'Round Midnight

'Round Midnight is an award-winning "a cappella" quartet of music educators from the Long Island/Manhattan area of New York. While they sing primarily in the barbershop style, their eclectic influences range from jazz to classical and everything in between. The group is a two-time Semi-Finalist in the Barbershop Harmony Society's (BHS) International Barbershop Quartet Contest and they are also the BHS 2010 Mid-Atlantic District Quartet Champions. In addition, the foursome won the New York City Harmony Sweepstakes Championship and was bestowed with the coveted "Audience Favorite" award by overwhelming crowd vote. The quartet has received praise for their self-titled debut recording too, receiving a Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) nomination in the category of "Best Barbershop Song" for their rendition of "Try A Little Tenderness". 'Round Midnight has been featured in an array of showcases, contests, and educational workshops spanning the United States from New York to California.

12th Street Rag

12th Street Rag began performing in August of 1993. A unique blend of voices, this quartet has entertained numerous audiences and participated in competition at both the local and international level. In 1994, 12th Street Rag became the Central States District Quartet Champions, and were International quarterfinalists every year from 1994 to 2002. In July of 2000, 12th Street Rag sang its way to the International semifinal round among qualifying quartets from around the world. Although from 3 different cities, Kansas City is where they like to call home. They are active in the Kansas City area, encouraging youth to get involved in music. Every year they put together a tour of schools, and this past January, their tour involved 15 schools and over 1,300 kids.

139th St. Quartet

One of the prize Barbershop compilations of all time by the legendary 139th Street Quartet, 'Collection' is a winner for lovers of the finest Barbershop Harmony in the history of SPEBSQSA. The quartet was formed in 1975, and got its name from the address of Pete Neushul's factory building in LA, deciding to let the group make the name, instead of the name making the group. Four different lead singers, Jim Meehan (1975-78), Larry Wright (1978-88), John Sherburn (1988-91) and Dan Jordan(1991-present) contribute at least 10 songs to the grand total of 64 songs on this 3-disc set (which are, oddly, numbered 1, 3 and 9). Within 2 years of its founding, the 139th won a silver medal at the SPEBSQSA Internationals in Philadelphia, and regularly did well in competition, for instance scoring bronze medals in 1989, silver in 1990, and bronze again in 1991. Appearing on TV for the first time in 1985 on the first of several episodes of 'Cheers,' this was quickly followed by an episode of 'Night Court.' They were also very fortunate to record with the legendary Neil Diamond, who sang lead with the group on a song for each of his Christmas recordings, both of which went multi-platinum, 'God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen' on disc 3 is one of these tunes.

3 Men and A Melody

Start with two music educators, add one preacher, stir in a financial planner, and you could have the basic ingredients for any barbershop quartet. But 3 Men & A Melody is not your basic quartet. Tenor, Rob Mathieu, 2nd generation barbershopper, is a Kansas City based children's musician/performer. Not only does he teach preschool music, he performs interactive musical kids shows under the alias, Rockin Rob, geared for children 2-10 years old. Eric Derks leads the foursome musically but admits that telling jokes is not his forte. Brian Bellof is a second generation barbershop bass with a natural ability for showmanship. Baritone, Brad Stephens is the out-of-control comic of the four who keeps 3 Men & A Melody's audiences laughing.

3 Men & A Melody love what they do and have a high respect for the barbershop style. Their talent, energy, and enthusiasm are truly exciting for everyone to watch. 3 Men & A Melody's love of performing continues to escalate every day in hopes that they will be known throughout the Barbershop Harmony Society and the United States for their fun-filled entertainment and singing excellence.

A Mighty Wind

In the beginning of 2010, a new quartet blew on to the scene from the Dixie District. Their voices were so well blended that they instantly created A Strong Breeze...but since this wouldn't catch your eye in a concert program, we quickly called it A Mighty Wind...and a name was born! A Mighty Wind created a storm when they not only qualified for international in their very 1st performance, but also earned the highest qualifying score of any quartet in the Dixie District.

