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Essentials in
Mission
Music is what we are all about
Joe Liles retired as executive director in 1996, and subsequently has continued to work as music publications editor. On the occasion of his first retirement, Joe reflected on the centrality of music in everything we do.
Updated: 11/19/2007 11:55:58 AM
by Joe Liles, retiring Executive Director of SPEBSQSA
(originally published March 1996)
Music brought us together in the first place. Lifelong friendships are a result of having harbors of harmony we call “the chapter,” “the chorus,” “the quartet” and more temporary harbors, such as conventions, cruises, inter-chapter meetings, weekend gatherings and schools.
Recapping a career
Back in the fall of 1967, my ship sailed into the port occupied by the San Antonio Chordsmen. In that first chapter meeting, I was invited to woodshed the tenor part to “I Want A Girl” with three members of the Mark IV quartet—which went on to be international champ in 1969. The chords were ringing and bathing my body and soul with waves of ecstacy, baptizing me in a pool of heavenly harmony. I said to myself in that moment of incredible gratification, “I want to do this for the rest of my life!”
Thus began my new world of happiness. About two months later, I became chorus director and soon afterwards began singing baritone in a quartet. Soon, I was involved in coaching quartets and choruses and teaching in district schools and Society harmony colleges. I started doing arrangements, and our chorus was performing 30-35 shows annually.
In 1975, I got a call from Bob Johnson, then director of music education and services, asking me if I’d like to barbershop full time. I said, “I already am!” He replied, “No, I mean as a career.” I said, “You mean they pay someone to do that?” He said, “Yes, but not very much!” Well, in August, Kay and I and two of our four kids (the other two were in college) headed for Kenosha.
After seven years of field work, I became director of music education and services, and was made executive director in 1987. I am grateful for the opportunity, and to the outstanding international presidents, Boards of Directors, key committees and a network of outstanding volunteers who have helped to guide the Society in improving our image and products, while challenging us with visions for the future.
Facing new challenges
We are living in a new kind of world today. We can, we must, we will meet the challenge. The good ‘ole boy clubs are falling by the wayside. There are fundamental changes in attitudes toward work, leisure, and the roles of American men. Added responsibilities give less time for chapter activities. Television, a comfortable chair and an evening at home have a strong appeal to lots of folks. The Society office processes more than 200 address changes per week—10,500 changes of residence, nearly a third of our membership, annually!
Also gentlemen, more and more of our members are singing with spouses and female friends and having loads of fun! We need to welcome, encourage and support these harmonizers. Let them sing on our shows and afterglows. Would mixed quartets enjoy competition? Maybe. It could happen.
Sweet Adelines International just had the largest barbershop convention ever in New Orleans—more than 13,000 attended. On the Thursday night Queens of Harmony show, their spouses were invited to join them in a smashing finale that brought the audience out of its seats for an extended standing ovation. It was a memorable performance.
We will have a mixed group of barbershoppers from Minneapolis on the World Harmony Jamboree in Salt Lake City. They are husbands and wives singing as friends.
We must face up to the issue and go with the flow or simply become archaic and die. I think there must be a strong, collaborative effort between all barbershop organizations, and in particular the two largest, SPEBSQSA and Sweet Adelines International. One of my goals has been to bring about better understanding and cooperation between all of us. We need to develop a sharing of coaches, teachers, talent and materials.
A meeting this January between SPEBSQSA and Sweet Adelines International was the beginning of some great cooperative ventures that will benefit the whole world of barbershopping, that is, all male and female barbershoppers. A community in which all barbershoppers focus their efforts in membership drives, shared performances and educational activities is bound to create a synergistic happening!
Wouldn’t it be great for us to sponsor a world a cappella festival in the near future? Just think what that would mean in terms of supporting our vision of world harmony. I believe we could, and should do so.
Harmony means more than just music
Another goal I’ve had is to bring more understanding and cooperation between our special interest groups. We have those that swear our founders supported only quartet singing—that they would be opposed to group and chorus singing. There are those who are focused on preserving a certain style of barbershop singing or arrangements, proponents of casual woodshedding, chorus devotees, contest-oriented choruses and quartets, people who like gospel or modern songs ... you name it, we’ve got it!
Unfortunately, many members of special interest groups feel only they are right and all others are wrong. It is time for a new kind of harmony. A social harmony where chords resonate love and support for each barbershopper doing his or her own thing.
What O. C. really said
In response to some of these special-interest claims, let me offer a few quotes from our founder, O. C. Cash, himself:
“The brothers at Macomb, Illinois, invited me to their recent parade and it was a dandy. The work of the chorus impressed me especially, and the nice thing about it was that in the 100 men comprising it, all ages were represented—high school boys and great-grandfathers—all singing close harmony for the sheer love of singing. What a wholesome influence on our way of life it will be when such groups are organized in every village, town and city in the land! ...
