Editor note - To refresh your memory, "Full Effect" will be our guest quartet on our May 2004 show. Tim Knapp, tenor of "Full Effect" is the son of Gordon & Donna Knapp and started his barbershop career as a member of the Greater Pittsburgh Chapter. "Full Effect" placed 5th at the MAD quartet competition. At my request, Donna provided me with the following on their trip to see Tim's 5th place finish.
Gordon and I headed for Wildwood, New Jersey at the beginning of October for the Mid-Atlantic Chorus and Quartet Competition. We even went early hoping to spend some quality beach time before the contest. It was one of the coldest fall weekends in history with the temperatures hovering in the low 60's, and the winds were high. Gloves, sweatshirts, hats and coats were the dress of the weekend!
But we were warmed up and ready for the Friday night contest. Tim told us beforehand that the new quartet's goal was to make it to the top ten. While they were rehearsing on Friday, Gordon decided we should head for the Wildwood Boardwalk and have "Full Effect" tee-shirts made for all the family in attendance. Proudly wearing them to Friday's contest, we cheered wildly when the quartet sang "Wink and a Smile" and "What'll I Do." I can't tell you what a thrill it was to hear "Full Effect" in that top ten list.
Saturday night was just so exciting as more family members came to cheer the guys on. When the quartet bounded on to the stage in their royal blue satin suits, we knew we "ain't heard nothing yet." Saturday's songs, "Come Take Your Place In My Heart" and "Just In Time" absolutely made the hair stand up on my arms, and I do believe the women in our family were seen jumping up and down!!
They and we were so proud of their fifth place finish; the judges could not have been more complimentary. They are so excited about appearing on Greater Pittsburgh's show in May. Tim will then have come full circle. The audience loved us, the judges, well they liked us a lot.
Meet our chapters newest addition to the lead section, John Matusz
Our newest chapter member, John Matusz, was inducted into our ranks on Nov. 11th, 2003. Seems that Russ Keyser heard John singing along at one of our performances and recognized that here was a man who seemed to enjoy singing. Russ invited John to visit us at a regular meeting and it wasn't long before John was hooked. Like many of us, John has no formal music background, experience or training; he just likes to sing.
John and his wife Cammy live in Plum Boro. Married for 38 years, they have a daughter and a son and three grandchildren. John is a native "Pittsburgher" having been born in Wilmerding and still living in the Pittsburgh area. John is a long time Westinghouse employee having started at the Bettis Atomic Power Lab and ended up at the Monroeville Nuclear Center where he retired after 33 years service. John still works at the Nuclear center as a contract employee.
Among his outside interests, outside of singing, John collect guns, collects and reads books on military history and enjoys fishing. John tells me that he and Cammy are "mall walkers" and he recently got a gift certificate from Monroeville Mall for logging in 200 miles of walking in the mall.
Welcome aboard John and here's wishing you many happy years of singing!!