My friend Rich loves barbershop harmony.
He's been singing it since he was 17 - almost forty years.
He loves being part of the Catoctones,
a group that meets every week
and sings in regional competitions.
Barbershop is a major part of his life.
Rich has been after me to visit his group.
Last night was Guest Night, and I finally went.
Thirty men came, half of them guests.
They ranged from 15 to 85,
but most of them were in the 50-75 age range.
There was an undeniable camaraderie among them.
I was warmly welcomed with many introductions and handshakes.
The regulars wore embroidered powder-blue polo shirts and khaki pants.
They wore lanyards with some kind of ID on them.
A 15-minute video was shown promoting the “barbershop movement”.
(Learn more at http://www.barbershop.org/ )
We listened to the large group singing together.
We listened to several quartets.
We all sang together and learned a song or two.
And I discovered that barbershop harmony is not my thing.
First, I cannot commit to one night a week.
Second, I am not a fan of My Wild Irish Rose
and those sentimental love songs of the early 1900s.
They sang You’re Nobody ‘Til Somebody Loves You,
a song whose message I hate,
and my cringe was probably obvious to all.
Third, it reminded me of Kiwanis with singing,
and I don’t think I’m a Kiwanis kind of guy.
But thanks, Rich!
I’m glad you’ve found your niche,
and I love you, man…
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