Barney Blue

“Grandpa I need you to explain to me why we are traveling to Massapequa.”

“Listen boy, when I tell you I need to see a musical act, you never question me. This girl needs to be seen. You know when I have a feeling, you don’t ask questions but just follow it.”

Yes, my grandfather is stubborn, but he lives music, almost having a sixth sense about it. In his day he was the premier finder of talent. He tells me stories of all the acts he found and there is this one legend that talks about. He tells me for some reason he was never able to lock this guy down. The guy as my grandfather’s legend goes was a prodigy. A child who became a man, who played and sang music just because he could. He found peace and light just doing what he loved. The kid was talented as well.

As the story goes the first time my grandfather ran into this prodigy was on January 2, 1924 at the Cohen Theater in Manhattan. The theater was one of the premier theaters in New York City. They had just bought a new Wurlitzer organ for the theater and since it was right after New Year’s the place was closed until the big opening. It was late one night during one of the coldest nights that New York saw on 1924. Since my grandfather worked all the stages, he often would end the evening at Toot Shors, a legendary bar in the area. Too Shors was known as the place to meet and be met. It was a bar that always had a reputation for meeting the best people. There have been many a story about the meetings at Toot Shors. Legendary!

Going back to this night in 1924, my grandfather was leaving the bar Toots and heard the new Wurlitzer playing at the Cohen Theater. He knew no one was supposed to be there so it peaked his interest to walk on over. As he got closer, the music danced in the cold air. He looked around and didn’t see anyone. Knowing he had too much to drink, he decided to go into the theater because at that time he had keys to all the major theaters from working the stages. Everyone wanted to be my grandfathers’ friend. They knew he could make or break careers and lives, but he would never do so. If he liked you, then you would know it and if he didn’t, he would never say anything.

As he opened the door quietly, he peaked in and didn’t see anyone. He climbed up to the floor where the organ was placed and saw this little boy, probably no more than 12 playing this huge monster organ. It was a sight, but the music floated in the air like magic. The beauty of music and how it touches our soul is a very personal connection. Music in and of itself is an experience that offers us all a kind of language and significance that is not defined by time and space but through experience. It has a heart and lives within each and every one of us.

That night as my grandfather listened to this little boy, he cried because this music touched his soul so much that is planted a seed that was forever growing. He would talk about this night as one of the nights he knew music was in his soul.

Grandpa walked up to this boy and startled him when he said “Hey kid, that music just made me cry. Thank you.”

The little boy jumped since he didn’t know anyone was there with him. The boy sheepishly said “I’m sorry sir, I didn’t know anyone was here. I had heard that they had just bought this organ and I knew I needed to play it. I have this magic inside of me. It’s a gift but I cant share it often.”

Grandpa said “You have more than a gift young man, and I a person that could help you with this gift if you would like.”

The boy said’ No, thank you”.

Grandfather had a temper and yelled “No, Thank you. Kid I could call the cops and have you arrested for trespassing in this theater. You are playing one of the premier organs in NYC. I offer you an opportunity to work and you say NO!”.

Scared the boy responded “Yes sir, I must decline. I am sorry. I know I play very well but I was told that my gifts are not for me but for another. I can play, sing and perform all I want but the future is not for me in music. I know this does not make any sense, especially hearing it from a kid but please understand I need to respect music.”

Grandpa didn’t know how to respond expect for “Oh.” Oh, is a very magical word at times. It can say a lot without really saying anything at all. 

“Boy, what is your name.”

“I can’t tell you my real name so I don’t get in trouble, but you can call me Barney, Barney Blue.”

Family legend about this part of the story is legendary since no one believes that my grandfather didn’t say anything else. He did take off his jacket and just listened to the music dance some more and touch his soul.  It touched his soul so much that it he drifted off to sleep. In the morning when my grandfather woke up to the janitor nudging him, he then asked about the boy playing the organ all night. The janitor said “the ain’t no one here now and I was here at 6 a.m.” Grandpa just looked around and for the second time in the night he admitted to not having anything to say.

New York City is a magical place if you’ve never traveled there. There is a pulse in the city that exists no where else. There is good about it and if you listen closely you can feel it. This is one of the many reasons why the World’s Fair has been there a couple of times. 