Acoustix

This dynamic foursome has been electrifying audiences around the world for over 20 years. Acoustix has appeared on CNN, NBC's "Today Show," TNN's "The Statler Brothers Show," and two PBS specials. At the turn of the 21st century, Acoustix performed for a global audience of 175 million viewers on "ABC 2000," hosted by Peter Jennings.

Their most recent national television appearance was performing the Star Spangled Banner for game six of the 2007 NBA Finals. Acoustix has shared the stage with many talented acts, including The Mormon Tabernacle Choir, LeAnn Rimes, The Dixie Chicks, The King's Singers, Mitch Miller, Isaac Stern, Pete Fountain, Victor Borge, The Four Freshmen, The Gatlins, The Canadian Brass, The Dallas Wind Symphony, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra.

Alexandria Harmonizers

There were four godfathers to the chartering of the Alexandria Harmonizers. Godfather-in-Chief was Dean Snyder, who had just been elected President of the DC Chapter and who, several years later, was to transfer his barbershop allegiance to Alexandria. Godfather Number Two was Eugene Barnwell, then Director of the City of Alexandria's Dept. of Recreation. His chance meeting with Dean on a cold and rainy November night in 1947 on the George Washington Parkway began a chain of barbershop events that has continued for over 59 years. Godfathers Number Three and Four were Jean Boardman and Louis E. Metcalf. Dean had a long history with barbershopping that began well before there was a Society: he sang in his first quartet, The Troubadours, at the age of nineteen; he was the third person to to sign the charter for the DC Chapter in 1945; and was the force behind establishing a new barbershop chapter in Alexandria.

Ambassadors of Harmony

"The Ambassadors of Harmony will be recognized as the highest quality and most entertaining choral organization in the St. Louis metropolitan area and the Barbershop Harmony Society. Our mission is to educate our membership in order to continually improve in vocal quality, performance, and personal fulfillment" in a cappella singing. When we perform, our goal is to give a gift that will change the lives of the people in our audience.

Artistic License

Artistic License is a Barbershop quartet with a smooth sound, deep musicality and a lighthearted, professional style that audiences easily respond to. Based out of Northern California, the group sings songs from a wide range of origins and eras. From Tin Pan Alley to the Irish highlands. From jazz to Disney to contemporary pop or Christian rock. Their choice of songs reflects a preference for tunes that are meaningful and distinctive which can be delivered in an authentic and artistic style. The quartet enjoys finely crafted melodies and lyrics and searches for arrangements that will make their audience say "I love that song!"

Auto Towners

While several barbershop quartets have gone on to professional careers (the Hi-Los, Four Freshmen and Osmond Brothers, for example) the Auto Towners, 1966 International champions from the Detroit area, drew at least one of its members from a professional singing group.

Baritone Clint Bostick in the early 1950s was with the "Spellbinders", a mixed quintet that sang for two years on the Patty Paige television show, appeared for 13 weeks each on the Vic Damone and Tony Bennett shows and sang for 17 weeks with Judy Garland at the Palace Theater in New York City.

Big Chicken Chorus

The Big Chicken Chorus consists of men of good will who love to sing. We welcome men of all ages who have a desire to sing and perform for audiences locally, around the state of Georgia, with occasional out of state performances.

The BCC has performed throughout the United States, as well as in Europe and Canada. It is often a featured performer at events in our community, and sponsors its own shows to Standing Room Only audiences.

In 2007, the Big Chicken Chorus was selected by the Georgia Council for the Arts to be placed on their Touring Artist Roster. This designation has provided additional opportunities for the BCC to perform for other Georgia based non-profit organizations with financial assistance provided by the Georgia Council for the Arts

Bluegrass Student Union

Bluegrass Student Union is the Louisville, Kentucky barbershop quartet who won the 1978 SPEBSQSA International competition. They distinguished themselves by performing at a high level of proficiency on stage and in the recording studio throughout their 33-year career, and by continually improving their art, even after winning their gold medals. They credit much of their success to their coaches, Mary Jo Hatton Thompson, Don Clause, Ron Riegler, Gene Stickler and Ed Weber, to their chorus Director, Jim Miller, and to their long-time arrangers, Ed Waesche and Walter Latzko.

