THE BARGE FAMILY ∙ CHICAGO, IL

ENTREPRENEUR / MUSIC ∙@genedaddygbarge @callmeginabee

 

 

ABOUT THE BARGE FAMILY

Gene Barge: ​The Barge family was originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina. My grandfather had four siblings, and most of us ended up in Virginia. I was born in 1926 and grew up in a typical family, although my parents were divorced and my grandparents raised me and my brothers when my mother moved to New York. My grandparents were Black business owners and hard workers who owned a meat market and butcher shop in North Carolina, which they moved to Norfolk, Virginia. My dad was a self-taught mechanic, and during the war, he worked in the Navy yard as a welder for ships and aircraft, which was considered a good job out of the Depression. If anything, our family business was the military. There were eight of us – five boys and three girls, and we all served.  

 

Tell us a little about how you started with Chess records and ended up in Chicago? 

 

Gene: Well, my wife and I left Virginia for Chicago because I was hired to work for Chess Records as a staff Producer in the 60s.  Phil and Leonard Chess knew me from my work with Gary U.S. Bonds as Daddy G, and they wanted me to join the label and produce some of their artists – Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, and Willie Dixon, who would become a very good friend. I hired Charles Stepney as an arranger, and our families have always been close. We don’t have any blood relatives here in Chicago, but we made it our home and had our daughter here.

 

Growing up, who in your family influenced you, and what impact did they have on you? 

 

Gina: My parents, each for different reasons. As the child of a musician and an accountant, I  witnessed a creative person who was extremely dedicated to his craft and a woman who paid close attention to detail and was impeccable about investments and financial strategy. My mother was also dedicated to making sure that all women – especially Black women – exercised their rights to vote. I’m a daddy’s girl, but I’m my mother’s daughter.

 

Tell us a memory you have of your family’s legacy that has shaped you.

 

Gina: My very first job in grade school was organizing my dad’s sheet music for his band and typing his song lyrics for recording sessions. From an early age, I was his shadow on gigs and in the studio.  I was taught about copyrights, contracts, and royalties.  Through my father, I’ve always had a front seat to the music industry, which only pushed me in the opposite direction. I’ve always had one foot in the corporate world and the other in creative, except my creativity manifested more in writing and media. 

 

What is one thing you're incredibly proud of at this very moment?

 

Gene: Honestly, I’m proud of having finished college. Looking back, it was tough for Black people at that time because most people couldn’t afford to go. I was in the Air Force for less than two years, and I didn’t have the full four-year college benefits, so I finished school in three years on the GI bill. ​​I’m also proud of teaching myself to play saxophone and that I worked hard to master it, become a professional and play with the big boys. And I’ve won some awards along the way.

 

What would you most like to be remembered for? 

 

Gene: I want to be remembered for my music accomplishments, producing and arranging, but largely for being one of the leading saxophone players in the R&B music genre and making an impact on that style of music. I was one of the two or three top soul saxophone players, and I’m proud of my performances, even though I didn’t always like what I played at the time. I was the soloist on all of The Dells records, Koko Taylor, Fontella Bass, and it goes on and on. 

 

Photo Credits: Andy Davis, Lee Farmer

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/GeneDaddyGBarge