Barney Kessel Day
October 17, 1923 – May 6, 2004
Gypsy in my Soul
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Guitarist Barney Kessel was born on October 17, 1923 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.
He was a popular figure in the 1950s West Coast scene, leading a number of classic sessions for the Contemporary record label.
Kessel was a member of the “Wrecking Crew,” a group of top-tier 1960s session musicians that appeared on everything from TV jingles to Pet Sounds.
Here, famous jazz guitarist Barney Kessel demonstrates his notorious knowledge of chord inversions and chord-based melodies as he performs “Gypsy in my Soul.”
Throughout the ’50s Playboy and Esquire magazines constantly rated him as the top guitarist playing.
And fellow musicians — such as The Beach Boys and many others — knew it, too, growing to rely on his session work for their hot-selling albums.
