Golden Memories  SWD International Quartet Champions
Side Street Ramblers


Side Street Rambleers, 1976 District Champions - Jim Law, Lead

 


audience. Being named district quartet champions only 90 days after forming made them an "overnight success". They are perhaps the only district champion to win the title of novice champs in the same contest.
After winning the title in 1976, they were invited to sing for almost every chapter in SWD and during the course of their history, probably have. The next step through competition was obvious, qualiiy for Int'l. Mter many hours of planning and rehearsals, they qualified for the 1977 Intl in Philadelphia. The previous year, the SWD's lnnsiders were crowned Int'l Champions. But in Philly, the Ramblers weren't quite as fortunate, they placed a disappointing 28th. Although feeling dejected, they worked even harder, and qualified for the 1978 Int'l in Cincinnati. But again, luck was not with them. Lead Jim Law decided to retire from his law practice and moved to New Mexico and they had to step down from the competition. Losing a lead singer would kill almost any quartet, but not the Ramblers. This was just about the time the Dealer's Choice were breaking up and lead Bill Thornton (also the Rambler's coach) was looking for another quartet. Mter passing the audition, they picked up where they left off and soon qualified (placing first, as they would continue to do) in the Pre-lims.
The Ramblers were also active members of the

  Vocal Majority sharing the vast amount of knowledge their quartetting had supplied them.
In Minneapolis at the 1979 Int'l in addition to winning the chorus gold medals with the VM, they placed seventh. It was nice but not high enough. In 1980, the Ramblers decided to try something new. They would attempt to carry a theme throughout all three sets during the Int'l contest in Salt Lake City. They staged different phases of the Civil War:
A: West Point Cadets,
B: Officers with patsy Keith Houts as their prisoner C: Post War Lincoln, Grant, Custer and a "war-torn
Johnny Reb".
The songs fit the sets very well but they only placed 7th. The incident where Bill inadvertently struck the microphone with his sword didn't enter into the scoring but the backstage audio tech is, shall we say, not their biggest fan.
With the quartet gaming popularity around the country as an excellent show quartet Bill decided to move to Oklahoma City for business reasons. The Ramblers were again in the awkward position of having to replace the all important lead spot. Once again they would call upon their coach, who at this time was Brian Beck. Having sung barbershop since he was 14, Brian's was best known as the baritone of the 1973 International champion Dealer's Choice as well as a full-time jingle singer. The results of the 1981 International contest in Detroit were a sign of things to come. Despite Earl having to sing with his arms in slings from a biking accident, The Ramblers placed a strong third and won a bronze medal.
That contest and their first medal, is still a very fond memory to all four. Going into the 1982 Int'l contest in Pittsburgh, they felt good. But on stage there was something missing. Probably that ingredient that constitutes a fifth category. The


Civil War contest Set, 1980 - Bill Thornton, Lead
(Continued on  Next Page)



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