Gene Barge is an American tenor and alto saxophonist and composer in several bands. Born in Norfolk, Virginia, he was a founding member of the 1960s band The Church Street Five, which recorded for the locally-based label, LeGrand Records, operated by Frank Guida . In 1961, The Dovells reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 with a 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 earlier 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 on LeGrand, "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 moved from Virginia to Chicago in the early 1960s to widen his music and acting careers. 

August 9th, 1926 in Norfolk  /  Died:   Feb 2nd, 2025