December 2011 – Association of International Champions

1975 – Happiness Emporium

Tenor: Bob Dowma
Lead: Rod Johnson
Bass: Jim Foy
Bari: Bob Spong

The Happiness Emporium, 1975 International quartet champions, is living proof that experience pays off.

The “Emporium” members averaged 37 years of age when they won gold medals. Their collective experience, even before they came together for the first time in 1972, included participation in 24 international contests and with three district champion quartets, plus four USO tours to the Pacific.

So they decided to put it all together and go for the gold. As The Harmonizer reported in January 1976, “It was a hand-picked quartet. They picked each other…” All from the Twin Cities of the Land O’ Lakes District, they were Bob Dowma, tenor; Rod Johnson, lead; Bob Spong, baritone; and Jim Foy, bass.

They recognized, of course, that know-how alone would not do the job. They dedicated themselves to their goal as probably few other quartets, before or since, have done. They scheduled rehearsals or performances at least three times, and often four or five times, a week. One stopped smoking. They took up jogging, aerobics and dieting.

They continued voice lessons under Jeanne Traun, one of the top vocal teachers in the country, and began working with noted quartet coach Don Clause.

At the same time, they never gave up the fun. As audiences throughout the nation learned, the Happiness Emporium was one of the most aptly named quartets around, spreading laughter and happiness wherever they appeared.

Seven months after formation they placed 24th at the contest in Portland. The next year they were 9th, and in Indianapolis in 1975 they leaped to the gold.

When Bob Spong retired from the quartet in 1983, Dick Treptow sang with them until 1987, and then Rick Andersonreplaced Dick on bari.

They continue singing today and are one of the most active of our gold medals champs. They also perform as The Good News! Gospel Quartet, have released several popular CDs and host an outstanding Gospel Sing at every BHS International convention.

Official Website

1974 – The Regents

Tenor: Harry Williamson
Lead: Joe Mazzone
Bass: Hal Kauffman
Bari: Ron Knickerbocker

When the Regents won the international quartet championship at Kansas City’s 1974 contest, it may have seemed to some that they had an easy road to the gold. It was their fifth international contest, and they had placed third on two previous tries, in 1972 and 1973.

But collectively tenor Harry Williamson, lead Joe Mazzone, bari Ron Knickerbocker and bass Hal Kauffman had logged 44 years of experience in nearly 25 different quartets. They lived in four different (albeit small and neighboring) states. And they comprised a quartet that had evolved through four editions since it was formed in the mid-1960s.

Harry was the only member who lasted through all four versions. In 1970 he teamed up with Ron (then a lead), Hal and Dave Reed as bari. When Joe left his previous quartet, the Exclusives, in 1971, to take the lead spot, Ron moved to bari.

Interestingly, Hal had been a tenor (and even, at one time, a boy soprano) until a few years before, when Harry persuaded him to switch to bass of a previous quartet so that he, Harry, could sing tenor.

The combination, complete with the various part switches, proved the winning one, as the Regents made their “rapid” climb to the gold.

1973 – Dealer's Choice

Tenor: Al Kvanli
Lead: Bill Thornton
Bass: Gary Parker
Bari: Brian Beck

In 1973 four dedicated, determined young men from Dallas, with two years of grueling, almost daily work behind them, “came out of nowhere” in Portland to win the international title on their first try.

The Dealer’s Choice thus became the first quartet in 21 years (since the Four Teens in 1952) to collect the gold in its first international competition (a feat also duplicated by Acoustixin 1990). They were (from top to bottom) Al Kvanli, Bill Thornton, Brian Beck, and Gary Parker.

The championship was the goal they had set for themselves in 1971, and with one change of personnel (Bill moved from bari to lead, replacing Louie Mullican, when Brian arrived), they made it in less than two years.

Ten weeks after Brian joined the quartet it placed fifth – out of the money – in the 1972 international prelims. It was the last contest the D.C. would fail to win. They passed up the international contest in Atlanta that year to attend a Society HEP (Harmony Education Program) school in Racine, WI.

They came back raving about the talents of Harlan Wilson, Don Clause and other faculty members, and with 54 hours of cassette tapes of their training sessions. Rehearsing over and over the HEP school techniques, they won the Southwestern District contest in October 1972 and the international prelims in March. Then the work intensified – a minimum of one rehearsal each day of the contest songs, each run-through timed by stopwatch. They lived with their contest material 24 hours a day.

In Portland they “followed the book” – bypassing the fun and late hours, rehearsing steadily, keeping their voices in shape (and drawing curious glances from other contestants) by speaking seldom and humming constantly into small hand towels.

It all paid off, as the retiring champs, the Golden Staters, hung gold medals around the necks of the “unknown” Dealer’s Choice.

