Ralph E. Barnes Bandstand

Born in Parsons, Kansas, Ralph Barnes came to California in 1923 at age twenty-one with his family and settled in Orange County. After a brief time in the City of Orange, he took a position at the First National Bank in Brea, then a small oil town surrounded by citrus and walnut groves. In 1926, he helped found the Oilfields National Bank, which served local residents, oil companies, and oil field workers, for whom he had great affection. In 1937, he organized the Barney Barnes Orchestra, which gave free performances for local Woman's Club dances and, as the town's only organized musical group, played mostly contemporary dance music. After becoming a commercial group, the orchestra continued performing at dances and special engagements in Orange, Riverside, and Los Angeles counties. The group included a trio of female singers, soloist Duane Vedel, and eight to ten musicians. Barnes played piano and used his local ties to recruit members including Brea-Olinda High School band leader Lee Auer on trumpet, saxophonists Ronald Crary and Frank Holly, the Thompson brothers, and drummer Bucky Blair, many of them local Brea businessmen. After seven successful years, the orchestra disbanded, and Barnes turned to other civic interests. He served as a former city treasurer, a long-time member and former president of the Brea Lions Club, and an active shriner, including service as Potentate of El Berkel Shrine Temple. He and his wife Edytha, who was active in Brea community groups including the Brea Women's Club and Ladies White Shrine, were married for more than sixty years and lived on Elm Street with their children. Their son Ralph "Sonny" Barnes, a talented musician like his father, played trumpet in the Brea Olinda High School Band but died tragically at age eleven, drawing the small town around the family in sympathy. Their daughter Lynne Rae, active at Brea Olinda High School as Girls League President and Homecoming Queen, attended Whittier College and later served as vice president of sales for the California Angels. Their granddaughter Lori Robin Berkma graduated from Biola University. Barnes later recalled of doing business in Brea in the 1930s that the oil people were so honest and big hearted that one could almost give them a loan without taking a note, and that if anyone was in trouble, they were ready to help.

Brea, California · United States