Carl Kress

Carl Kress
Carl Kress, c. June 1947
Background information
Born	(1907-10-20)October 20, 1907 Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died	June 10, 1965(1965-06-10) Reno, Nevada
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1926–1965
Associated acts	Dick McDonough, George Barnes, Paul Whiteman, Eddie Lang

Carl Kress (October 20, 1907, Newark, New Jersey – June 10, 1965, Reno, Nevada) was an American jazz guitarist.

Kress started on piano before picking up the banjo. He played guitar during his brief time as a member of Paul Whiteman's orchestra, beginning in 1926. For most of his career, he was a studio musician with large orchestras and his name was not widely known. His work in the 1920s and 1930s included sessions with The Boswell Sisters, The Dorsey Brothers, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Miff Mole, Red Nichols, Adrian Rollini, and Frankie Trumbauer.

When he stepped away from orchestras, he played in a guitar duo with Eddie Lang and recorded the songs "Feeling My Way" and "Pickin' My Way". He recorded guitar duets with Dick McDonough in the 1930s and with Tony Mottola in 1941. He formed a duo with George Barnes from 1961–1965. They released a few albums and performed together. He recorded as a soloist in 1938–1939 and in 1958.

During the 1930s, he was co-owner of the Onyx Club on 52nd Street in New York City. Kress was married to Helen Carroll, a vocalist with The Satisfiers. The group was part of The Chesterfield Supper Club radio show and also appeared on recordings with Perry Como and Jo Stafford. He died of a heart attack while on tour with George Barnes in 1965.