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Barney Kessel (October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004) was an American . Known in particular for his knowledge of chords and inversions and chord-based melodies, he was a member of many prominent jazz groups as well as a "first call" guitarist for studio, film, and television recording sessions. Kessel was a member of the group of session musicians informally known as the Wrecking Crew.

Early life
Kessel was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma in 1923 to a family. Kessel's father was an immigrant from who owned and operated a shoe shop. A self-taught guitarist, his only formal musical study was three months of guitar lessons at the age of 12.
(1999). 9780195074185, Oxford University Press. .

Career
He began his career as a teenager, touring with local bands. When he was 16, he started playing with the Oklahoma A&M band, Hal Price & the Varsitonians. The band members nicknamed him "Fruitcake" because he practiced in excess of 16 hours per day. Kessel gained recognition due in part to his youth, and in part to being the only white musician playing in all- bands at black clubs.

In the early 1940s, he moved to , where for one year he was a member of the big band.

(2026). 9781617130236, Backbeat.
Noticed by , he appeared in the 1944 film Jammin' the Blues, which featured . Soon after, he played in the bands of and . During the day, he worked as a and at night played -oriented jazz in clubs. In 1947, he recorded with . He worked in Jazz at the Philharmonic and for one year in the early 1950s he was a member of the trio. After leaving the trio, he recorded several solo albums for Contemporary. He recorded a series of albums with Ray Brown and as The Poll Winners because the three of them often won polls conducted by Metronome and magazines. He was the guitarist on the album Julie Is Her Name (1955) by , which includes the standard "Cry Me a River", selling a million copies and demonstrated Kessel's chordal approach to guitar.
(1993). 9780851127323, Guinness.

During the 1960s, Kessel worked for Columbia Pictures and was a member of a band of session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew. At one point, after a two and a half hour session to record a one-chord song, "The Beat Goes On," Kessel is reported to have stood up and proclaimed, "Never have so many played so little for so much."

(2026). 9780312619749, St. Martin's Press. .
He recorded with pop acts such as The Monkees and The Beach Boys and with jazz musicians and . Kessel played the iconic opening notes of the acclaimed Beach Boys' album, on the track "Wouldn't It Be Nice." He played a 12-string hybrid mando-guitar, plugged directly into the recording console, at Brian Wilson's request. Kessel eventually left studio work to concentrate on his jazz career both onstage and on records. Along with solo work, he formed the ensemble Great Guitars with and .

Kessel was rated the No. 1 guitarist in Esquire, DownBeat, and magazine polls between 1947 and 1960.

From 1957 to 1958, Kay Musical Instrument Company manufactured the Kay Barney Kessel signature series guitars (models "Pro", "Artist" and "Jazz Special").

From 1961 to 1974, manufactured the Barney Kessel artist signature guitars in Standard and Custom models.

Artistry and equipment
Jazz Wolf Marshall said the style that Barney Kessel employed in his music was "the natural outgrowth of the electric guitar tone fostered by Charlie Christian and embraced by virtually every exponent of the post-Christian school". Kessel's signature "warm, clean timbre" was created with hollow-body arch-top electric guitars with the neck pickup activated, played through a . The guitar stylings of Barney Kessel were rooted in 1930s and 1940s jazz, and were influenced by the and styles of that time. Kessel was also influenced by post-bop , , and . Specifically, he named Charlie Parker, Pat Martino, Oscar Peterson, Lester Young and Django Reinhardt as influences on his playing style. Additionally, Kessel's music had a strong blues influence "in both chord- and single-note form". Kessel was known for his chord stylings and single-note solos. Throughout his career, Kessel primarily played a sunburst ES-350P that was built in either 1947 or 1948, which the guitarist modified extensively. He replaced the original pickup with a "Charlie Christian" bar pickup, replaced the original volume and tone knobs with those taken off of a record player, omitted the pickguard, and installed dot to replace the original fingerboard. Throughout his career, Kessel used various models of combo amplifiers made by , Gibson and . He used a heavy-gauge rounded and used medium-gauge Darco-wound polished .

Personal life
Kessel was married four times. His first marriage was to Gail Genovia Farmer during the 1950s and 1960s, with whom he had two sons, Dan and David Kessel. He was later married to singer and vocal contractor Betty Jane (BJ) Baker for 16 years, a union that ended in divorce in 1980. Following a ten-year marriage to Joanne “Jo” Kessel, he married his fourth wife, Phyllis Kessel, who remained with him for the final 12 years of his life.

His sons, Dan and David Kessel, became accomplished record producers and session musicians in their own right, working with prominent figures such as Phil Spector, John Lennon, and Leonard Cohen.

(2026). 9781400076611, Vintage Books.

Legacy and influence
Kessel is regarded as a pivotal figure in the evolution of jazz guitar, noted for his sophisticated chordal vocabulary and seamless integration of bebop language into the instrument's repertoire. His work with the "Poll Winners" trio and the Wrecking Crew solidified his reputation as one of the most versatile guitarists in American music history.

  • In 1999, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, recognizing his contributions to the genre.
  • He consistently topped the DownBeat, Metronome, and Playboy jazz polls throughout the 1950s.
  • His signature Gibson and Kay guitar models remain highly sought after by jazz guitarists and collectors for their unique tonal characteristics.

Death
Kessel was in poor health after suffering a in 1992, which effectively ended his career. 12 years later, he died from a at his home in on May 6, 2004 at the age of 80.

