Sax man blows into town

Norfolk-born saxophonist Gene "Daddy G" Barge will return to Hampton Roads Saturday as part of The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion in Portsmouth.

In the late-1950s, Barge formed the legendary Norfolk group the Church Street Five.

"The Church Street Five actually came about for my recording of 'A Night With Daddy G,' " he said. The piece was a jumping instrumental. "In 1959, the music was coming to full bloom - the R&B and rock 'n' roll. I think we were on the cusp of it."

Another Norfolk resident at the time, Gary Anderson, who recorded as Gary US Bonds for Frank Guida's Legrand Records, had a minimal hit titled "New Orleans." Guida put together a studio rhythm section and featured Earl Swanson (who was once married briefly to Ruth Brown) on tenor sax.

As Barge recalls, Bonds was on the road trying to come up with some fresh material when he decided to put words to "A Night With Daddy G."

"He (Bonds) asked me what I thought about it. I said, 'OK. Let's try it.' So we convinced Guida to record it."

The result was Gary US Bonds' only No. 1 hit, "Quarter to Three." The song topped the singles chart in June 1961 and heralded the Norfolk Sound.

"Quarter to Three" came very close to never being a hit.

"In fact, it started off not looking like it was going anywhere," Barge said. "Nobody would play it. A lot of disc jockeys said it sounded like it was cut in the crapper. Then one little promotions guy asked Guida to let him promote it. So he went to small stations in Virginia and North Carolina and got it going. Then, all of a sudden, the disc jockeys in Philadelphia picked it up. Then Dick Clark picked it up, and that's what broke it."

While Barge was a member of the Church Street Five, his daytime gig was teaching at East Suffolk High School.

"I was hired as a band director but they didn't have a band room, instruments were hard to get and they didn't have any money. So instead of being a full-time band director, I was told I had to teach five English classes."

These days, Daddy G regularly performs as a member of the Chicago Rhythm and Blues Kings, a group that evolved from Big Twist and the Mellow Fellows.

The Ultimate Doo-Wop Show, which includes The Contours and The Clovers, begins at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 28, 2008 at the nTelos Wireless Pavilion, 901 Crawford St., Portsmouth. Tickets are $42 to $62; (757) 671-8100.

Fundraiser

Jewish Mother co-owner Scotty Miller was recently granted a new lease on life when his son, Ricky, donated a kidney for a transplant. To help with finances, the Virginia Beach restaurant, a hotspot for live music, is hosting a fundraiser Saturday from

4 p.m. to midnight that will include a charity auction and performances by the Jesse Chong Band and other local groups. The Jewish Mother is at 3108 Pacific Ave.; (757) 422-5430.

Max Maisey

When Max-FM recently announced it was turning over its programming to listeners, I have to admit it seemed like an exciting concept. I submitted my hour-long list of '70s deep cuts from such acts as UFO, Sweet, Uriah Heep, T-Rex and Roxy Music, but I was certain there was little chance the station would be audacious enough to air it.

Not so. Max-FM program and operations director John Shomby called the list a "challenge to be answered." My set airs today from 1 to 2 p.m. on the FM dial at 100.5.

Rock summit

Rock Summit, an organization that scours the nation in search of local talent, will showcase several Hampton Roads bands, including Early Departure, Color Blind and The Remedy, at 7 p.m. Saturday at Steppin' Out, 600 Nevan Road, Virginia Beach. Each band will perform four songs. One band will be selected to play at Rock Summit's national event in Pensacola, Fla. No date has been announced.

Romweber signed

Dexter Romweber, the notorious Flat Duo Jets guitarist who influenced Jack White and who, on two occasions, lived in Norfolk, has signed a multialbum deal with indie label Bloodshot Records. Romweber's first album for his new label will feature duets with Cat Power, Neko Case and Exene Cervenka of X.

Jeff Maisey, (757) 222-3934, jmaisey@pilotonline.com