Danny Barker

A humorous personality as important for his storytelling and teaching as for his playing, Danny Barker had a long and colorful career. He played with the Boozan Kings early on in New Orleans and toured Mississippi with <a href="spotify:artist:1C7crJJ0HPOCCllrBaw6Rz">Little Brother Montgomery</a>. In 1930, he moved to New York, switching from banjo to guitar and working with Dave Nelson, <a href="spotify:artist:1RsmXc1ZqW3WBs9iwxiSwk">Sidney Bechet</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2VvFniWMdvtZ9vCoKxZ6rC">Fess Williams</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6VeTIJi6Dlx8ywPfIwqALY">Albert Nicholas</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0BMlIte9CqjItQ6mh2GoGi">James P. Johnson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4tdVYQWfsBth04tc1mmQ23">Lucky Millinder</a> (1937-1938), <a href="spotify:artist:5dlCVmfRbWVGOJYHzGyk32">Benny Carter</a> (1938), and <a href="spotify:artist:03cwCzIWQ8BRmXjGPDAL04">Cab Calloway</a> (1939-1946). He wrote "Don't You Feel My Leg" for his wife Blue Lu Barker (with whom he recorded frequently) and also had a hit with "Save the Bones for Henry Jones" (recorded by <a href="spotify:artist:7v4imS0moSyGdXyLgVTIV7">Nat King Cole</a>). By 1947, Barker was fully involved in the Dixieland revival (he never cared for bebop), appearing on the This Is Jazz radio series, recording with <a href="spotify:artist:4HGHKAXQPnK1YyzGmIFkrp">Bunk Johnson</a>, and returning to the banjo. He performed at Ryan's throughout the 1950s (often with <a href="spotify:artist:48xV4V00IFcNb0bqO9KD6p">Conrad Janis</a> or <a href="spotify:artist:2jHYUm5r73OV8CiKyMdYfo">Wilbur DeParis</a>) and then returned to New Orleans in 1965 where he worked as the assistant curator of the New Orleans Jazz Museum (1965-1975), led <a href="spotify:artist:1OwRWYy0edtEPGgHkAQraD">the Onward Brass Band</a>, encouraged younger players, and wrote about his experiences. Danny Barker, who appeared at the 1993 Monterey Jazz Festival with <a href="spotify:artist:5tMntK802KgUTLHsIfPwk4">Milt Hinton</a>, penned his memoirs (A Life in Jazz) in 1986 and was active in keeping New Orleans jazz alive up until to the end. His definitive recording is a solo set for Orleans; Barker can also be heard late in life on records by <a href="spotify:artist:375zxMmh2cSgUzFFnva0O7">Wynton Marsalis</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:6F6lawSnwGWWgdXFN7LXO7">the Dirty Dozen Brass Band</a>. ~ Scott Yanow, Rovi