Pianist-singer Buddy Barnes has been gone for many years now—he died on September 11, 1992 at age 52—but his enormous legacy lives on. He was a popular cabaret performer and notably Mabel Mercer‘s accompanist and musical director for seven years, from 1965 to 1972. Mercer was the biggest influence on his singing (and Cy Walter was the pianist who most influenced his playing). His vocal style was similar to Mercer’s, and in his husky baritone, he performed songs as conversational monologues. He was also noted for finding obscure songs of the American Songbook, often pouring through stacks of old sheet music as well as exploring the possibilities of pop charts of the day.
Barnes came from a show business family. His mother, Marjorie Fielding, was a Broadway director and choreographer, and his father, Charles Barnes, a successful vaudeville singer. As a child, he recalled sitting on Lorenz Hart’s knee. His early desire, though, was to be a concert pianist. He changed his mind in 1955 when he attended a Mabel Mercer concert. A mutual friend, Rosy Dolly, introduced Barnes to Mercer; they became acquainted, becoming close friends in 1963.
Barnes had his own cult following, many of whom were fellow performers. He also accompanied many other vocalists, including Rita Gardner, Claiborne Cary and Ann Hampton Callaway. KT Sullivan, Artistic Director of the Mabel Mercer Foundation, and a champion of Bart Howard’s music, met Howard through Barnes, who had introduced her to Howard’s work. After Mercer died in 1984, and also shortly after Sullivan took up residence in New York City, Barnes, one of her accompanists, took her to Mabel Mercer’s memorial. Barnes was playing at this event for the likes of Elaine Stritch and Barbara Cook. Howard too was in attendance. Barnes invited Howard to see Sullivan’s act, which contained a couple of his songs. After the show, the pair talked and hit it off. Though Barnes, a new friendship was formed between Sullivan and Howard.
Pianist and entertainer, Ricky Ritzel remembers Barnes: “When I moved here, I was introduced to the great pianist Buddy Barnes. He had been Mabel Mercer’s accompanist for a while. He became my mentor and dear friend. Boy, did he know the ins and outs of this business!”
Joe McGough, a long-time cabaret aficionado and intimate of Barnes had the good fortune to share many of Barnes’ friendships. He remembers: “My wife Cass and I met Buddy at the Canal House in New Hope, PA around fifty years ago, since he was their pianist during the summer. He would bring singers from NYC to the Canal House each weekend, such as Jamie deRoy, Susannah McCorkle and Blossom Dearie. One night Buddy brought sheet music of a new song that Kander and Ebb gave him and he played it. It was the “Theme from New York, New York,” way before anyone heard it.”
“Buddy spent a lot of time in Philly and lived with us. I knew the owner of Cafe Lafitte, John Mc Nulty, and so got him a gig there, where Mabel Mercer, Julie Wilson, Barbara Cook, Dolores Gray, Joe Maisel and others use to sing. Buddy introduced Mabel to us and we became friends and saw her many times. He also introduced us to Murray Grand who wrote “Guess Who I Saw Today” (with lyricist Elisse Boyd) as they were close friends. One weekend Buddy brought Richard Rodney Bennett to stay as well as Chris Connors. I also met Cam Walter who was Cy Walter wife, as well as KT Sullivan.”
Another memory of Barnes comes from Gaylin English, who says, “I had the absolute pleasure of being introduced to Buddy Barnes by the legend of Grove Street, Marie Blake. He was charming and more than willing to share stories of Mabel Mercer and his time accompanying her. I think the one thing I will always cherish about him was his graciousness to this neophyte to jazz. Whenever my late husband Jack or I ran across him, he would remember our names even if he was in a hurry.
He remembered that I had a limited knowledge of jazz and would ask me whom I had recently heard and what my thoughts on those talents were. My last memory of him was when he asked who my favorite was and I said Ella Fitzgerald because I can still hear the melody in her voice and he threw back his head, roared with laughter, patted me on the shoulder and said ‘Now THAT is wonderful.’”
Buddy Barnes, Part Two is a personal remembrance by Mark Walter, son of pianist Cy Walter.
Listen to Buddy Barnes sing:
Buddy’s Album, THE MAGIC TIME was recorded and mixed at my studios. I engineered and mixed that album along with a great many more that Buddy and a lot of his friends played on. He was wonderfully supportive, a terrific talent and fun to work with. It’s nice to see him getting this kind of recognition after so many years.