“I get a bad rap!” Sandra Stone protested in jest. She’s the baritone of the Harmony G.R.I.T.S. barbershop quartet. “At Christmas, when we sing about being naughty or nice, they always point to me when we get to ‘naughty’.”
Joking aside, Stone admits her three sisters-in-song are justified in calling her the clown of the group. She likes to laugh. But then, they all do. It’s part and parcel of the barbershop style, of being a registered quartet with Sweet Adelines International, a worldwide organization of women singers. It is, they say, more than just the music. It’s the show. Barbershop is performed, not just sung.
The G.R.I.T.S — Girls Ringing in the Sound — have been in four-part harmony since 2001. Before that, they were members of a larger Sweet Adelines chorus that competed at regional levels. When the chorus eventually dispersed, these four women banded together to continue the song.
A school secretary, a bookkeeper, a receptionist and a volunteer pink lady, the G.R.I.T.S. live in Columbus, New Hope and Aberdeen. Individually, they sing in church, at weddings and at funerals. Together, they have entertained at sweetheart banquets, at senior facilities, at hospitals and events like Columbus’ Wassail Fest.
They have, in short, “a blast.” “We like to cheer people up, and everybody likes to hear a good song,” summed up tenor Sally Harrell, who spends part of her time directing choir at the small church in Aberdeen her husband pastors. He sings in a men’s barbershop quartet. “It’s about the fun, the fellowship and the entertainment,” Harrell went on. “The reward is in doing it for other people.”
What is it about barbershop?
This distinct musical sound emerged in the latter half of the 19th century, according to the Barbershop Harmony Society. Barbershops often served as community centers, where men socialized. Influenced by spirituals, folk and popular songs, they improvised harmonies in the shops, parlors and bars they frequented. It generated a new style and spawned early standards like “Hello, Ma Baby” and “Sweet Adeline.”
After its peak from 1900 to 1919, barbershop gradually faded into the background in the 1920s. A revival sparked around 1938, thanks to a tax layer named Owen C. Cash who founded what would later become the Barbershop Harmony Society.
In male and female quartets, the a capella (without instruments) vocals are characterized by consonant four-part chords. The parts — lead, baritone, tenor and bass — aren’t necessarily comparable to the traditional soprano, alto, tenor and bass. Generally, the lead sings melody, the tenor harmonizes above the melody, the bass sings the lowest harmonizing notes, and the baritone completes the chord, usually below the lead. Defining hallmarks include effects referred to as the “ringing chord” and the “barbershop seventh.” While the particulars may be obscure to the average audience, the entertainment value is not.
“Everyone here enjoys them so much,” said Gerald Scallions, activity director at Trinity Place Retirement Community’s Independent Living center. He’s invited the G.R.I.T.S. several times each year for the last decade. “They’re so engaging.”
That’s the beauty of performing live as opposed to recording in a studio, which the quartet has been doing lately. “When you perform, you’re with your audience, you see them mouth the words, you see them smile,” said Harrell. “We respond to that.”
Has barbershop’s time passed? Far from it. Sweet Adelines International’s members alone extend to five continents and belong to more than 500 choruses and 1,200 quartets, according to the organization’s website.
“There are some awesome quartets; go to YouTube and look up Sweet Adelines –you’ll find some unbelievable singers,” Harrell urged.
Dress the part
The G.R.I.T.S. try to convene once a week to rehearse — and consider important matters, like wardrobe. They prefer matching outfits and accessories for performances.
“Now, when any of us go shopping, we each look for four of everything!” laughed Peggy Outlaw, who sings lead. “Sally and I go to church together, and we just know one day we’re going to turn up at church wearing the exact same thing.”
The quartet’s biggest fan base is among seniors, they say. The girls consider that an honor. Much of their repertoire comes from their listeners’ eras, with favorites like “Sentimental Journey,” “Sincerely,” and “Always.” They’re working up a barbershop arrangement now of “Down by the Riverside.”
“Those generations really connect to our songs,” noted bass singer LaNette Coburn.
One of those connections occurred this past week, when the women sang at the Aberdeen Care Center. Outlaw’s father lives there.
“My daddy was able to attend,” she said. “That was a special moment.”
Stand by me
Any four friends together for 15 or more years will witness a lot of life. They have, in turns, leaned on one another through health crises, caregiving and the grief of losing loved ones.
“We’ve been through sickness and death for each other,” said Stone. “Even if we ever stopped singing together, we’d still be together.”
Coburn, Harrell, Outlaw and Stone first bonded through music. They soon found they shared the same values of family and church. And doing for others. And joy. It makes for good harmony.
“The four of us gel,” said Coburn. “We’ve been sisters now going on a lot of years. When we get together we laugh a lot, we eat a lot, we sing, and sometimes we cry. We’ve just become a family.”
Editor’s note: To learn more about the Harmony G.R.I.T.S., contact Sandra Stone, 662-251-8295, or LaNette Coburn, 662-251-3538.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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