On a clear day in April of 1939, my grandfather walked around the World’s Fair and heard music. This was not a surprise since there were amusements, games and plenty of performers form around the world. Some music digs into your soul and touches you more than others. On this day, my grandfather heard one such piece of music and song that grabbed him once again. 

This set of music and singing came from the Sun Valley exhibit in the Amusement zone of the World’s Fair. Don’t ask me how my grandfather could pick out this one organ out of all the other music going on but he did. 

As he walked into the pavilion, he saw a young man playing the organ with a young woman looking lovingly at his music and anyone could see there was magic between the two. The place was empty but if there was a crowd those two still wouldn’t care and would be magically connected.

As he approached the young couple he said “The music you make is beautiful. How do you do it.”

The young man startled and said” I don’t know how I do it and I’ve been doing it for years.” Smiled and looked over at his young lady friend and said “This is our first date and I snuck in to impress her. I am going to marry her one day. “

Grandfather said “You are very talented, I might be able to help you get started out properly.”

The man said “ If it is about music I cant do anything. My music is inside of me but for another. “

Grandpa squinted and then said “Barney?? Is that you?”

The young man’s eyes shot grandpa a look and said “I haven’t used that name in a while but sometimes people call me that. Why?”

Slowly grandpa said “We met many years ago when you were young.”

The young man interrupted “Yes in the Cohen Theater.”

Grandpa said “Yes after all these years about talking about you how is it we came to meet here. Can I help you now with your music?”

“No sir, as I said the music was not for me but for another.”

Grandpa looked in disbelief and must have stared off too long because when he looked again this young couple disappeared. Grandpa was not known to get many no’s in his life and the frustration of these meetings with Barney Blue were things that grandpa always talked about. How could one so talented not chase the dream of so many for something in the future that no one knew about.

As the years passed and grandpa became a player in the New York music scene he would hear stories about this musical prodigy playing music and singing at random locations.

There is the famous story that people talked about for years how this truck driver came in the Wurlitzer flagship store in 42^nd Street to play the organs on a break. The music jumped out of the organs and touched everyone within earshot.

There were sightings all over the Catskills where a man came up to sing and perform just because he could but never wanted to work as a performer. 

One such performance was during Kol Nidre, on Yom Kippur. As fate would have it the normal cantor got sick and this performer came on to sing. 

Each time they would ask him to stay on and each time he responded that “Music was part of him but the music within him was for another.”

The legend of Barney Blue grew and I swear I don’t know if it was an urban legend or real. Grandpa would hear stories and grandpa would talk about Barney Blue with regret.

This brings us to today’s drive to Massapequa.

We hadn’t heard about Barney Blue in a while and grandpa is getting up in age and doesn’t tell his stories like he use to. Until last week he began talking about all the stories he remembered about Barney Blue. Grandpa even said he had a dream about coming out to this one dive restaurant to hear this young woman sing. He said he was told to do this from Barney Blue. The family thought he was really losing it as he climbed to the age of 100. As the loyal grandson and the man who followed in grandpas’ footsteps with the music career I offered to drive him out.

As we walk into the place it was packed with people rocking out to some song about aliens that this woman was singing. There wasn’t a place to sit except one small table next to a man who looked out of place but enjoying himself still.  I walked over this man and asked if my grandfather and I could share the table with him. He laughed and said “Of course there are empty seats and I wouldn’t mind sharing it with someone else who makes me look young. Besides that’s my granddaughter up there, my Paige.”

Grandpa listened, smiled and said” The music is not bad, but this girl has some real talent. She shouldn’t be here. I can feel it in my bones. I haven’t felt this feeling in a long time.”

The older gentleman said, “She is a performer just like my dad.”

Grandpa looked and I swear a tear dripped from his eye and he said, “Are you related to Barney Blue?”

The gentleman said “What” that was my dad, it wasn’t his real name but so many people called him that. He could have been a star, but he always told us the talent was for someone else.”

Grandpa took a swig of his beer and said “Here is my grandson’s card and a contract. You’ll never believe how I got here or why I came to see your granddaughter. “

And with that we left as grandpa wanted. I know this story sounds unbelievable and it is. The man who was a prodigy saved himself for his family.