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Barbershop singers hooked on harmony
By JULIANNE WU, Times Staff Writer ST. PETERSBURG -- Before they could belt out Heart of My Heart in four-part harmony, Dr. Clare McCreary led about 20 men in some warmup exercises at a practice Monday night. "Take a deep breath, hold it. Now, take a deep breath and sing ooh, ooh," said McCreary, assistant director of the Suncoast Chorus for the past 10 years. He was filling in until the group's director, Scott Turnbull, 41, of St. Petersburg, could take over. Turnbull, a music teacher at Bear Creek Elementary School, had a parent open house to attend first. At 85, McCreary, of Seminole, is one of the oldest members of the chorus, which fosters barbershop harmony. A retired St. Petersburg orthodontist, he has been in the club since 1948. Another old-timer is retired salesman Mert Barrett, 84, of St. Petersburg. "I'm the last one of the charter members," said Barrett, who is a lead singer (also known as second tenor). The Suncoast Chorus, which used to be called the Sunshine City Chapter, was formed in 1946 and is one of the oldest chapters in the state, said Barrett, a past president on the local and district levels. The 59-man chapter belongs to the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. or SPEBSQSA for short. There are now more than 34,000 members in 809 chapters in the United States and Canada. Of that, 42 chapters are in the Florida district. There are also affiliated organizations throughout the world. Although there have been other fathers and sons in the chorus in the past, Barrett is part of the only three-generation group today. His son, Steve, 52, a Clearwater accountant, has belonged for 28 years and his grandson, Chris, has been in six years. "It's kind of fun being one of the young guys," said Chris Barrett, 19, a sophomore at the University of South Florida in Tampa who is majoring in mechanical engineering. The young Barrett is in the chorus' only formal quartet right now, called Evolution. The members range in age from 19 to 23. "We sing the old-time songs, but we have also adapted some '50s and '60s music, along with some of the music of today." Although he used to tag along with his grandfather and dad, Chris Barrett said he grew to like it. "Once you sing in a quartet, you're hooked." Barbershop music has been a part of Americana since at least the 1890s. It was particularly popular in small towns in the Midwest. In those days, the barbershop was a hangout and a gathering place for men. While some visitors could strum a guitar (which often sat in the corner of the barbershop), others would contribute vocally. Someone would start a melody and a tenor, baritone and bass would fill in. In 1938, the first official club was formed in Tulsa, Okla. So, what exactly is barbershop harmony? It is a four-part, unaccompanied, close-harmony singing, with the melody sung by the lead and supported by the tenor, bass and baritone. All barbershop music today is sung a cappella, without instruments. The music is mostly from the heyday of Tin Pan Alley, from around 1890-1920. It was also called the music of the Gay Nineties. But some of the music has evolved. Mert Barrett said the Suncoast Chorus' repertoire includes about 400 songs from I Love You Truly and Lida Rose to Ain't Misbehavin' and America The Beautiful. Interest in barbershop harmony is kept alive by district, national and international contests and shows. For instance, on the upcoming Labor Day weekend, a number of choruses and quartets from SPEBSQSA and Sweet Adelines International (the women's group) will perform for the public: at 8 p.m. on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 at the Westin Innisbrook Resort in Palm Harbor. Tickets, at $20 for adults and $5 for students 17 and under, will be available at the door. Steve Barrett, who is also a past president of the Suncoast Chorus, is in charge. Also, each March, the Suncoast Chorus stages a show called "Remember Radio" at the Mahaffey Theater in St. Petersburg. While audiences aren't as big as they used to be, Mert Barrett remembers when "we could really pack 'em in." "And we used to do a lot of Christmas caroling," he said. "We toured on streetcars, then buses. It was so popular that people in St. Petersburg would line up to see us at several shopping stops. Of course, that was all before TV and playhouses." -- Times researcher Mary Mellstrom contributed to this report. If you goThe Suncoast Chorus of SPEBSQSA will give a harmony workshop for male singers from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 6801 38th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. It will include demonstrations, sessions on four-part harmony and free lunch. Preregister by calling Lance Lubin, 381-2900.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks Editorial Letters |
