Groucho Marx

Heretic · December 2007

I know this sounds preposterous, and will be the target of many ludicrous comments.
Has anyone any memory of Groucho Marx playing rhythm guitar? And did he use the kind of chord structures that we use in the Django style? I have a very old memory of hearing him.

Barengero · December 2007

Yes, look here:

His playing is very impressive because of it´s percussive energy. Seems there are no chord structures at all.

Best,
Barengero

A.K. Kibben · December 2007

Yeah, He played the guitar in "Go West". I believe it was "Ridin' the Range" by Roger Edens...

Elliot · December 2007

They say Groucho played some guitar, but it was really nothing compared to what Chico and Harpo accomplished on piano and harp.

In Horsefeathers he also plays guitar in a scene where he serenades Thelma Todd in a canoe which she falls out of, whereupon she calls for a life saver and he opens a roll and tosses one out to her:

manoucheguitars · December 2007

Hi Elliot... I'll give you a call tomorrow... you're right, Chico toured with his band and was joined in 1942 by none other than Barney Kessel, who was with Chico off and on during that time. Barney Kessel is my new musical obsession and when I play gigs is much prefered over any Django stuff. That being said I've retired my sel-mac and am playing my new favorite guitar, a Stromberg Montreux Custom. I like these so much I decided to be a dealer for them. I play mine through a Polytone Mini-Brute II amplifier. Apparently Barney auditioned for Chico and won out over a pile of more seasoned musicians of the time. Chico toured quite a lot according to all accounts.

Robert

Elliot · December 2007

Hi Rob

I didn't know that about Chico and Kessel. BTW, I used to have the exact same amp, but I had no idea what to do with it so I ended up trading it for an insanely loud Fender Twin...anyway, from what I've read people were expecting a full house of musical geniuses from the Marxes (!) which is what prompted Groucho to pick up the guitar. Chico was the only one who Minny had the money to afford lessons for; Harpo was self taught and developed his own tuning because the harp he started out on was so old it couldn't take the tension of standard tuning. He didn't even know he wasn't playing lefty, and by the time he was able to afford lessons he had been playing his way so long his teachers left him alone and pretty much just watched. Despite that, you can see his hand posture was perfect....interesting family, to say the least.

I'm sure I'll be around for your call - after digging my car out of the snow 3 times a day I hear there might be a break, and I will be glad to be home playing guitar!