The Raining Sounds Barbershop Quartet, which practices at Queen Anne Baptist Church, makes people burst into smiles. In fact, it’s those smiles that smile that make the singers perform time and time again.
“We love to see the reaction of the audience to songs they recognize, whether old time songs, or songs out of the 60s and 70s,” said Bill Bush, singer with the group since its formation in 2007. “We love to get overtones to the chord – ringing the chord.”
Barbershop quartet in Seattle
Barbershop quartet as an art form has been officially present in the city since 1949, after the Seattle SeaChordsmen received a charter from the national organization, the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, as it was called then. The original Seattle chorus had 18 men and practiced at the Benjamin Franklin Hotel.
In 1952, the chorus had grown to 60 men who put on performances benefitting the Seattle Music and Arts Foundation. In 1953, the quartet competition was held at the University of Washington, which was followed by performances at the Palomar Theater in 1956, encouraging competitions among high school quartets, including those from Queen Anne and Ballard high schools.
For Bush, beginning barbershop quartet was like coming home.
“I enjoy the harmony and the fellowship of singing,” Bush said. “I’ve sung intermittently at church choirs for many years, but this is different, as it is a capella and has a different chord structure than the usual chord of a church choir.”
“It lends itself to having harmonic sounds,” he said. “And it’s a challenge to sing a capella.”
A musical history
Barbershop singing began in the late 19th century in barbershops and street corners at a time when barbershops were often a hang-out hub, serving European immigrants, African Americans and Caucasians. The music was diverse, blending African American influences, the European hymn-singing culture and American recreational music.
As the years rolled on, the parent society became international and included chorus singing and competitions. The name was changed to Barbershop Harmony Society.
Barbershop quartet has a profound effect on Bush.
“At times it will give you the chills,” he said. “It will make the hair on your arms stand up.”
Bush’s chorus is in a growth phase. Since 2007, the chorus added 16 new singers: Membership up 50 percent over the past five years. The chorus has 37 members with 30 active singers.
The chorus has recruitment outreach as well, such as offering six weeks of free voice lessons to whoever is interested in joining.
Bush recommends barbershop quartet to those interested, especially because of its non-instrument nature.
“You don’t have any instruments to keep you on track, so you have to listen to each other to make sure you’re all singing the right notes in the right harmony,” he said. “The beauty of it is you hear yourself and hear all the other parts because it’s not dominated by musical instruments.”
The Seattle Chapter sings at community events, as well as major Seattle arts events such as Northwest Folklife Festival, Figgy Pudding, the Bothell Riverfest, the July 4 celebration in Bothell and the Shoreline Strawberry Festival.
On June 23, the chorus will perform at Shoreline Community College. Also this summer, the chorus will perform at Westlake Park via Seattle Parks and Recreation’s City Center Parks Program. In the fall, it will offer the Capture Your Voice program for men interested in learning to sing barbershop quartet.
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