Boston Common

Formed, quite literally by chance, at a mutual friend's home in 1971, The Boston Common remained active through the mid 1990s, performing in 46 states and five foreign countries. On network radio and television shows (including NBC's TODAY SHOW, the CBS AM AMERICA, Irish television, BBC-TV, Germany's WDR, and Canada's CBC-TV) and a host of regional radio and television programs. In addition, the group was featured by UPI and numerous magazines and newspapers. They've appeared on some of the most renowned stages in North America such as Carnegie Hall, Rockefeller Center, and Canada's National Arts Center. They've performed with the Boston Pops, the Portland Symphony, and on one occasion even sang as back-up for a major recording artist (Chip Taylor's album "Some of Us," Warner Brothers).

Buffalo Bills

In 1947, baritone Hershel Smith, a corporate executive, and lead singer Al Shea, a policeman, got together at Smith's home in Buffalo New York with the idea of forming a barbershop quartet. Tenor Vern Reed, an executive for a boy's club, and bass Bill Spangenberg, a truck driver for a steel company were added. The quartet competed at various competitions with modest success. Shortly afterward, Smith was promoted and transferred to Madison Wisconsin, and the quartet was disbanded. Had they not reorganized, the entire face of barbershop harmony may have been vastly different than it is today.

However, Shea and Reed insisted on continuing, and they found baritone Dick Grapes. The quartet blossomed quickly, winning a national competition in 1950, and developing quite a fan club. Over the next few years, they booked many engagements and cut some records.

Cambridge Chord Company

Cambridge Chord Company is the foremost men's chorus of its kind in Europe. We aim to promote the enjoyment of close-harmony singing through a spirit of friendship, musical excellence, comedy, and love of a good song.

With our roots in the traditional four-part harmonies of the barbershop style, developed further by our musical director Bob Croft, extending the success of his predecessor and our first director Paul Davies, we have built our repertoire to include a variety of musical genres.

Chicago News

The Chicago News experienced a meteoric rise in International Barbershop annals -- from finalists to second-place medalists to the coveted International Champion gold medals in only three years! This feat was not due to luck, for these were seasoned performers in prominent quartets before forming the Chicago News. The NEWS have had the pleasure of singing hundreds of shows from coast to coast in the U.S., Canada and in Europe. They've been heard and seen on the nation's radio and T.V. stations, including the Phil Donahue Show. Along the way they have shared the stage with such famous singing groups as the HILOS, the Kingston Trio, the Four Freshmen, the King Singers and the Singers Unlimited before hanging up their pitchpipe in 1985. The idea of a possible redux grew several years ago when they came out of retirement at the request of a Florida chapter to do a show honoring the NEWS, immediately followed by another show at the famous Chicago Theater for the Chicagoland Association of Barbershop Chapters.

Chiefs Of Staff

There's a nice close-up photo of one of the gold medals won in 1988 by this quartet from Des Plaines, IL on the back of 'Solid Gold,' and it's a beautiful thing-an apt match for the beauty of the performance that it takes to win one of them! There's also some great pix of the guys in Irish green outfits, in WWI military uniforms and in a nice group picture. 12 songs, some favorites: 'Looking at the World Through Rose Colored Glasses,' 'What Kind Of Fool Am I,' the very funny 'I Used To Call Her Baby/Baby Face/I Want A Girl Medley,' 'It's A Great Day for the Irish/It's A Long Way to Tipperary/MacNamara's Band Medley,' 'They Were All Out Of Step But Jim,' 'Lonesome, That's All,' Ricky Nelson's 'Mary Lou' and 'Kiss Me One More Time.' 'Solid Gold' is a finely-crafted, spirited collection from a hugely talented quartet who were named 1988's International Champs!

Chordiac Arrest

If you like to laugh, this is your group. Chordiac Arrest got the judges laughing so hard they let the quartet slip into the top ten in their first International contest. It was five years before the judges stopped laughing long enough to realize what they had done. By that time, Chordiac had made the Top Ten three more times and were wearing two International medals.

"Live and Well" contains a full half-hour show, complete with between-songs gags and patter, plus seven other goodies. "Second Opinion" has 14 more tunes from contest and show stage. (No, they don't do anything straight.) The famous Chordiac Arrest guarantee: If you don't laugh harder every time you hear it, we'll cheerfully consider a full refund.

