James Gene Barge Jr. (August 9, 1926 – February 2, 2025) was an American tenor and alto saxophonist in several bands in addition to being a composer.
[4] The band included Gene Barge (sax), Ron "Junior" Farley (bass), Willie Burnell (piano), Leonard Barks (trombone), and Emmet Shields (drums).
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, evangelist, whose church address was the inspiration for the naming of the group.
In the 1970s, he continued to produce as well as arrange records, including work on Natalie Cole's early hits.
He toured and played with such notables as Fats Domino, Bo Diddley, Big Joe Turner, LaVern Baker, Ray Charles, Chuck Willis, the Rolling Stones, Gary U.S. Bonds, and Natalie Cole; and he had roles in major movies starring Gene Hackman, Chuck Norris, Harrison Ford, and Steven Seagal.