| Golden Memories | SWD International Quartet Champions |
| calls due to weather. However, they did in fact
miss one. In 1959 they were scheduled to appear in Toledo. It was the mumps
that sidelined Howard and forced the Ohio chapter to find another foursome.
Not bad however, one out of 1500 shows.
One fond memory was the show in Montevideo, MN, 60 miles outside of Minneapolis. From Minneapolis they rented a car and were instructed to park it in a heated garage. Reason being, it was - 15 degrees outside. On arriving, the quartet was surprised and thrilled to find an enthusiatic packed house awaiting them. They also enjoyed a special touch done by the 1960 Seatfie chapter. From the moment they arrived, there was someone taking photos. As they left the next day, the chapter presented them with a photo album of their visit (complete with their baby pictures on the cover obtained from the quartet wives prior to the show). It was a classy touch. The Gaynotes stayed together for many years singing about two major shows a month (except for a two year hiatus while Mo toured the country with the road production of the Music Man). They finally had to break up when Mo and his family relocated to New Braunfels, Texas in December of 1966. They reunited for their last full performance in 1975 for a Tulsa annual show and were |
the highlight of the evening. The Gaynotes legacy
as one of the all-time great quartets is preserved in the records they
made after winning. In addition to the songs recorded for Decca and the
contest albums, the quartet made their very own record with the help of
a local bank. It was entitled Strictly Barbershop and later released in
the Chord record series. In addition to their contest songs, it included
many of their fan's favorites from their show package like Oklahoma, Firefly,
Sonny Boy and 76 Trombones.
Ten years later, still active on the show circuit (having traveled over 500,000 miles and 37 states) and with a large repertoire, the Gaynotes solved the problem of which songs to record with a unique solution. They made TWO albums. One was entitled Strictly Square and featured Cabaret, Mame, I'in All That's Left of That Old Quartet and I Wish You love. Two of the songs on this album were "stacked", a first for a barbershop record, stretching the quartet to 12 parts and becoming a mini-chorus. The other album of the set was entitled Strictly Swinging. It featured more "modern" arrangements and instrumental tracks for songs like Hello Dolly, Georgia, Creole Cutie, Mister Sandman, Stars Fell On Alabama (modern). Old friend Brian Beck wrote the tracks for the band, played the electric bass and led the group. |
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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