Classic Collection

The story of the 1982 Int'l Quartet Champion Classic Collection is pretty unique in many respects. It all began in Hastings Nebraska in 1968. Original baritone, and long-time barbershop enthusiast, "Papa Joe" Heltne, and his son Terry invited two aspiring singers, one a natural tenor and the other an operatic vocal major from the Hastings College choir, to join them for an evening of singing. Before it was over, Larry Wilson a lead, and Curt Hutchison, a tenor, agreed that this foursome, originally called "Three Lads and a Dad," should stay together. They worked hard and rose in the ranks of the Central States District. After a short hiatus due to Larry's four year stint in the Navy, they changed their name to "Classic Collection" , and eventually found themselves the winners of the 1975 Central States District Quartet Championship.

Confederates

"Save Your Confederate money, boys, the South shall rise again!" That song by The Confederates, 1956 International Champions, was to go down in history, and the quartet went on to become a true legend within the Society over the next 13 years. Organized at a Memphis Chapter party in September 1953. The Confederates were a popular quartet even before they won the championship. Composed of George Evans, tenor; Dave LeBonte, lead; Bill "Buz" Busby, bari; and Wally Singelton, bass; the foursome appeared in authentic looking Confederate officer uniforms, complete with dress swords, or as white-haired, frock-coated Southern "Colonels."

Crossroads

Crossroads is the new "superquartet" on the Barbershop Block, formed of four singers who are former BHS International Gold medalists in their own right, tenor Fred Farrell, lead Mike Slamka, bass Jim Henry and baritone Brandon Guyton. Henry won Gold in 1993 as a founding member and arranger of the legendary Gas House Gang, and is currently musical and artistic director of the 160-voice Ambassadors of Harmony. Guyton pocketed Gold in 2002 with Four Voices, Slamka sang his way to Gold with 2003 champs Power Play, and Farrell wore Gold with 1989 Quartet champs Second Edition. With this much vocal and arranging talent and experience, it came as no great surprise that newly-formed Crossroads struck Gold again in Anaheim, CA in 2009!

Dapper Dans

The Dapper Dans first started when Disneyland's Tommy Walker contacted Park talent supervisor Chuck Corson and said that Disneyland needed a barbershop quartet. Corson (a former Stage Manager for the Fred Waring Chorale) contacted some of the singers from that group, and they came to Disneyland at his request. They began performing on Main Street, and after several changes the first long-running Dapper Dans quartet was formed. It consisted of John Borneman (tenor), Roger Axworthy (lead), T.J. Marker (bass) and Ted Nichols (baritone). This group worked together for years, and established the Disneyland Dapper Dans tradition. Later members were often recruited from nearby Chapman College, where an active music department groomed students to come to Disneyland as professional musicians.

Dealer's Choice

It was January 1972 and the Dallas Big D Chapter had volunteered to perform for the Waxahachie, TX charter night. On the way Al Kvanli, Bill Thornton, Brian Beck, ad Gary Parker decided to sing a few tunes in the back of the bus. Even over the engine roar it sounded promising. They decided to buy socks and give it a go. In August they drove straight through from Dallas to Kenosha, WI for Harmony College, a trip which proved to be the catalyst for their accelerated future development.

Excalibur

In 1995 and 1997-2001, Excalibur placed in the finals in the International competition for the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc., SPEBSQSA , -- one of the ten best quartets in the world! Excalibur won the LOL District competition in 1991 and is the highest ranking quartet from LOL since Happiness Emporium won the gold medal in 1975.

Forefront

Forefront Quartet formed in August of 2009. Since then, this quartet has enjoyed success at international barbershop competitions by placing 13th in 2010, 6th in 2011, and 7th in 2012! They were also named the 2010 and 2013 Cardinal District Quartet of the Year. They won the 2010 Cardinal District Quartet Championship and of over 300 district quartet competitors from around the nation, they finished with the highest score. In 2013 they won a 5th place bronze medal for their contest performances in Toronto.