1972 – Golden Staters

Tenor: Gary Harding
Lead: Milt Christensen
Bass: Mike Senter
Bari: Jack Harding

The long road to the gold by southern California’s Golden Staters, 1972 quartet champions, was marked by a number of “firsts”.

They were the first foursome ever to win all five medals (although the Boston Common later duplicated this feat), the only one to place in every position from seventh to first, and certainly the only quartet to compile this enviable record with three different leads: Jim Meehan,Ken Ludwick and finally Milt Christensen.

Organized in 1960, the original quartet consisted of tenor Jack Lang, lead Joe Rook, bari Buddy Yarnell and bass Mike Senter.

Through dozens of personnel changes over the next few years, Mike was the only member who remained, and all the others freely acknowledged him as the leader, composer-arranger, musical director and in-house coach of the Golden Staters.

The composition of the quartet stabilized somewhat in late 1961 with the return of brothers Gary and Jack Harding (their second “tour of duty”) as tenor and bari, respectively. But it was 1970 before Milt Christensen was transferred by his company from Salt Lake City to California, and he became the final GS lead. Milt had been lead of the Salt Flats, one of the nation’s most popular comedy quartets, which decided early in 1970 to retire the pitch pipe.

Milt was the lead in New Orleans in 1971 when the Golden Staters placed third (for the second time), and he was on hand the next year in Atlanta to help them win the gold.

1970 – Oriole Four

Tenor: Bob Welzenbach
Lead: Jim Grant
Bass: Don Stratton
Bari: Fred King

The real beginning of the Oriole Four, 1970 International champion quartet, was in 1951 outside a Baltimore high school – although no one, of course, knew it at the time. That’s when students Fred King and Jim Grant first met, discovered they had a mutual fondness for harmony and sang an impromptu duet. They joined the Society a couple of years later, found two other students who liked to harmonize and formed the Deacon Four, with Jim on lead and Fred on baritone.

The quartet, with occasional personnel changes, was still getting together now and then after its members had graduated, and in 1956 the name was changed to the Oriole Four. Bass Don Stratton came along in 1957; tenor Bob Welzenbach joined the others in 1958, and a winning combination was solidified.

All were members of the Dundalk, Maryland chapter, and three weeks after their first rehearsal they won the Dundalk Open and later the Chesapeake Bay Open. It was in 1958 also that they met Bob Loose, who was to become their permanent coach and close friend. After working with him for only three months, they won the Mid-Atlantic District championship.

But then the hills got steeper. Although they placed eighth in their first international competition in 1959, it would be 1965 before they again reached the finals and ’69, in St. Louis, before they won their first medal, a fourth-place bronze. But the next year, in Atlantic City, 12 years of work and dedication paid off, and the Oriole Four were the new champs.

1969 – Mark IV

Tenor: Franklin Spears
Lead: Al Koberstein
Bass: Morris “Mo” Rector
Bari: Dale Deiser

Luck and the US Government – combined, of course, with the well-known Rector talent – won Morris “Mo” Rector his second International gold quartet medal in 1969.

San Antonio’s Mark IV was the champion that year, and C.O. Crawford had been the bass of the quartet from its beginning. He sang along side tenor Franklin Spears, lead Al Koberstein, and bari Dale Deiser when they placed third in Los Angeles in 1967. Although he barely made it, C.O. sang with the quartet when they won the Silver Medals in Cincinnati in 1968.

You see, C.O. was a U.S. State Department employee, subject to being sent on short notice to the Mideast or some other trouble spot for a few weeks or a few years. Mo, who had won his first medal with the 1958 champs, Gaynotes, usually filled in for C.O. on shows while he was gone.

In 1968 C.O. made it back from Jordan just one day before the Southwestern District prelims contest, qualified with the quartet, and went on to win a silver medal in Cincinnati. A week later Uncle Sam called again. The message this time: “Two years in Morocco!”

So Mo was the bass at the 1969 prelims and again when the Mark IV won the championship in St. Louis in July.

C.O. later returned, Mo left, and the quartet filled engagements for several years before disbanding. Most of the guys went on to sing in other quartets or to even greater accomplishments – especially Franklin Spears, who became Chief Justice of the Texas Supreme Court.

1968 – The Western Continentals

Tenor: Al Mau
Lead: Ted Bradshaw
Bass: Phil Foote
Bari: Paul Graham

A funny thing happened to the Western Continentals on their way to the 1968 International championship. In 1965, only a year after they first got together, Dr. Curt Kimball, Ted Bradshaw, Paul Graham and Terry Diedrich placed eighth in the International competition.

Shortly thereafter Curt, the tenor, was called to service in the Vietnam war, and was replaced by Al Mau. They dropped to 21st in 1966.

The quartet traveled to the Society’s Annual Convention in Los Angeles in 1967, not only with Al, but with a new bass, Phil Foote, replacing Terry. They won the 2nd place silver medals. The next year, in Cincinnati, they captured the GOLD.

