Rod McGillivray - Tenor
Rod (Rodney) McGillivray, South
African by birth, and Canadian by choice, started harmonizing at the
tender age of 12 when his Dad taught him the tenor part to "Shall We
Gather at the River". His first foray into the quartet world was in a
gospel quartet at boarding school in his mid teens. From this experience
Rod developed his love of all harmony groups, The Four Freshmen and the
Hi Lo's! topping his list.
Rod discovered the existence of the
Barbershop Harmony Society one day in 1968 in Johannesburg, in the
basement of Barry Gordon's Bop Shop, while going through some recent LP
arrivals from the USA. After emigrating to Canada in 1972 Rod joined the
local Ottawa Barbershop Chapter, the Capital City Chorus (CCC). In 1976,
he sang in his first quartet as a baritone, changing to tenor shortly
thereafter. Over the years Rod has sung with many quartets, the comedic
”Back Porch 4”, “Casablanca”, and “As Time Goes By” being the most
memorable. Rod has
been very active in the CCC, serving for a time as the Music VP and he
remains the Tenor Section Leader. Rod is proud to have been named an
Ontario Barbershopper of Renown in 2003,
the CCC's Barbershopper of Distinction in 1998, and Barbershopper
of the Year for 2006.
One of Rod’s Barbershopping
highlight’s came in 1987 when his quartet, “The Northern Lights”, were
invited to compete in the Roodepoort International Eisteddfod of South
Africa. Forty-three different countries from around the globe were
represented and the quartet was awarded a Gold Certificate in the small
group (up to 10 members with or without instruments) category. Rod has
also competed on the International stage of the Barbershop Harmony
Society ten times - once with the Capital City Chorus, four times with
“Casablanca” and five times with “Play It Again!”
In 1984 Rod organized his first annual golf event, "The Great International Back Porch 4 Memorial Golf Tournament". With the assistance of his quartet members, over the years the tournament has raised approximately $20,000 for the Ontario charity, Harmonize for Speech.
Rod
and his wife Lynda live in Gatineau Quebec. They have two daughters and one
granddaughter Indiana.
(Check out this link
www.lullabydreams.com/indiana
Rod also has two daughters and four more grandchildren, from a previous marriage.