Discography
As leader
  • Barney Kessel (Contemporary, 1954)
  • To Swing or Not to Swing (Contemporary, 1955)
  • Kessel Plays Standards (Contemporary, 1956)
  • (Contemporary, 1956)
  • Music to Listen to Barney Kessel By (Contemporary, 1957)
  • The Poll Winners with , Ray Brown (Contemporary, 1957)
  • The Poll Winners Ride Again! with , Ray Brown (Contemporary, 1958)
  • Modern Jazz Performances from Bizet's Opera Carmen (Contemporary, 1959)
  • Some Like It Hot (Contemporary, 1959)
  • Poll Winners Three! with , Ray Brown (Contemporary, 1960)
  • Exploring the Scene! with , Ray Brown (Contemporary, 1960)
  • Bossa Nova Plus Big Band (, 1961)
  • El Tigre with (Charlie Parker, 1962)
  • Let's Cook! (Contemporary, 1962)
  • Breakfast At Tiffany's (Reprise, 1962)
  • Barney Kessel's Swingin' Party (Contemporary, 1963)
  • Contemporary Latin Rhythms (Reprise, 1963)
  • On Fire (Emerald, 1965)
  • Kessel's Kit (, 1969)
  • Reflections in Rome (RCA Victor, 1969)
  • Hair Is Beautiful (, 1969)
  • Feeling Free (Contemporary, 1969)
  • What's New... Barney Kessel? (, 1969)
  • Guitarra (RCA Camden, 1970)
  • Swinging Easy! (Black Lion, 1971)
  • I Remember Django with Stephane Grappelli (Black Lion, 1971)
  • Limehouse Blues with Stephane Grappelli (Freedom, 1972)
  • Summertime in Montreux (Black Lion, 1973)
  • Easy Moments with (Gemelli, 1973)
  • Two Way Conversation with (Sonet, 1974)
  • Barney (& Friends) Plays Kessel (, 1975)
  • Just Friends (Sonet, 1975)
  • Blue Soul (Black Lion, 1975)
  • Great Guitars with and (Concord Jazz, 1975)
  • The Poll Winners: Straight Ahead with Ray Brown, (Contemporary, 1975)
  • Poor Butterfly with (Concord Jazz, 1977)
  • Soaring (Concord Jazz, 1977)
  • Live at Sometime (Trio, 1977)
  • A Tribute to the Great Hollywood Stars with (Trio, 1977)
  • By Myself (Victor, 1977)
  • Great Guitars at the Winery with and (Concord Jazz, 1980)
  • Jellybeans with and Jimmie Smith (Concord Jazz, 1981)
  • Solo (Concord Jazz, 1983)
  • Great Guitars at Charlie's Georgetown (Concord Jazz, 1983)
  • Spontaneous Combustion with (Contemporary, 1987)
  • Red Hot and Blues (Contemporary, 1988)
  • Autumn Leaves (Black Lion, 1989)
  • Great Guitars Live with and (Concord 2001)
  • Live at the Jazz Mill 1954 (Modern Harmonic, 2016)
  • Live at the Jazz Mill 1954 Vol. 2 (Modern Harmonic, 2018)

As sideman
With The Beach Boys
  • The Beach Boys Today! (Capitol Records, 1965)
  • (Capitol Records, 1966)

With

  • Alone Together (, 1955)
  • Cosmopolite (Norgran, 1956)
  • Jazz Giant (Contemporary, 1958)
  • Aspects (United Artists, 1959)

With

  • Riot in Cell Block Number 9 (, 1954)
  • One Kiss Led to Another (, 1956)
  • Down in Mexico (Atco, 1956)
  • Young Blood (Atco, 1957)
  • Searchin' (Atco, 1957)

With

  • Night Beat (RCA Victor, 1963)
  • Ain't That Good News (, 1964)

With

  • Generalissimo (, 1959)
  • Live Date (Verve, 1959)
  • Bravura (Verve, 1959)
  • Wailers (Verve, 1960)

With

  • Sweets (, 1956)
  • Gee Baby, Ain't I Good to You (Verve, 1957)

With

  • Billie Holiday Sings (Clef, 1952)
  • Billie Holiday (Clef, 1953)
  • (Clef, 1954)
  • Billie Holiday at JATP (Clef, 1954)
  • Music for Torching (Clef, 1956)
  • (Clef, 1956)
  • Lady Sings the Blues (Clef, 1956)
  • Body and Soul (Verve, 1957)
  • Songs for Distingué Lovers (Verve, 1957)
  • All or Nothing at All (Verve, 1958)

With

  • Things Are Swingin' (Capitol, 1958)
  • I Like Men! (Capitol, 1959)
  • Jump for Joy (Capitol, 1959)
  • Then Was Then – Now Is Now! (Capitol, 1965)

With

  • Dream with Dean (Reprise, 1964)

With Anita O'Day

  • This Is Anita (Verve, 1956)
  • Pick Yourself Up with Anita O'Day (Verve, 1957)
  • Anita Sings the Winners (Verve, 1958)
  • Anita O'Day Swings Cole Porter with Billy May (Verve, 1959)
  • Trav'lin' Light (Verve, 1961)

With

  • The Oscar Peterson Quartet (Verve, 1955)
  • Romance: The Vocal Styling of Oscar Peterson (Verve, 1956)

With

  • Too Much! (Capitol, 1967)

With

  • Martians Come Back! (Atlantic, 1956)
  • Way Up There (Atlantic, 1957)
  • Chances Are It Swings (RCA Victor, 1958)
  • The Wizard of Oz and Other Harold Arlen Songs (RCA Victor, 1959)

With

  • Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes (Philles, 1964)

With

  • Out on a Limb (, 1956)
  • (Mercury, 1958)
  • (Mercury, 1958)

With Sonny & Cher

  • Look at Us (Atco Records, 1965)
  • In Case You're in Love (Atlantic Records, 1967)

With others

Bibliography

External links

: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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