If a native Arizonan still lived in Phoenix in the 1960’s, he certainly wasn’t a member of the Continentals. Al was from Wisconsin, Ted from Ohio, Paul from Michigan, and Phil from Detroit (by way of El Paso, thanks to the Air Force).

The quartet was “on again, off again” for a decade after winning the championship. Al moved to California in 1971 and was replaced by Frank Friedemann, but they disbanded in 1972. Phil had also left, but by 1973 both he and Al were back, and the Continentals resumed shows until a job transfer took Phil away once again. He returned a second time in 1977. The the quartet hung up the pitch pipe for good in 1979.

1967 – The Four Statesmen

Tenor: Frank Lanza
Lead: Dick Chacos
Bass: Don Beinema
Bari: Richard “Doc” Sause

It’s not unusual, with today’s modern highways and plane connections, for members of a quartet to live some distance apart. But in the mid-1960s, when the Four Statesmen were working their way toward the 1967 International championship, it was almost unbelievable that a quartet could live in four different states.

Yet such was the case for tenor Frank Lanza, Providence, Rhode Island; lead Dick Chacos, Nashua, New Hampshire; bari Richard “Doc” Sause, Meriden, Connecticut; and bass Don Beinema, Worcester, Massachusetts.

Twice weekly they drove a total of 800 miles to rehearse. What’s more, they continued the long distance harmonizing from the time the quartet was organized in 1963 until it disbanded at the end of 1978 – a total of more than 15 years.

The Statesmen were all “old pros” in the barbershopping world when they first got together. Frank had been a member for 17 years and had sung in four quartets from three chapters. Dick Chacos, a 14 year veteran, had made the International finals five straight years, 1959 through 1963 with his quartet, the Merry Notes. Doc Sause had been a member for 22 years and had sung in both chorus and quartet competition on the International stage – in the latter case with the Connecticut Yankees. And Don had been a member of three different quartets in his 12 years with the Society before joining the Statesmen.

1966 – The Auto Towners

Tenor: Al Rehkop
Lead: Glenn Van Tassel
Bass: Carl Dahlke
Bari: Clint Bostick

Several famous foursomes, and even a barbershop quartet among them have gone on to have distinguished professional careers (the Hi-Lo’s, Four Freshmen and Osmond Brothers, for example). The Auto Towners, 1966 International champions from the Detroit area, decided they would seek out at least one of their members from a professional singing group.

Baritone Clint Bostick in the early 1950s was with the “Spellbinders,” a mixed quintet that sang for two years on the Patty Paige television show, appeared for 13 weeks each on the Vic Damone and Tony Bennett shows and sang for 17 weeks with Judy Garland at the Palace Theater in New York City. Female soloist of the Spellbinders was Renee Craig. Clint introduced his wife, Bobbie to Renee and they soon formed the Cracker Jills, who would claim the 1957 Sweet Adelines quartet championship. Thus Clint and Bobbie became the first husband and wife team to win gold medals in both the men’s and women’s organizations.

Don Bagley became the second when Don’s quartet, the Chiefs of Staff, won in 1988. In 1985, Don’s wife, Carol Ann won her crown with the 1985 Sweet Adeline Queens, Jubilation.

It was two other members of the quartet, however – lead Glenn Van Tassel and tenor Al Rehkop who would go on to make further headlines in the barbershop world. Both won their second gold medals as members of the Gentlemen’s Agreement, 1971 champions.

Rounding out the Auto Towners was bass Carl Dahlke, an 11-year barbershopper who had sung in several quartets and directed the Chordomatic Chorus to the Pioneer District championship in 1965. The Auto Towners continued to thrill audiences throughout the nation until their retirement at the end of 1969.

1965 – The Four Renegades

Tenor: Warren ‘Buzz’ Haeger
Lead: Ben Williams
Bass: Tom Felgen
Bari: Jim Foley

Every gold medal quartet crowned by the Society in its 50-plus year history has been a great one. A handful – the Schmitt Brothers, Confederates, Suntones and a few others – went on to become legends. The Four Renegades, 1965 champions, was one of the legends.

Organized in 1957 for the Illinois District contest, the Renegades originally consisted of Jim Foley, bari; Joe Sullivan, lead; Warren “Buzz” Haeger, tenor; and Tom Felgen, bass. Joe left the quartet in 1963 and was replaced by Ben Williams. For the next 14 years, by personal appearances, radio, TV and records, they would bring pleasure literally to millions.

In their climb to the top they had paid their dues: Ninth in Dallas in 1960, seventh in ’61, third in ’62 and ’63, second in ’64. Finally, in 1965 in Boston, The Renegades heard the announcement they had worked so hard to earn – gold medalist.

