Preservation February 2012
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The Official Publication of the Barbershop Harmony Society’s Historical Archives Volume 3, No. 1 Nostalgia Isn’t What It Used to Be February 2012 Meet Gentleman Dick Grapes A Buffalo Bill Remembers In This Issue Pages Gentleman Dick Grapes 3-8 Harmony Halls Scrapbook Discovered 12 Finding Lost Champions 13-18 Virtually Unlimited Chorus 19 Lottsa Mail 20-22 The Story Behind CHORD 23-28 Muppets’ Barbershop Quartet 2 Howe Did You Get That Name? 10-11 All articles herein - unless otherwise credited - were written by the editor 2 Volume 3, No. 1 February 2012 New Movie Includes Unique Quartet Published by the Society Archives Committee of the Barbershop Harmony Society for all those interested in preserving, promoting and educating others as to the rich history of the Barbershop music genre and the organization of men that love it. Society Archives Committee Grady Kerr - Texas (Chairman) Bob Sutton - Virginia Steve D'Ambrosio - Tennessee Bob Davenport - Tennessee The Muppets’ Bob Coant - New York Patty Levelle - Tennessee (BHS Staff Liaison) Barbershop Quartet Society Historian / Editor / Layout The new Muppet Movie includes a Grady Kerr “barbershop quartet”. The foursome features 9498 East Valley Ranch Pkwy #1107 Sam the Eagle, Rowlf the Dog, Link Irving, Texas 75063 214 57 GKERR (214.574.5377) Hogthrob and Beaker. [email protected] They sing version of Smells Like Teen Spirit, Proofreaders & Fact Checkers Bob Sutton, Ann & Brad McAlexander a song made popular in 1991 by rock group Nirvana (Kurt Cobain, Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl). 1963 / 25th Anniversary Pin th All articles herein, unless otherwise credited, are written by the editor As we approach the 75 anniversary and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Society, any District, any historian, the Archives Committee or the editor convention in Toronto in the summer of 2013 we show off the VERY FIRST known convention lapel pin produced. PRESERVATION Online! All past issues are always available here Donated by Chuck Snyder, Society events man in 1963, www.barbershop.org/preservation- this pin was issued to publication.html convention goers announcing “I Sang In Society’s Historical Toronto in ‘63” during our Archives Committee 2012 25th anniversary convention. We wonder how Grady Kerr - Texas (Chairman) many still have one of these rare pins in their Bob Sutton - Virginia collection. Bob Coant - New York Steve D'Ambrosio - Tennessee Here’s the new logo for Bob Davenport – Tennessee Toronto and 75th Patty Leveille - Tennessee (Staff Liaison) anniversary pins. Does Your Chapter NEED a HISTORIAN? We Say YES - See Page 29 3 Volume 3, No. 1 February 2012 A Buffalo Bill Remembers Meet Gentleman Dick Grapes Almost everyone has heard of The Buffalo Pacific, serving as a radio operator and Bills, right? But few know the story of their yeoman aboard the USS Miami (a gold medal baritone and his life and times Cleveland-class light armored cruiser). with the most famous quartet in our history. At the age of 20, on his first night of liberty, Our 1950 International quartet champions he found himself at the Philadelphia USO. went on to appear on He spotted a girl who could “really Broadway and on the big jitterbug”. He and Doris hit it off and he screen as the contentious managed to dance with her as many times as school board quartet in they would allow. Just by chance, he saw her Meredith Willson’s running for the train afterwards. He jumped award winning musical on the train and followed her (which was not The Music Man. One allowed). Her mother met her at the last stop man who was there in the and noticed Dick was determined to get to beginning was Richard know her daughter. He also looked hungry. “Dick” Grapes. She took him home and fed him a BLT. Dick still lives in the Buffalo area and turns Thus began a life-long love affair. They 87 next month. He fondly remembers those began dating and when Dick went off to war early days. he maintained a long distance correspondence with Doris. As soon as he Musical Grapes was discharged he told her he was coming to Dick was musical from an early age. He is Philly to see her. She told him she already the youngest of nine (six boys / three girls). had a date that night. He often sang in a family quartet, the high He told her to break it. school glee club and a male quartet in North She did. They had Tonawanda, New York. dinner and saw a show and a marriage proposal In 1943 he was drafted into the Navy and soon followed. saw action during World War II in the USS Miami 4 Volume 3, No. 1 February 2012 On November 30, 1946 