Quickly becoming one of the Barbershop Harmony Society's most sought-after quartets, they pride themselves in providing their audiences with great music, artistry, and performance energy!

Four Renegades

Formed in 1956, the Four Renegades slowly rose in International competitions until winning it all by 450 points in Boston, 1965. At that point they were: Bass, Tom Felger, Baritone, Jim Foley, Lead, Ben Williams and Tenor Buzz Haeger. There are 30 songs, and it's hard to tell who's having more fun, the group or the audience. Want funny? Listen to 'Mr. Bassman.' Poignant? 'The Little Boy.' Rousing? 'Waiting for the Robert E. Lee.' Spiritual? 'The Lord's Prayer.' The Renegades were funny, they sang great, they had class, and they were tremendous barbershop ambassadors. It adds up to a CD that's big fun!

Four Statesmen

Members of the Four Statesmen began quartet singing as early as 1945. The first International appearance was in 1964, where they placed twelfth. Following their win in 1967, they kept singing, with appearances on the Mike Douglas TV show and tours that took them as far abroad as England, France and Italy. The 27 songs on this recording include the sentimental - 'Try To Remember,' 'Climb Every Mountain' and ' I Miss You Most Of All' are just a few - as well as the lighthearted: 'I've Got The Time, I've Got The Place, But It's Hard To Get The Girl' and 'Crazy Bones Skeleton Ball.' Our favorite: 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,' with a beautifully-harmonized refrain.

Four Voices

In 1993, when Bradley High School students, Chad and Brandon Guyton, attended a Harmony Explosion presentation, they had no idea what lay ahead. A few years later, they recruited two fellow Lee University musicians, Lester Rector and Jayson VanHook, to form Four Voices. Contrary to popular belief, the "Four Voices" name was not inspired from the obvious, that is the requirement to fulfill the prerequisites of a quartet. Actually, these young men met in the Voices of Lee, a 16-member vocal orchestra group at Lee University, where they contributed four of the eight men's voices to make a unique, harmonious sound that has gained international recognition.

Fred

Born in 1908 in Kankakee, Illinois, Fred was named after his father, Fred. Despite his early love of music, he would soon become internationally adored as a star of both the small and silver screens as well as the visual inspiration for one of America's most cherished comic book icons. In fact... oops. Wrong Fred. Sorry.

Fred (the barbershop quartet, not that other guy) was formed in 1991 when four members of Marietta, Georgia's Big Chicken Chorus decided that they were better without all the extra dead weight. Many audiences and professional coaches would argue that were probably wrong.

Friendly Advice

Many moons ago, Dan and Bill sang with Fatherly Advice, the 1996 Seniors International Champions. After losing their bass, Burt Staffen, to cancer and their lead, Dick Bek, to a staff job at SPEBSQSA, they discussed the possibility of a new quartet with Forrest and West, who had filled in for Dick and Burt with Fatherly Advice on occasion. After all, there were commitments to fill and new engagements out there ripe for the picking! Following a quick vote among the friends, and with a slight name change to Friendly Advice, it was "on with the show"!

Today, the fours0me are frequent entertainers at local shows and special events, and plan to continue offering their own brand of "friendly advice" to audiences far into the future!

Gas House Gang

In the 1930's The St. Louis Cardinals baseball team was nicknamed "The Gas House Gang" to describe the players' fiery attitude toward the game and their fun-loving style of play. In 1987 a quartet from the St. Louis area chose the name to match its own personality. Since that time, the foursome's energetic singing style and diverse repertoire have proven the appropriateness of the title to people across North America and Europe. After winning the 1988 Central States District Competition in their first attempt, they began a steady climb up the International Competition ladder which culminated in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they were awarded the 1993 International Quartet Championship with the highest point total ever scored on the International stage.

Gentlemen's Agreement

The Gentlemen's Agreement, 1971 International champion, is one quartet that really was and "overnight success." Almost, anyway. Organized in December 1969, it qualified for the international contest in the spring, went to Atlantic City in July and came home with fourth-place medals. The following year, in New Orleans, the Detroit-area quartet won the whole ball of wax. But why not? Two of its members (baritone Glenn Van Tassell and tenor Al Rehkop) claimed their second gold medals in New Orleans; they had been half of the Auto Towners, 1966 champions. And the other two, lead Drayton Justus and bass Bob Whitledge, were equally talented, long-time barbershoppers, even though they didn't have medals to show for it.

