Robert "Bootsie" Barnes (November 27, 1937 – April 22, 2020)[1] was an American jazz tenor saxophonist from Philadelphia.
Early life and education
Barnes was raised in a housing project in North Philadelphia. His father was a trumpet player who performed with Bill Doggett and Frank Fairfax. His mother worked as a housekeeper. Barnes had three older brothers. His uncle, Jimmy Hamilton, was a jazz clarinetist and saxophonist. Barnes initially intended to become a drummer after being given a pair of drumsticks by Sonny Greer during a visit to the Earle Theatre. He played drums at Benjamin Franklin High School before switching to saxophone.[1]
During the 1960s, he performed with various organists including Jimmy Smith and Don Patterson,[2] with whom he recorded in 1978.[3] In the 1980s, he toured with Sonny Stitt. He continued to play in his home town and recorded his album You Leave Me Breathless! in 1995.[4]
Barnes was elected as the youngest-ever assistant secretary of Philadelphia's Local 274 of the American Federation of Musicians, serving from 1969 to 1971.[5]
In an article for Patch, Kim Tucker wrote, "Barnes has toured the world performing the music he loves, jazz in places like St. Croix US Virgin Islands, to Europe and back home to Philadelphia. From the "Chitlin Circuit" to the infamous New Jersey clubs: Dreamland, Cotton Club, Loretta's High Hat, Club Harlem. Barnes has taken the stage at Philly's Blue Note, Just Jazz, Red Carpet, The Showboat and Pep's too."[6]
Barnes' grandson Reginald Lewis has followed in his footsteps as a jazz saxophonist and educator. As of 2022, Lewis is director of Jazz and assistant professor in the School of Music at Illinois Wesleyan University.[9][10] He earned his Doctor of Musical Arts in 2023 from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign; his thesis was a study of Barnes and his influence on the Philadelphia jazz community.[11]
Discography
As a leader
Been Here All Along – Bootsie Barnes Quartet (Way After Midnight, 1984)
You Leave Me Breathless – Bootsie Barnes Quartet (French Riviera, 2001)[12]
^ abcdHill, Chanel (April 24, 2020). "Bootsie Barnes, legendary Philadelphia jazz saxophonist, dies at 82". Philadelphia Tribune. p. Obituaries section.
