Donald Christopher 'Chris' Barber (born April 17, 1930 at Welwyn
Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, and
educated at St Paul's School, in London) is best
known as a trombonist playing in his Trad revivals with his Dixieland jazz band.
Basic biography
Chris Barber began leading his own bands in
1949 in which
he played trombone.
Barber helped to create the careers of many diverse musicians, most
notably the superb blues singer Ottilie
Patterson - who was at one time, Mrs Barber. Others include
vocalist and banjo
player Lonnie Donegan who rose to
his own fame during the Skiffle music craze of the middle-1950s. He had his
first transatlantic hit during his time in Chris Barber's band with the
release of Rock Island Line.
In addition to Donegan, Barber also featured Pat
Halcox on trumpet from 1954 onwards, once Ken Colyer had moved on
after a difference of opinion as to the way the band should develop.
The band formed in 1953 took Colyer's name as they thought that his
recent spell in New Orleans would be an attraction, with Monty
Sunshine on clarinet,
Donegan, Jim Bray (Bass), Ron Bowden (drums) and Chris Barber on
trombone of course. Sunshine was heard in the music charts with his
rendition of Bechet's Petite Fleur, Chris Barber
playing bass. Although the Barber band featured Dixieland Jazz, it also
engaged in Ragtime,
Swing,
Blues and R&B and worked
with other artists including Louis Jordan and Dr. John.
After 1959
he toured the United States many times.
Almost in passing, in the late-1950s and early-1960s, Chris Barber
was mainly responsible for arranging the first UK tours of seminal
blues artists such as Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny
Terry & Brownie McGhee and Muddy
Waters. This, along with encouragement from local enthusiasts such as Alexis
Korner and John Mayall, sparked the
interest of young local prospective musicians such as Peter Green, Eric
Clapton and the members of the The Rolling Stones in
the Blues
and caused the British Blues explosion that in turn
resulted in the British invasion exported back to
the US in the middle to late sixties.
Originally a six piece band, with a back line of drums, bass and
banjo, and a front line of trombone, clarinet and trumpet, Chris
stunned the traditionalists in 1964 by including blues guitarist,
John Slaughter, into the line up. (apart from a break between April
1978 and August 1986, when Roger Hill took over the spot, John is still
there).
Chris then added a second clarinet/saxophone,
making it an eight-piece band, and this continued right up until 1999.
With a long time love of the Duke Ellington music, Chris added
fellow trombonist and arranger Bob Hunt into the line up, along with
another clarinet and trumpet. The band is now known as "The Big Chris
Barber Band", boasting an impressive 11 man lineup and a very broad
range of music, still catering for many tastes but also still having a
spot in the concert programme for the original traditional, six man
lineup.
The partnership with trumpeter Pat Halcox, dating back to May
1954, is now the longest in jazz history.
The current line up is John Sutton - drums; Dave Green double
bass (Jan 2007); John Slaughter - guitar; Joe Farler - banjo & guitar, forming
the rhythm section. Front line Chris Barber, Bob Hunt - trombone; Pat
Halcox, Mike Henry - trumpets; Mike Snelling, Tony Carter, Richard
Exall - clarinets, alto sax, tenor sax, baritone
sax, flute.
Recent band members who have moved on:
Vic Pitt - double bass retired January 2007 after
30 years with the band. His feature duet with the drummers of the day -
"Big Noise From Winnetka" was not only a feature of the Chris Barber
concerts, but also his time with the Kenny Ball band immediately before.
John Defferary - reeds - End 2006; Andy Kuc - banjo/guitar End
2006 Colin Miller - drums; John Crocker - reeds Jan 2003
External links