“Do you brothers realize that at the Milwaukee convention, we had four choruses in attendance? At our first convention in Tulsa we had only 10 or 12 quartets. At the Oklahoma City convention next year I hope we have that many choruses. I suggest we arrange to have these various choruses put on a 15-30 minute recital. We may have to allot an extra day to get this all on the program. It will not be many years until we will have to set aside an entire week, making it a ‘barbershop harmony festival,’ as well as a national convention and contest. ... “The parade at San Gabriel was a well-planned and extremely entertaining event. Of particular interest to me was the splendid performance of the chorus. I have not heard very many of the choruses throughout the country, and I must not indicate any preference, but the singing of this group thrilled me to my toes. ...
“Even though it is burlesqued, I am always impressed with this operatic stuff that some of the quartets indulge in occasionally. I heard a group on the air the other day sing “Beyond The Blue Horizon.” It was strictly a glee-club arrangement, but it was so pretty, and I thought how much better my proposed chorus could have done the number. I like any kind of singing if done by Barbershoppers, and they are the guys that can do it. ...
“With interest and choruses continuing to develop, we should make provision for more activity of this kind at our annual conventions. So, begin thinking of an annual meeting of six or seven days duration to provide outlet for all phases of harmony singing. With a full week of harmony of various kinds, the devotee of any variety could come and go as he pleased. Of course, most of us would have to take in the whole ‘shootin’ match.’ ...
“We haven’t heard so much about the Texas brothers. They were a little late in getting started in barbershop activities, but you can rest assured that they have some fine quartets and some splendid choruses. While they are terribly good, those of you who know anything about Texas will understand they are not nearly so good as they say they are, in fact, they are only about as good as the rest of us. ...
“For a long time, I have had an idea that, while emphasis should be laid upon barbershop harmony and choruses, each group should have in its repertoire a few selections of a more-or-less classical nature. Have you heard Bob Ising’s Louisville gang sing the ‘Summertime’ thing? That’s not barbershop, but it simply ‘curls your hair.’ These numbers should be performed occasionally just to show the audience that barbershoppers ‘came up the hard way’; that is, they mastered these high-brow pieces and this type of music preliminary to graduating into barbershop choruses. I think we ought to give our audiences a taste of typical glee club, classical or operatic music just to show them that barbershoppers can sing anything, and sing it well. Too, it will help those men who have spent a lifetime singing this so-called ‘long-hair’ type music to realize that their time has not been entirely wasted. Applying themselves assiduously, they can still hope to progress upward and maybe get into one of our choruses and have some fun yet before they die.”
We suffer from people who have a cause putting words in the mouths of others. We also suffer from misinformation and guesswork that finds its way onto the Internet!
We should live and let live
Those who feel that quartet singing is the only way to go and chorus singing is a waste of time should be helped and encouraged to sing in a quartet. The local chapter should support this preference for any of their members. Start a quartet-only chapter! The Society headquarters staff will help you get going. It only takes four to get started and you have a year to put together three quartets and you have a quartet chapter.
Let’s live and let live and don’t worry so much about the music. The contest venue is the perfect medium for preserving the barbershop style and guiding the evolution of it. The barbershop style itself is strong enough to endure. Singers who stray away and have some fun with other styles and harmony invariably come back to one of the chestnuts that produce the awesome ringing sound. Let’s learn to enjoy the enjoyment of others. If you honestly can’t do that, then leave ’em alone. Just enjoy what pleases you. I will say, there are some of us who love all of it. Let’s hear it for harmony.
Music has a power of its own
As I began this moment with you, I said, “Music is what we are all about.” There is power in music and harmony. Music is the expression of the soul and the all-embracing language of the world.
My mom taught me to sing and play the ukulele before I ever attended grade school. I started making up songs at age six. There was always singing at home and church with family and friends. Music has been a golden thread throughout my life, and I can vouch for its power of communication.
Early last spring, I visited my mom in a rest home in San Antonio. She now has Alzheimer and Parkinson’s diseases; she can no longer hold a conversation and has difficulty recognizing anyone. The attendants placed her in a wheelchair and we rolled her to a large room that has a piano. I sat down and played some songs for her, trying to reach out in some way.
Residents of the home gathered around and I led them in a songfest of secular and sacred songs. I stopped for a minute and explained that I was the son of Bernice, that she was the greatest singer I had known as a child, and of how she had inspired me and taught me to love music. Her favorite gospel song is “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.” I began to play it for them and sing it.
No sooner were the first few words, “Why should I feel discouraged ... ” sung, when I heard a sweet voice behind me. My mom had lifted her head and started singing in a small voice, not with the power of her youth, but right on pitch.
“Why should the shadows fall, why should my heart be lonely and long for heaven and home ... “ right on to the chorus. Her voice began to gather in strength, and I could no longer see the keyboard.
She continued, “I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for his eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me. His eye is on the sparrow and I know he watches me.”
Her radiant face soon dropped to her chest again and she faded back into her own world. For a few magical, powerful moments, Mom and I were communicating.
I’m grateful to music. That’s why I say we must teach the children to sing and teach all people to sing and keep the whole world singing.
As I complete my task as your executive director and pass the torch on to Darryl, I can say, “Been there, done that”—but to paraphrase a quote from Johnny Carson when he retired, “If I could somehow, magically, make the clock run backwards, I’d like to do the whole thing all over again.”
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