Dick Grapes and He had arranged for the Doris Adams were quartet to appear at the married. Not only Monday morning brunch. could she dance, she Wells simply ad-libbed could also sing (alto). their introduction and Jim Wells They found announced them as “The themselves Buffalo Bills”. They liked harmonizing together the name. to songs like Five Foot Two. They Around the same time the local football raised two kids and team, originally formed after WWII as part were happily married of the All-America Football Conference, for 64 years. sought a new identity. The team changed ITS name to the Buffalo Bills. Grapes is a self-taught organist and ukulele player. He sang in several western New York Dick can still recall the day the quartet got a choruses including the Carborundum Male phone call from the football club franchise. Chorus in Niagara Falls. They were asking the quartet if it was OK to use that name. He recalls, “It must have been He joined the Barbershop Harmony Society a suggestion from their lawyers and, in 1948 and is STILL a proud member. truthfully, their request was probably just a formality. We were both already established Dick Grapes worked for the Hubbs and – they didn’t really have to ask.” Howe paper company as a straight commission salesman. Prior to joining the With tongue firmly in cheek, Dick enjoys Bills he was a member of the Tonawandas telling us, “We went ahead and gave them Chapter and the ToneWanderers quartet. permission to use the name.” In 1947, before Dick joined them, The Dick’s life as a Bill started when he and Buffalo Bills started out like every other fellow chapter member Ben Marino agreed quartet -- They just wanted to sing close to give their chapter director, Hank Lewis, a harmony. ride home after rehearsal. Each week they drove from North Tonawanda to Buffalo – Their first two choices for a quartet name, about 10 miles one way. The Town Criers and The Four Tune Tellers, were rejected by the Society office They made a habit of stopping at because they were already in use by other barbershopper Art Myers’ Grill. It was competing Society quartets. famous for its hot roast beef sandwiches and was a popular “watering hole” where The new foursome was still looking for a barbershop groups would gather and name when they were booked by the Buffalo woodshed after rehearsals, shows and gigs. Quarterback Club. The master of Each week they would sing long into the ceremonies was Jim Wells, a well-known night – Ben on tenor, Art on lead, Dick on local sportscaster for WBEN – Buffalo. bari and Hank on bass. Jokingly that named themselves The Buftoneaires. 5 Volume 3, No. 1 February 2012 It was November of 1949. One night The Bills came They gave Dick the sheet music to three in after a show. They were “long-faced” and very songs: I’m Goin’ South, I’m Sorry I Made disheartened. They had just learned that their You Cry and My Gal Sal. He was to learn original baritone, Herschel “Hersh” Smith, was going to retire from the group due to business each before the audition the following conflicts. Thursday in Buffalo at the Boys Club where Vern Reed worked. The quartet had already won the Seneca Land District quartet championship and competed in two His sister-in-law, who played the piano, International contests. With Hersh they had placed helped him learn the bari part of these songs. 16th in 1948 and 6th in 1949. He barely knew the melody. The quartet was making plans to disband. Art suggested this “young bari named Grapes.” The Bills agreed to audition him. They were also auditioning a few others. Dick doesn’t remember who else they auditioned but says he has met hundreds who claimed to have been asked. In reality there were probably only two others. w baritone lly announces ne newspaper forma March 17, 1950 Apparently they were happy with Grapes and invited him to join them. He attended their performance at a “Parade” (a show of several top quartets) the following Saturday in Lockport, NY. It was one of Hersh’s last shows. Only weeks later, Dick joined the quartet and continued singing with them for the next eight years. Grapes had to quickly learn their contest and show repertoire – about 15 songs – in three months. His first show was in Pittsburgh. That spring with their new bari they qualified for the 1950 International Contest. 6 Volume 3, No. 1 February 2012 Grapes and The Bills toured Germany, Korea and Japan, entertaining hundreds of thousands of service men and women for the Armed The new dynamics of the quartet were Services. unique. The original members had strong voices described by Grapes as “heavy singers.” By comparison, Dick considered July 1, 1951 himself a “lightweight” vocally.