Llandudno 2009 Convention.
History of The Club
In June 1974, a Preston Organist, Alfred Mee, saw a TV show called Short
Back & Sides. The late Roy Castle introduced a Barbershop Chorus,
visitors from USA, who demonstrated 4 part unaccompanied singing in the
Barbershop style. Several quartets were also featured and Alf Mee was
hooked on this new found sound. The American representative, Sam
Kennedy, announced at the end of the TV show, if anyone was interested,
to meet him afterwards.
Alf decided to write to the programme presenter, the late
Julian Orchard, who passed on the letter to an existing club at
Brighton. Unknown to Alf, a British Association of Barbershop Singers (BABS)
had been formed in February 1974, comprising Brighton, Crawley, Reading
and Tyneside. After several letters had been exchanged, some songs
arranged in the Barbershop style were sent to Preston. Alf lost no
time in trying out this “new” type of harmony on the Church choir of The
Holy Family where he was the organist.
By November 1974 the Preston group had thirteen singers. Their very first
Barbershop song was Honey Little Lize. As performances improved, the
Preston singers decided to apply to the British Association of
Barbershoppers, (as it was then titled) for membership.
On 20 January 1975, a letter from Den Tyrell announced that the Preston
club had been unanimously accepted into the association.
By now clubs also existed at Bristol, Leeds, Sunderland, Liverpool,
Stockport, Christchurch and Margate. In 1999, the list of Barbershop
singing clubs reached a total of 56 clubs and the figure is still
growing. In addition to the British Association, similar societies exist
in Australia, Germany, Holland, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden and South
Africa and the biggest by far is the American Society with almost 30,000
singers. Other groups are in Spain and Russia, even Japan!
It has been said that Barbershop Singers belong to THE WORLD’S BIGGEST
SINGING SOCIETY FOR MEN.
Harrogate Convention, May 2004
Brighton Convention 1994
Newcastle Prelims, September 1978
Caister Convention, November 1978