Widely acclaimed as one of the greatest jazz guitarists of all time, Barney
Kessel - a be-bop pioneer - was a top session musician who played on over 60
records for everyone from Sam Cooke to The Beach Boys. Born in Muskogee,
Oklahoma, he was 12 when he first picked up a guitar and had left home and was
playing professionally by the time he was 14. Because he was so obsessed with
the guitar and practised, reputedly, for around 16 hours a day, he quickly
became a force to be reckoned with. His reputation grew after he moved to Los
Angeles and in 1944 he appeared in the feature fil...