Chris Barber: podcast appearances and interviews

Donald Christopher Barber was an English jazz musician known primarily as a bandleader and trombonist. He gained recognition for his contribution to trad jazz and achieved a UK top twenty hit with the song 'Petite Fleur' in 1959. Barber played a key role in supporting the careers of numerous musicians, including blues singer Ottilie Patterson, who was once his wife, and Lonnie Donegan. His band was instrumental in the mid-1950s skiffle craze, with Donegan's appearances leading to his first transatlantic hit 'Rock Island Line' while performing with Barber. Beyond his performance career, Barber helped foster the British rhythm and blues and 'beat boom' movements of the 1960s by providing opportunities for African-American blues musicians to visit Britain and by endorsing emerging artists such as Alexis Korner. His influence extended beyond jazz, impacting the development of several British musical genres and fostering cross-cultural musical exchange.