William "Bill" H. Barnes

Bill Barnes, a passionate musician, devoted husband, and good friend, passed away on Tuesday December 3, 2013 at the age of 79. Bill was born and raised in the New York City area, and he began playing the trumpet in high school. He attended Duke University, majoring in English Literature, though his real focus was on spending the most time he could making music. He was graduated in 1956, and in 1957 married Ruth Coffman and embarked on responsible married life, moving to Levittown (and later Smithtown) on Long Island, and working first in a bank, then as an insurance claims adjuster, and later still, at Brookhaven National Laboratory as their Traffic Safety Instructor. His daughter Mary was born in 1959, and daughter Audrey followed in 1960. He also served in the U.S. Army from 1961 to 1962, as an MP; but following basic training, they used him for his real skill, putting him into a band and sending him around to different bases in the south to entertain troops.

Bill’s major band during the 60s was the Southampton Dixie, Racing, and Clambake Society (the SDRCS). Along with Bill Donahoe, Skip Strong, Stan Levine, Connie Worden, Joe Ashworth, Barry Bockus, and Teddy Prochazka, he played gigs around Long Island and had a standing Sunday night engagement at Your Father’s Mustache in Greenwich Village, which ran from the mid 1960s through the early ‘70s. One frequent sit-in with the SDRCS was a then-teenage Vinnie Giordano, and Woody Allen would occasionally drop in to play with them as well. One of the SDRCS’s biggest fans was a young woman, Mimi Briggs; and following Bill’s divorce from his first wife, she became Mimi Barnes. Bill and Mimi celebrated their 40th anniversary this past summer. In the summer of 1971, Bill was part of the group of musicians who dubbed themselves the Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Band (the BBMJB) and flew to Davenport, Iowa to play at Bix’s grave on the 40th anniversary of his death. The enthusiastic response they got led Davenport to establish the annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, which now, in its 43rd year, draws musicians and fans from all over the world. The BBMJB revisited Davenport many times (for a performance from 2005, check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSj4mqcaHbg). In 2011, Bill was invited to Davenport to perform and receive the “Bix Lives” Award. (Bill Donahoe also received this Award, which was accepted by his widow, Chickie.)When the recession hit in 1973, Bill was working at Brookhaven Lab. He was a member of the group that was considering which employees could be laid off, and when he saw the severance packages that were being offered, he volunteered for one himself. Ever since then, he made his living as a full time musician. This was first in New York City, but in 1976 he got a fateful phone call. “This is Disney World; we’d like to invite you down to audition for us.” Bill, believing that surely someone was pulling his leg, made an excuse about needing to call back later. It was only when the phone was then answered, “Disney World Casting,” that he believed his good fortune.

And so Bill and Mimi moved to Central Florida, and Bill started working at the Magic Kingdom. They bought their home in Windermere in 1977, back when you would drive through miles of orange groves and scrub woods to get there, and have lived there every since. When Epcot Center opened, Bill switched over to playing in the British Pavilion there.

After 11 years at Disney, Bill took early retirement and launched himself back into freelance work. He played with many different Central Florida groups, including the Cocoanut Manor Orchestra, which specialized in the music of the 1920s; the Perseverance Hall Jazz Band; the “Del Frisco’s” combo; and the Orlando Society Orchestra, which he co-led with Armand Marchesano. He also found time to take his three grandchildren to Disney every time they would visit and along with Mimi, to open his home to good friends and stray cats.Bill was first diagnosed with cancer in the late 90s, but he continued performing up until last spring, and practicing his horn, up until two weeks ago. “Mimi,” he told his wife recently. “I’ve been thinking long and hard, trying to decide which I love more: my horn, or you. I finally decided it was you.” Knowing how much he loved that horn, we all know how much that meant.

In lieu of flowers, Bill asked that you donate to help protect the animals he loved so much. You may make a donation to The Cat Protection Society (P.O. Box 1078, Sorrento, Fl. 32776), or to your favorite animal protection charity.