Bob R. Barnette

Bob R. Barnette, 76, a native of Macon, Georgia, passed away on April 14, 2016 after a six-year battle with dementia. A Celebration of the Life and Music of Bob Barnette will be held on Saturday, April 23 at 1 p.m. at Central High School Fine Arts Theatre with Dr. Baxter Hurley and Rev. Teresa Edwards officiating. The family will greet friends following the service. Burial will be private at Riverside Cemetery. A Visitation will be held on Friday, April 22 from 4 – 7 p.m. at Forest Hills United Methodist Church in the Ministry Center. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to the Jazz Association of Macon for the Bob Barnette Memorial Music Scholarship, PO Box 4192, Macon, GA 31208.

Bob began playing trumpet in elementary school, ultimately playing the acoustic & electric bass, tuba, trumpet and flugel horn. After graduation from Lanier High School of Macon in 1957 he attended the University of Georgia on a full double-bass and trumpet scholarship. While attending the university, Mr. Barnette was a member of the Symphonic Band, the University Symphony Orchestra, the University Jazz Band, the Redcoat Marching Band, and performed with the Faculty Quintet. During his time at the university, Mr. Barnette worked summers with several well known orchestras. At the young age of nineteen, he was hired by the world famous “Glenn Miller Orchestra”, under the direction of Ray McKinley, touring the country.

Mr. Barnette has performed and directed concerts throughout the United States and Europe, including the internationally famous “Montreaux Jazz Festival”, in Montreaux Switzerland.

In 1970, Mr. Barnette was selected to direct an American Youth All-Star Band Tour of Europe. The group played five concerts at European music festivals in Amsterdam, Munich, Lucerne, Dijon and Paris, representing the United States.

Mr. Barnette has played with many noteworthy groups during his career, including Yank Lawson and “The World’s Greatest Jazz Band”; Paula Kelly and The Modernaires; The Buddy Morrow Orchestra; Ed Shaunessy, drummer of the NBC Tonight Show Orchestra; the Walt Disney Orchestra at Disney’s Grand Floridian Hotel featuring trumpeter Davy Jones and drummer Pat Doyle; The Georgia Jazz Educator All-Star Big Band, and has performed with premier artists such as Ray Charles, Olivia Newton John, Freddie Cole, trumpeter Cecil Welch, Jimmy McKillip, Bob Greenhaw, Macon’s own Chuck Levell, and Dexter and Otis Redding III.

Bob’s played music with his best friend, Roger “Boudleaux” Allen for over 50 years and many other notable local talents including Dr. Edward Clark, Dr. Ken Trimmins, Dr. Monty Cole, Larry McClendon, Jim Larimer, Oscar Jackson, Neil Rigoli, KMo, Barry Darnell, Pat McCall, John Sweat, Dr. David Johnson, Chenney Gan, Maestro Adrian Gnam, Maestro Kei Harada, Rebecca Lanning, Laura Voss, Jim Blanton, Evan and Patti Jones and colleagues far too numerous to mention!

Bob served thirty years as bassist with his beloved Macon Symphony Orchestra, and directed the Macon Symphony Youth Orchestra for six seasons. He was a member of two professional wind ensembles, Atlanta’s “Tara Winds “, and Gainesville, Georgia’s “North Winds”. He was privileged to be the bassist for the Georgia Big Band for many years. He also performed with the Civic Club orchestra for their annual shows on numerous occasions.

During his 30-year career, at Lanier High School, which was renamed Central High School, the Sugarbear Band was honored by Walt Disney World with a record 23 consecutive years of marching in the Magic Kingdom parade. He was presented a prized “Mouseker” by Disney World at his retirement. The band was also selected to perform for four U.S. Presidents, most notably in 1992 when, then President-elect, Bill Clinton, joined the band during a rally for Senator Wyche. The famous picture taken of Bill Clinton playing saxophone with the band was printed in newspapers world-wide and in Time Life books. They also played on several occasions for President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter.

As president of Georgia Association of Jazz Educators, Bob was involved in establishing the Georgia All-State Jazz Program. as well as The Macon State College Community Jazz Ensemble. He was honored by the Douglas Theater Jazz Legends Series in 2008 and by the Jazz Association of Macon in 2013 for Outstanding Service and Inspiration as a Jazz Educator and Band Director. In 1993, The Macon Arts Alliance honored Bob with their coveted Cultural Award.

Bob treasured musical opportunities that involved his own family members. He was always thrilled to play Dixieland style music with his brother, professional trombonist and band director, Earle Barnette. Bob’s wife, Annette, was the featured vocalist with the Bob Barnette Jazz Band.

His niece, Pamela, was solo twirler with the original Lanier High School Sugar Bear Marching Band during Bob’s early days as Band Director. When Lanier later became Central, his daughter, Leiza, marched with the Central High School Sugar Bear Band.

Bob was a deeply-spiritual, Christian man and lived his faith through music as well. He conducted the choir at Liberty United Methodist church from 1973 to 1993. He was a member of Forest Hills United Methodist Church for 38 years, a member of the Marshall’s Ministry Sunday School Class and the Men’s Prayer Group.

Mr. Barnette retired from the Bibb County Board of Education in 1995, after 30 years in public education. Both the Bibb County Commissioners and the Office of the Mayor of Macon issued proclamations in observance of Bob’s extraordinary career at his retirement. Thereafter, he remained active throughout the country, serving as clinician, adjudicator, and soloist until his full retirement from performance in 2014.

Ever the consummate educator, Bob wished to help further the education of doctors and scientists in hopes of finding better treatments and an eventual cure for dementia diseases of all types. Toward that goal, Bob’s brain has been donated to the Neurological Study at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida under the direction of his physician Dr. Ryan Uitti, Chair of the Neurology Department.

His family extends their gratitude to Dr. Jeremiah McClure and his staff at MCC Internal Medicine, Dr. Jayesh Patel and Carlyle Place, Cambridge Court Dementia Care Unit staff and the Harrington House Skilled Nursing Unit staff for the extraordinary care he received during this six-year journey.

Bob is survived by a loving family: his wife of eleven years, Annette Barnette; daughter and son-in-law, Elizabeth “Leiza” and Brian Hartman; grandchildren, Alexandria and Nickolas Hartman; former spouse, Louise Harvard and step-son, Dempsey Brown; his brother, Earle (Evelyn) Barnette; sister-in-law, Rose Barnette; nieces, Pamela (Bill) Pilcher; Torri (Jerry) Broxton, Shelly Rappaport, Skyla (Jeff) Sherrill; Nephews, Greg Barnett and Lenny Barnette; cousins Sister Patricia Marie Barnette and Bernadette Stento; great-nieces, Paige (Ben) Alford, their daughter, Anna Kate; and Whitney (Drew) Stockman; great-nephews, Garrett Rappaport, Austin (Meghan) Sherrill and their children Maddux and August; Extended family; His church family, Forest Hills United Methodist, his Sunday School Class, Marshall’s Ministry; His best friends Boudleaux Allen, Major David Carter, Agnes Kingry, Lorene Powell and Sara Johnson; and all former members of the Lanier and Central High School Sugar Bear Bands from school years 1965 to 1995, all of whom Bob referred to as “his kids”.

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Snow’s Memorial Chapel, Cherry Street has charge of arrangements.