Through Edward Lozzi George Barris publicist and friend for 35 years—
The legendary George Barris, King of the Kustomizers, passed away in his home on November 5, 2015, surrounded by his beloved family. He is survived by his Daughter Joji Barris-Paster, her Husband Barry Paster, his Grandson Jared Barris, and his Son Brett Barris.
Born in humble circumstances, in Chicago, IL, in 1925, to Greek immigrants James Salapatas and Fanicia Barakaris, young George Salapatas had one older brother named Sam. Tragedy struck the small family in 1928, when Fanicia died and James made the heart-wrenching decision to send his two toddler sons to Roseville, CA, to be raised in the home of his Brother-in-law, John Barakaris and wife Edith. The family Americanized its last name to “Barris” soon after the boys came to live with them.
As the Barris boys grew up under the tutelage of their wise Mother, Edith, they displayed considerable aptitude for the arts – especially illustration and design. George rendered some of his earliest kustom car designs in wood. By the age of 7, George was making models of cars using balsa wood and modifying their design and appearance with careful attention to details. By age nine, George’s entries won in contests sponsored by local hobby shops.
The Barris Brothers began their careers as kustom car designers in 1938, after they received an old 1925 Buick from their parents as a reward for their work in the family’s restaurant. The brothers repaired the car inside and out, embellishing it with things they found in their local hobby store onto even the knobs off their Mother’s dresser to bring the car’s grill to life. This Buick became the first Barris Brothers kustom, it was soon sold, and this inspired new car projects as well as a growing demand for their work.
Eventually, the brothers created a club for owners of custom vehicles, and called it the Kustoms Car Club. This was the first use of the spelling “kustom,” which would become associated with Barris and later the term used to describe the culture that followed it.
World War II changed the fate of many people, including George. While his brother Sam went off to war, George remained in California and relocated to Los Angeles. By 1944, George started his own business, and his brother Sam joined him in 1946 to open Barris’ Kustom Shop in Compton, CA. In time, the Barris Brothers became known for their innovative designs and their bold, imaginative approach to using the automobile as a canvas in a new art form seemingly kustom made for the post-war consumer society.
The Barris Brothers built their radical designs for private buyers, and George also built and raced his own cars briefly. These activities brought them to the attention of the movie industry, and they were soon asked to create cars for personal use by the studio executives and some of the world’s most famous stars from Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley, just to name a few. George and Barris Kustom would also later transformate a vehicles role in movies and TV shows.
Sam Barris decided to leave the business in the late 1950s to move back to Sacramento, but he still stayed involved through the years. George had married by then to his beautiful wife and partner, Shirley Barris, who shared his passion and vision for the industry and everything they decided to conquer along the way. She would eventually be the one who pushed him to achieve his next plateau, especially after his shop in Compton burned down overnight due to an electrical fire; this was devastating time, but nonetheless they both kept trekking along to make the best of the worst.
The rest of the George Barris story is still being written in the ongoing chronicles of modern culture. Most people come into contact with the art of George Barris as they experience cultural events, such as movies, television shows, car shows, toys and model kits. People really “get it” when they see creations like some of George’s earliest works, the Ala Kart and the Hirohata Merc, as well as his famous ones being the Batmobile and the Munster Koach. These vehicles became cultural icons in their industries.
Many will tell you, that running home to see the Batmobile soar out of the batcave on TV would define some of their favorite childhood memories. The vehicles Barris Kustom brought to the screen became stars in their own right.
George Barris was, is, and will remain, an icon in the industry as he not only created, but he also helped others learn and grow with the industry he was so passionate about. As we commemorate the extraordinary life and work of George Barris and his wife Shirley Barris, who was with him and inspired him even after her passing, we also close an important chapter in the history of the American auto industry. As a consequence of the popularity of his work, George Barris began to design cars for Detroit, starting in the 1950s. His innovative designs provided “the look” to many popular models of American cars, and his influence has been a part of the auto industry – now international – for at least the past half century.
George Barris derived both his inspiration and his greatest source of pride in the relationships he forged with family, friends, and the world. At the end of the day, as he stated in 2013 as he stood before the audience to accept his induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame, he said it loud and clear:
“I’ve belonged to a lot of associations, and I’ve gotten a lot of awards from the movie industry, but SEMA is my world,” he said. “I’m a car guy.” For more than 75 years, it was really passion that motivated George Barris more than anything else and we thank all of you for sharing it with him.
