Dave Barbour


David Michael Barbour was an American jazz guitarist. He was married to singer Peggy Lee and was her co-writer, accompanist, and bandleader.

Biography

Barbour was born in Long Island, New York. When Barbour was twelve, he played banjo at Carnegie Hall. He started his career as a banjoist with Adrian Rollini in 1933 and then Wingy Manone in 1934. He switched to guitar in the middle of the decade and played with Red Norvo from 1935–1936. He found much work as a studio musician and in ensembles with Teddy Wilson and Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw, Lennie Hayton, Charlie Barnet, Raymond Scott, Glenn Miller, Lou Holden, and Woody Herman. He also recorded with André Previn in 1945.
While a member of Benny Goodman's orchestra in 1942, Barbour fell in love with lead singer Peggy Lee. They got married and moved to Los Angeles.
They divorced in 1951. Lee married three more times. Barbour left music and acted in the movies Mr. Music and The Secret Fury in 1950. He performed sporadically, recording once with Benny Carter in 1962.
Barbour died in 1965 of a hemorrhaged ulcer in Malibu Beach, California, at the age of 53.

Discography