Music - 1938 - George Barnes’s Electric Guitar on “Sweetheart Land” (ELECTRIC ECHOES CHANNEL)

Step into 1938, when a teenage guitarist made history with one of the earliest commercial recordings of the electric guitar. At just 16 years old, George Barnes played amplified lines on Big Bill Broonzy’s “Sweetheart Land,” recorded in Chicago. His tone was clear, youthful, and daring — proof that the electric guitar was ready to move beyond rhythm and into the spotlight.
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🎶 Style: Urban blues infused with swing, blending Broonzy’s vocals and rhythm with Barnes’s electrified guitar.
🎸 Guitar: George Barnes used a Gibson ES 150, delivering crisp single note phrases that cut through the mix.
🎼 Composer: Big Bill Broonzy, with Barnes’s electric guitar adding a modern edge to traditional blues.
🏛️ Studio: Chicago, 1938 — a session that captured the sound of a new instrument entering the mainstream.
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👥 Featured Musicians:
• Big Bill Broonzy – vocals, acoustic guitar
• George Barnes – electric guitar
• Additional session players (bass, piano, drums) supporting the arrangement.
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👤 About George Barnes:
• George Barnes (1921–1977) was one of the first guitarists to record with an electric guitar.
• His teenage recordings with Broonzy marked a turning point in blues and jazz history.
• Barnes later became a respected jazz guitarist, working with artists like Benny Goodman and Rosemary Clooney.
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🎵 Genre: Blues / Early Jazz / Proto Rock and Roll
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📁 Source Reference: Public domain and historical archives, including Big Bill Broonzy – Sweetheart Land (1938, Chicago) featuring George Barnes on electric guitar.
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All images were created and processed using artificial intelligence.
“The images of musicians and locations in the visuals are entirely fictional, and this channel has no intention of recreating performances or personal likenesses.”
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