| Golden Memories | SWD International Quartet Champions |
| the contest audience when they returned
to their home chapters. The Lads credited Frank Thorne with the song but
later Frank asked THEM for the arrangement.
The scores allowed the Gaynotes and the Lads to make the finals but the luck of the draw placed the Gaynotes singing first and the Lads last in the contest. They sang Way Down in Georgia and closed the contest with It Looks Like Rain In Che~ Blossom Lane. The Gaynotes were third and the Lads of Enchantment were crowned 1957 International champions in only their second International contest. Their championship year was full of shows and wonderful memories but after being together less than four years, Don Pitts decided to retire from the quartetjust prior to their swan song at the 1958 International in Columbus. It was the very first International quartet contest the Lads had ever seen. It seemed that they were almost always picked to sing last and never got to see the competition. It was a good thing too as they were very impressed with the number of outstanding quartets in the contest. They, of course, cheered on their friends the Gaynotes, and were thrilled to present the trophy to another Southwestern District foursome that night. Mter returning home and trying a few other combinations, The Lads agreed to disband. They did temporarily reunite in time for the Mid-Winter convention of 1959 in El Paso with tenor Cal Sexton which was their final appearance. Unfortunately, the Lads never put out their own record album. They did have several songs and a large repertoire but like the Hearsemen, their |
hometown wasn't well equipped with recording
studios so the task went undone. They only appear on society contest records
with a few songs. They were flooded with requests for their songs, a very
popular one being A Closer Walk Wtth Thee they had taken off of an old
recording of the Southernaires gospel quartet.
Some of the Lads were very active in chapter and district affairs. Gil was Albuquerque chapter president at least seven times as well as a Southwestern District Area Counselor, and Vice President in two districts (Southwestern District 1967) (Rocky Mountain District, several years). He also served as Rocky Mountain District Executive Vice President in 1987. Dan served as Albuquerque's music director for many years and Carl is a past chapter secretary and president. Carl also served on the Southwestern District Board in 1957. In 1978 the Albuquerque chapter left the Southwestern District and became a cornerstone of the new Rocky Mountain District. Ironically, two of the Lads have now returned to the Southwestern District. Don Pitts is retired and still living in Albuquerque, while Danny Aycock is now living in Monroe, Louisiana and is a field representative for the Social Security Administration. Cariton Wright lives in Savannah, Georgia and is a member of the chapter there. He works for the Army Corps of Engineers as an architect. Gil Wallace now lives in Dallas and is retired. They were young when they won the gold so consequently they currently hold the distinction of being the longest surviving four original members of all the other past champ quartets. We hope they continue to hold that record for many years. |
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Contents |
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How It All Began Chapters Chapter Histories International Quartet Champions Choruses Administration
Contests and Conventions Registered Quartets Publications Recognitions In Conclusion