Golden Staters

Tenor Gary Harding, his brother Jack Harding, Baritone, Milt Christensen, lead, and the inimitable Mike Senter, bass, The Golden Staters; won the Gold medal in Atlanta in July, 1972. GS' road to the top included 4th place in Chicago in 1966, fifth in 1967, third in 1968, and a Silver Medal in St. Louis in 1969. An injury to their lead kept them out of competition in 1970, another third in 1971, then finally the gold. 25 classic barbershop songs fill this delightful cd, some of our favorites are, 'Jean,' 'Draft Dodger Rag,' 'Mary Poppins Medley,' 'Hello, Dolly,' and 'Give My Regards To Broadway.' All good stuff, and frankly, it's impossible to listen to this CD and be in a bad mood!

Good News Quartet

Two-time gold medal winner Mo Rector of San Antonio, Texas, formed the Good News! quartet. The need and the ministry was simple: to make available good, simple, natural, four part a cappella arrangements of Christian hymns and gospel songs, and to help them learn the music by producing cassette learning tapes.

So, in 1985 Mo gathered three other international quartet champion singers and they began singing God's praises. Since then the Good News! has been hosting a Gospel Sing-a-long every year at the annual Barbershop Convention in cities all across the United States and Canada. They began with 150 singers in Hartford, CT., and it has grown to over 1500 enthusiastic singers last year in Salt Lake City, UT. Mo was replaced by Jim Foy as the bass in 1992. The Good News! has produced five recordings containing sixty-two of the world's favorite spiritual songs, all done in the barbershop style. They are now working on their sixth album.

Gotcha!

At an afterglow in September of 1996, four members of the Masters Of Harmony decided to sing a song. Three hours later, they had exhausted the entire repertoire from three choruses and a few international championship quartets! In short order, Gotcha! was born.

The quartet spent 1997 moving through the competition ranks, including sweeping the grand championship at the buckeye invitational. Riding high from first year successes, Gotcha! qualified for their first International Quartet contest in 1998 in Atlanta , with a 20th place finish. With renewed confidence, the quartet focused on the 1998 Far Western District contest in Phoenix, and came home with a championship trophy.

Grandma's Boys

In the summer of 1968 a high school quartet from Quincy, IL rode a Greyhound bus to Cincinnati, checked into the "Y," sat in the back row at the international contest and listened in awe as quartets like the Western Continentals, Mark IV, and Golden Staters won the top medals. They had recently named the quartet, and 11 years later, when three of the original four ran onstage in Minneapolis to claim their own gold medals, it still bore the name Grandma's Boys. Jay Giallombardo (bari), Hank Brandt (lead), John Miller (bass), and Jeff Calhoun (tenor) were singing in three different high school quartets when they first got together in the spring of 1968. Their determination to stick together was rigorously tested over the next few years. After only a few weeks of rehearsals with a new tenor, Grandma's Boys placed sixth in the next year's contest. The combination proved the right one, however; in 1978 the quartet won the silver medals, and in '79 they walked offstage with the Landino Trophy.

Great British Barbershop Boys

Barbershop Quartetting, quite possibly the earliest form of boy band music, is making a come back, and four young men who go by the name The Great British Barbershop Boys are leading the way.

Alan Hughes (tenor), Zac Booles (lead), Joe Knight (baritone) and Duncan Blackeby (bass) were originally members of the National Barbershop Youth Chorus but they decided to branch out and sing a few numbers as a quartet. Within nine months of the quartet forming, the boys were made British Quartet champions, and by October 2008 they also added the inaugural British Collegiate Quartet title to their ever-growing list of accomplishments.

Great Northern Union Chorus

The Great Northern Union is a premier a cappella male chorus in the upper Midwest region dedicated to the performance, education, promotion, encouragement and preservation of high quality vocal music, primarily in the barbershop style.

The Great Northern Union (GNU) was founded in 1985 with the goal of becoming one of the nation's best men's choruses. Since its inception the organization has entertained thousands with high-energy performances, appealing collaborations, and consistent achievement both regionally and nationally.

