Biography
The ensemble Daddy "G" & the Church Street Five functions interchangeably with the Church Street Five. As Legrand Records' house band, the musicians supplied the backing for Frank Guida's early-'60s productions featuring Gary "U.S." Bonds and Jimmy Soul. Although they cut independent sides, more of those sides reached the market under the Daddy "G" & the Church Street Five name than under the simpler Church Street Five billing.
Church-derived elements shaped their approach, evident in the buoyant horns and vocal chants that suggested a high-energy revival service turned toward rock. The group played rock & roll rather than gospel, however, fusing Little Richard-style R&B horn lines with organ textures and a rhythmic drive closer to early-'60s soul and rock. Tenor saxophonist Gene Barge supplied the defining ingredient, his robust lines saturating Bonds hits such as "Quarter to Three." Trombonist Leonard Barks and drummer Emmett "Nabs" Shields formed other central members. Shields had previously performed with the band at Norfolk, VA's Bishop Grace House of Prayer, situated at the corner of Church Street and Princess Anne Road, which accounts for the group's name.
From 1960 to 1964 the Church Street Five issued several Guida singles, chiefly instrumentals. Most carried the Daddy "G" & the Church Street Five credit, with Daddy "G" standing for Gene Barge. Their first single nevertheless appeared simply as the Church Street Five on the instrumental "A Night with Daddy "G"." That track served as the loose blueprint for Gary U.S. Bonds' #1 single "Quarter to Three," which reused many of the same riffs and melody while adding party-oriented lyrics and a revised arrangement.
The Church Street Five singles amounted to secondary, upbeat party instrumentals that shared a uniform sound and often resembled Gary U.S. Bonds backing tracks still awaiting vocals. The same musicians participated in other Guida sessions, again mostly instrumental, released under alternate names including "Baby" Earl & the Trini-Dads, King Coney & the Hot Dogs, and the South Street Six. Ace's compilation A Night with Daddy "G." gathers recordings by the Church Street Five and several of these related lineups. Gene Barge, performing as Daddy "G," later gained recognition as a producer, session musician, and songwriter during his mid-to-late '60s tenure with Chess Records.
Church-derived elements shaped their approach, evident in the buoyant horns and vocal chants that suggested a high-energy revival service turned toward rock. The group played rock & roll rather than gospel, however, fusing Little Richard-style R&B horn lines with organ textures and a rhythmic drive closer to early-'60s soul and rock. Tenor saxophonist Gene Barge supplied the defining ingredient, his robust lines saturating Bonds hits such as "Quarter to Three." Trombonist Leonard Barks and drummer Emmett "Nabs" Shields formed other central members. Shields had previously performed with the band at Norfolk, VA's Bishop Grace House of Prayer, situated at the corner of Church Street and Princess Anne Road, which accounts for the group's name.
From 1960 to 1964 the Church Street Five issued several Guida singles, chiefly instrumentals. Most carried the Daddy "G" & the Church Street Five credit, with Daddy "G" standing for Gene Barge. Their first single nevertheless appeared simply as the Church Street Five on the instrumental "A Night with Daddy "G"." That track served as the loose blueprint for Gary U.S. Bonds' #1 single "Quarter to Three," which reused many of the same riffs and melody while adding party-oriented lyrics and a revised arrangement.
The Church Street Five singles amounted to secondary, upbeat party instrumentals that shared a uniform sound and often resembled Gary U.S. Bonds backing tracks still awaiting vocals. The same musicians participated in other Guida sessions, again mostly instrumental, released under alternate names including "Baby" Earl & the Trini-Dads, King Coney & the Hot Dogs, and the South Street Six. Ace's compilation A Night with Daddy "G." gathers recordings by the Church Street Five and several of these related lineups. Gene Barge, performing as Daddy "G," later gained recognition as a producer, session musician, and songwriter during his mid-to-late '60s tenure with Chess Records.