1964 – The Sidewinders

Tenor: Jerry Fairchild
Lead: Joe Daniels
Bass: Jay Wright
Bari: Gene Boyd

Saturday, June 27, 1964, undoubtedly was the happiest day in the history of the Riverside, CA chapter. On that day the Riverside Citrus Belterschorus won 5th place bronze medals in its first International competition. And four chapter leaders, a group known as the Sidewinders, became the new International quartet champions.

Some championship quartets, by necessity or by choice, have not always been strong members of the chapters to which they belonged. Not the Sidewinders. Tenor Jerry Fairchild had long been the Chorus Director. Lead Joe Daniels had been Chapter President and was about to be named to that post again. Bass Jay Wright was three-term Chapter Secretary. Bari Gene Boyd was past Chapter Membership Vice President, Show Chairman, and perennial committee member.

The Sidewinders immediately became popular ambassadors of the Society. They made two major network appearances two days after winning the gold medals. A crowd of 2,000 greeted them at their first engagement as champions in California. For the next eight years they sang from coast to coast and from Maine to Mexico.

The Sidewinders stopped accepting engagements as of June 1969, but they emphasized they would continue to sing together from time to time “for our own amusement and amazement.”.

Tenor: Leo Sisk
Lead: Larry Autenreith
Bass: Ralph Anderson
Bari: Jack Elder

After winning the 1958 Johnny Appleseed District Quartet Championship and a third-place International bronze medal in 1959, the Town & Country Four distinguished itself as the first Barbershop Harmony Society-quartet to go on to win its gold medals after having won three consecutive silver (second-place) medals in the years 1960, ’61 and ‘62.

That means the quartet placed in the top three medalist positions five times; more than any other Society-quartet to date. The T&C4 was also the first champion to win “internationally,” since the 1963 convention was held in Toronto, Canada for the first time in the history of the Society. The Society’s first Champion-quartet was “crowned” in 1939, so the T&C4 coincidentally became the Society’s twenty-five-year Silver Anniversary Champions; serendipitous after having won three consecutive silver medals. One of the quartet-greats of the early 1960s, the Town and Country Four’s trademark Larry Autenreith arrangements gave the quartet its identity in competition with its contemporaries; other great quartets like the Suntones, Gala Lads, Sidewinders, and Four Renegades. In 2013, we celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the quartet’s 1963 International Championship at the Society’s seventy-fifth International Convention in Toronto, Canada, the same city where the quartet won the gold.

After the original foursome disbanded at the end of 1964, they tried several different combinations – between Leo Sisk and Ralph Anderson, and between Larry Autenreith and Jack Elder – until the beginning of 1966, and then retired the T&C4 name altogether. However, the Society would see a continuation of various Johnny Appleseed District Quartet Champions and international representatives in succeeding years. Prior to the Town and Country Four, Leo and Jack had sung together in the early 1950s combinations of the Maestros and Gateway Four; both JAD quartets.

After the retirement of the Town and Country Four, tenor Leo Sisk went on to become a JAD Quartet Champion in the 1968 Point Four, 1975 Road Show, and 1983 Harmony Partners. Those quartets, along with the Golden Touch totaled eleven trips to international competition, including two top twenty finishes. In 1987, one of those included Leo’s son, Mike, lead of the Harmony Partners. Leo also sang in The Alumni; JAD Seniors Quartet Champs from 1991 through ’97, a three –time International Seniors Silver medalist. Leo passed away January 2nd of 2003.

Lead Larry Autentreith was credited as a genius-arranger, and he went on to become a JAD Quartet Champ in the 1967 Travelers and 1975 Road Show quartets. Both foursomes had finished in the top twenty, earning semi-finalist rank (Travelers 1967-68 and Road Show 1976), and Larry earned quarter-finalist rank in the Golden Touch. After moving out west in 1976, he directed the Tucson Sunshine Chorus, and sang in a competing quartet in the FWD. Larry passed away July 8th of 1992.

Baritone Jack Elder was first inspired by his father, Pete Elder, baritone of the prestigious medalist quartet from the 1940s, the Westinghouse Quartet, which had earned every one of the top five medals except gold. Jack was the spokesman for the T&C4, and was known for his joke-telling. He went on to sing with a later formation of the champion Pittsburghers, renamed “The Pittsburgh Four” from the late 1960s until the late 1970s. Jack passed away November 18th, 1986.

In the early 1950s, Bass Ralph Anderson began singing barbershop harmony after being introduced to the Pittsburgh Chapter by Bill Conway bass of the 1948 International Champion Pittsburghers. He was quickly approached by Leo, Larry and Jack to be their bass singer. Known for his huge, resonant, deep voice, Ralph was featured on several T&C4 solos, including Old Man River, Johnny Appleseed, Lucky Old Son, and Wanderin’. Once the Town and Country Four had officially retired the use of the name in 1966, Ralph retired from barbershop singing altogether. He passed away February 27, 1976.