85 members strong, the GNU is an auditioned men's a cappella chorus based out of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area but includes members from the upper-Midwest region including Wisconsin, Iowa and North Dakota. While our roots originate in barbershop harmony, the GNU bridges music genres that include gospel, pop, jazz, classical, and modern a cappella.

Happiness Emporium

The Happiness Emporium, 1975 International quartet champions, is living proof that experience pays off. The "Emporium" members averaged 37 years of age when they won gold medals. Their collective experience, even before they came together for the first time in 1972, included participation in 24 international contests and with three district champion quartets, plus four USO tours to the Pacific.

Seven months after formation they placed 24th at the contest in Portland. The next year they were 9th, and in Indianapolis in 1975 they leaped to the gold. When Bob Spong retired from the quartet in 1983, Dick Treptow sang with them until 1987, and then Rick Andersonreplaced Dick on bari.

Hi-Fidelity

Hi-Fidelity is considered to be one of the top a cappella show quartets in the country with a locked sound, creative packages and an extremely unique sense of humor (perhaps twisted?). Hi-Fidelity is the current Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society's Far Western District. They have also taken top honors at another national "mixed" a cappella contest in 2002 when they were crowned the Buckeye Invitational Grand Quartet Champions. Their CD, "Almost Live" has been a big hit, and one cut (Blackbird Parody) was nominated for a CASA award in 2005. You may have seen them in some commercials too! Either as the Roto-Rooter plumbers or promoting the popular X-Box game "Tao Feng, Fist of the Lotus" (a very "painful" commercial - Check it out at www.hifidelityquartet.com). The guys are also members of the current International chorus champions, Masters of Harmony.

Hot Air Buffoons

The Hot Air Buffoons first weighed in back in 1996. They set out on a quest to sing theyll and entertain our audiences in a fashion they have never seen before. They soon surprised themselves and others by not only making people laugh but by progressing in the competition realm as well. They excelled in a competition that was made for them and took home gold medals and a pretty large trophy (which signifies 1st place) in the 2001 internationally renowned Buckeye Invitational Comedy Quartet Competition in Columbus, Ohio. Try saying that 5 times real fast. They have continued in the competition realm and are now the 2005 Johnny Appleseed District Champions. They have also competed internationally and are ranked as one of the top twenty quartets in the world (16th to be exact).

Hot Shots

HotShots has been entertaining audiences with their unique comedic style since January of 2004. Described as a combination of The Rat Pack meets the Marx Brothers, the quartet is always surprising audiences with something new and unexpected. The South Florida-based foursome has been invited to perform at corporate events, private functions, weddings, collegiate outreach festivals, Barbershop Harmony Society conventions and international vocal competitions. They have done everything from warming up the audience from center court at the USTA Davis Cup tennis tournament, to a command performance for the Governor of Utah, and of course, crooning some good-ole barbershop in front of their hometown crowd.

Houston Tidelanders

The Houston Tidelanders Chorus is the performing chorus of the 30,000-man Barbershop Harmony Society's Houston Chapter. We are an a cappella, i.e. unaccompanied, men's singing organization comprised of quartets and our large performing chorus. We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, chartered in 1946. There are more than 825 BHS chapters in the United States alone and our peers consistently rank us among the Top 20 performing choruses at the Society's International Chorus Competition.

While attempting to preserve the Barbershop harmony style, which, like jazz, is a musical form unique to the United States, we recognize the importance of broadening our audience appeal so that we are more than a niche performing arts group. We don't merely sing those old "chestnuts" from the early 1900's, beautiful though they may have been. Instead, we perform recognizable pop tunes, Broadway show music, country and western or Gospel songs, which are far more contemporary but which we sing in the Barbershop style, none-the-less.

Ignition!

