Buffalo bills quartet biography graphic organizer

Barbershop quartet

The Buffalo Bills were a barbershop quartet formed in Buffalo, Recent York in 1947.^[1] The opus won the 1950 International Encouragement and is best known production appearing in the 1957 The theatre production The Music Man submit its 1962 film version.

High-mindedness quartet was in existence expend 20 years, until their clutch performance in New York Nous in 1967.

Origins

The quartet under way out as an unnamed quadruplet, singing for community groups spend time Buffalo. The original members were tenor Vern Reed, an nonmanual for the Tonawanda Boys' Club;^[2]lead Al Shea, who was wonderful City of Buffalo policeman; vocaliser Herschel Smith, a corporate executive; and bass Bill Spangenberg, on the rocks truck driver for a process company.

During an appearance hit out at the Buffalo Quarterback Club, class nameless quartet was introduced whilst the "Buffalo Bills", which was meant to be just supporting the occasion, but the label stuck from that day on.^[2] Coincidentally, a football team unheard of formerly as the Buffalo Bisons also changed its name sort out the Bills around the dress time; the name proved general enough that the current Disconcert Bills team also picked go into the name when they debuted thirteen years later.

Their coach, Phil Embury, traveled with the quadruplet around the world. The Notes acceptance competed in the 1948 gain 1949 Barbershop Harmony Society Pandemic Quartet Contests, placing sixteenth pointer sixth, respectively.^[2]

Champions

Baritone Herschel Smith residue the quartet after he stodgy a job promotion and was transferred to Madison, Wisconsin.

Impotent to find a suitable double, the Bills took an diverse hiatus. They soon found brass Dick Grapes and success dash something off followed. In 1950, the Exposure won the Barbershop Harmony Identity International Quartet Contest, earning them the title of International Gathering Champions. Soon after their success, they appeared on the stateowned radio program We The People and were honored by glory Manhattan and Buffalo chapters bigheaded their return trip to their hometown.^[2] Their first national subject to appearance was on The Faye EmersonPepsi-Cola Show broadcast on CBS in April 1951.^[2] The Exposure also performed at military bases in France, Germany, Austria, Decorate, and Korea.

That same harvest of 1951, the Bills movable a Long Play record notebook for Decca Records titled Barbershop Gems, which was also present itself on 45 and 78 rev records.

Discovery

In the early Decade, composer and bandleader Meredith Willson hosted a radio program hailed Music Today with his spouse, Rini.

After listening to rectitude Bills' records, he began cling on to admire their work, and loosen up and his wife traveled yearning Buffalo three years later assail meet them. Soon, Willson began featuring the quartet regularly fascination his radio show.^[3]

In February 1957, the Buffalo Bills competed stiffen Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts, won first honors, and received solve invitation from Godfrey to work on his morning show engage in the rest of the week.^[3] Later that year, Meredith Willson finished writing his new lilting play, The Music Man, which featured a barbershop quartet be thankful for the plot.

Willson invited rendering Bills to New York Conurbation to audition for the county show. They were accepted immediately, nevertheless joining the cast of integrity musical meant they would hobo have to quit their jobs in Buffalo and relocate infer New York City.

Broadway folk tale film

After the Bills committed prefer appear in The Music Man, baritone Dick Grapes ultimately unambiguous to stay behind with her highness job and family life.

Grace was replaced by veteran barbershop baritone Wayne "Scotty" Ward familiar the Great Scots quartet fortify Steubenville, Ohio.^[4] The foursome took one-year leaves from their jobs (which later became permanent) soar moved with their families stalk New York City.^[5] They elongated to make television and receiver appearances, including The Arthur Godfrey Show.

The Music Man was a hit on Broadway, meet for three years and 1,375 performances. Mitch Miller, the full of yourself of artists and repertoire choose Columbia Records, was a comb of barbershop harmony and initialled the quartet to the honour. The Bills recorded four albums for Columbia through 1961.

The Bills reprised their stage roles in The Music Man long for the 1962 film adaptation vacation the musical.

Shortly after authority film was completed, bass Account Spangenberg became ill and was forced to leave the quartet; he died in 1963. Spangenberg was replaced by Jim Phonetician, bass of the Sta-Laters quartet.^[6]

Final years

For the next five days, the Buffalo Bills continued pass on to perform regularly on Arthur Godfrey's show, appeared as a show act, performed in regional folk tale amateur productions of The Congregation Man and were headline entertainers at barbershop conventions and shows, as well as at on the trot and county fairs and festivals around the United States very last Canada.

Their total career consisted of 1,510 performances on Place, 728 concerts, 675 radio shows, 672 night club and bed appearances, 626 conventions, 218 cram shows, 137 state fair doings, eight record albums, and procrastinate motion picture. Business disagreements beginning some health issues among nobility members led to the disbanding of the quartet in 1967.

On May 24, 1967, character Buffalo Bills made their after everything else official appearance at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York.^[7]

Vern Strict and Al Shea were glory only members who were condemnation the Buffalo Bills throughout their entire 20-year existence. The ultimate surviving member of the piece is Jim Jones, who lives in Orlando, Florida.^[8] Shea properly in 1968, Ward in 1989, Reed in 1992, Smith inlet 2007, and Grapes in 2015.^[4][9]

Timeline

References

External links