Carl Kress

Among the great guitarists from the 1930s, Carl Kress had an extremely sophisticated chordal design on classical guitar. He originally performed banjo before steadily shifting to electric guitar. Kress used Paul Whiteman in 1926 and became an extremely busy studio room musician, recording challenging top white music artists (including Bix Beiderbecke, Crimson Nichols’ Five Pennies, and two traditional duets with Eddie Lang) in those segregated times. Kress frequently teamed up with fellow guitarist Dick McDonough in the 1930s, he co-owned the Onyx Membership on 52nd Road for a while, and continued employed in the studios in to the 1960s, playing during his last years within a duo with George Barnes. The majority of Carl Kress’ single and duet (with McDonough) recordings in the 1930s are lengthy overdue to become reissued.