Ignition! was formed in February 2004. Despite a couple of personnel changes, Ignition! has stayed together. In the summer of 2005, Ignition! added Dan Testa as the new Tenor and recently added Matt Swann as the new Baritone. Ignition! has been fortunate to perform several shows and travel to many places thus far...and hope to do a lot more of it in the future! They made their contest debut in April 2004 after just a few weeks of rehearsal; the quartet was a few points away from a wild card invitation to the 2004 International contest. The following fall Ignition! placed 2nd in the Rocky Mountain District contest. The quartet posted a qualifying score for the 2005 international contest in Salt Lake City, but due to personnel changes were unable to compete. Ignition! became RMD champions in October of 2005, and placed 21st at the 2006 international contest in Indianapolis. In 2007 in Denver the quartet rose significantly in the rankings and finished in 12th place at International.

Innsiders

As the 1976 SPEBSQSA International Champions, The Innsiders climaxed a storied career which included several top 10 finishes in the competition. This quartet's love of singing and their steadfast devotion to their art along with a strong work ethic and lots of talent took them to greatness. This compilation of their master works has been released under the watchful eyes of former member Brian Beck, so you are sure to hear the best that The Innsiders had to offer. Some of our favorite songs include 'Bridge Over Troubled Water,' 'Ghost Riders In The Sky,' and 'Till We Meet Again.'

Interstate Rivals

1987 International Champions, the Rivals placed sixth in 1984, third in '85, and moved to second before topping the charts, so to speak. That they were the second youngest quartet ever to win the championship would seem to imply a lack of experience, but when they won they had 45 years barbershop singing among the four. Each of the Interstate Rivals went on to win another quartet championship, Joe Connelly with Keepsake in l992, Kip Buckner with the Gas House Gang in 1993, while Jay Hawkins and Paul Gilman were half of the 1995 Champions, Marquis. What a history! In their selection of a dozen songs they stick to beautiful barbershop singing only hamming it up a bit on 'Cecilia.'

Joker's Wild

Consider a deck of cards for a moment... The Ace is always the best, followed by the King and so on down the line. But when it comes to Barbershop Quartets, it's possible to be an Ace and King at the same time! How, you say? Simple. You just apply the card that can make anything happen... the Joker!

Joker's Wild was formed in August of 1990 when the original four members met informally at the Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio and harmonized together. The sound and enthusiasm of the evening convinced them to form a quartet to showcase their natural blend.

Keepsake

Hailing from Florida, the much-acclaimed Keepsake are an exciting addition to our catalog. They have dedicated this recording to Charles "Bub" Thomas of Walt Disney World's "Dapper Dans," and a marvelous tribute it is. Winners of the 1992 Quartet Championships, the group's stellar sound is sublime. The group's use of dynamics, the arrangements (by a who's-who of arranging talent) and their choice of material-most impressive all. Their exquisite "Lost In the Stars" (written by Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson) is a fondant of perfect notes. "Blue Velvet" is similarly rendered and has a signature coda; speaking of which, the ending of "How Deep Is the Ocean" is a show-stopper. The traditional barbershop fare, including "Make 'Em Laugh," "I Love a Piano" and "The Entertainer," is of course flawless. Don't miss this one!

Mark IV

Many personnel changes, some of them brought about by Uncle Sam, brought together the talented foursome that won the Gold in St. Louis in 1969. Mo Rector, fine bass of the '58 champs, the Gaynotes, baritone Dale Deiser, lead Alan Koberstein, and tenor Franklin Spears were years ahead of their time in finesse, warm rich sound, and overall musicianship. They only stayed together until 1974, pleasing audiences with their music and gracious personalities; but we are left with this masterpiece cd. Pure entertainment, from 'Anything Goes' and 'Daddy Sang Bass,' to 'Every Step Of The Way' and 'If You Love Me, Really Love Me.' 22 songs in all, a generous helping of the stuff barbershop is made of, the top of the Mark!

Marquis

From their inception in August 1993, the members of Marquis were committed to excellence in music and sharing the love of that music with their audience, while enjoying the friendship formed within the quartet and their families. This commitment enabled Randy, Jay, Dale, and Paul to take only twenty three months to win the gold medal at the 1995 International Barbershop Convention in Miami Beach. With their victory, the individual members f Marquis have accumulated twenty four appearances in international barbershop competition resulting in seventeen top five medals. Jay and Paul earned their second gold having previously won in 1987 with the Interstate Rivals.