, Vol. 4, 1957
- Chris Barber in Concert, Vol. 2, (live) 1958
- "Petite Fleur", 1958
- Chris Barber American Jazz band, 1960
- In Budapest, 1962
- Louis Jordan Sings, 1962
- Live in East Berlin, 1968
- Chris Barber & Lonnie Donegan, 1973
- Golden Hour of Chris Barber and his jazz Band featuring Vocals by Ottilie Patterson and Clarinet by Monty Sunshine , 1974
- Echoes of Ellington, Vol. 1, 1976
- Echoes of Ellington, Vol. 2, 1976
- Echoes of Ellington, 1978
- Take Me Back to New Orleans, 1980
- Concert for the BBC, 1982
- Copulatin' Jazz: The Music of Preservation Hall, 1993
- Live at the BP Studienhaus, 1997
- Cornbread, Peas & Black Molasses, (live) 1999
- The Big Chris Barber Band with Special Guest Andy Fairweather Low: As We Like It, 2009
- Chris Barber's Jazz Band, Chris Barber 1957–58, 2009
- The Chris Barber Jazz & Blues Band, Barbican Blues, 2009
- The Big Chris Barber Band, Barber At Blenheim, 2009
- Chris Barber's Jazz Band with Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee, Sonny, Brownie & Chris, 2009
- Chris Barber Memories Of My Trip, 2011
Images for kids
-
Barber in 2010
-
Barber performing in Hamburg, 1972
-
Chris Barber, 1972
See also
In Spanish: Chris Barber para niños
