Gene Barge

Who is Gene Barge?

Gene Barge is an American tenor and alto saxophonist and composer in several bands. He is a founding member of the 1960s band The Church Street Five, was born in Norfolk, Virginia.

In 1961, The Dovells charted a #2 song called The Bristol Stomp which refers to Bristol, PA and includes the line "We ponied and twisted and we rocked with Daddy G". Since Gene Barge had co-written "A Night With Daddy 'G' - Part 1" and "A Night With Daddy 'G' - Part 2", many applied the pseudonym 'Daddy G' to him. It is not known whether the 'Daddy G' of that 1961 song lyric was intended to be Gene Barge or Bishop 'Daddy' Grace, a Norfolk, Virginia evangelist, whose church address was the inspiration for the naming of the group.

The lyrics to Gary U.S. Bond's 1961 hit, "Quarter To Three," which were added to the original Church Street Five instrumental, mentions the Church Street Five and Daddy G, and contains the exhortation "Blow, Daddy!"

Barge has toured and played with such notables as Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Chuck Willis, The Rolling Stones and Natalie Cole; and he had roles in major movies starring Gene Hackman, Chuck Norris, Harrison Ford and Steven Seagal. He has also toured in recent years under the pseudonym 'Daddy G.'