Dick Barnes, the Man in the White Shoes. Today I learned that the Hampton Roads Community lost a teacher, mentor, and musician of great talent, Richard “Dick “ E. Barnes. Whether he was at the piano, the organ at Monumental Methodist Church, staging a high school production with elaborate sets, costumes, and talented students; or putting a barge at the foot of High Street in Portsmouth as a stage for a huge show, or just driving his white Olds Toronado with his white bucks on; it was obvious he had the “gift.” When I look back I see Dick at the piano in the pit at Willett Hall, with “Boots” Purser at the mighty Wurlitzer organ, playing for the Lions Club variety shows. I listened to every note and later discovered the gift he had of supporting a vocalist by arranging the “voicing” of the chords in the accompaniment in a manner, which made me and, all of the other singers who worked with him in his long career of over 60 years feel like we had a full orchestra backing us up. It was Dick and his wife Mary, former soprano with the Pennsylvanians, who were responsible for my audition with Fred Waring at Chrysler Hall in the winter of 1979. Dick, Mary, and fellow Pennsylvanian & Churchland High School graduate Amy Boyce Grant Hruska, and I worked together for many years doing our show, “Music, Here & Now” at the Cavalier Dinner Playhouse and throughout the state. The sound that Dick created with his vocal arrangements for us was outstanding. My favorite was his version of “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows.” His vocal arranging became a great asset to the Waring Summer Music Camps as well. Dick’s arrangement of “ The Rhythm of Life” was one of Shawnee Press’s top sellers. Looking back at all of the music that I heard him play or sing through my life; all of the times we worked together, constantly striving to make it “perfect”; to all the chills I felt at Christmas Eve services with Dick at the organ; to all the rehearsals of “Fiddler On the Roof” where I watched every keyboard move he made; to the last time I saw him a few years ago, I always respected, admired and cherished his abilities and talent. Thank you Dick for making me sound so good. In the future I will see you at the rehearsal upstairs.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 02:04:14 +0000
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