Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 30, 1995 TAG: 9504010011
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: STEWART MacINNIS SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
With that, nearly 40 men, some straining almost on their tiptoes, all intent and totally concentrated, launched into the melancholy strains of ``Shenandoah.'' The rich voices of the lead, tenors, baritones and basses blend in the hallmark four-part harmony style of barbershop singing. The singing swelled, filling a small recital room at Roanoke College with a presence that was more than the sum of the voices.
The singers were some of the 60 members of the Virginia Gentlemen, a barbershop chorus practicing for twin 25th anniversary performances this weekend The shows will be at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the auditorium of Cave Spring High School.
``The appeal for these guys is that this is the only place they can get together and make this kind of sound,'' Welleford said during a break in the rehearsal.
The Virginia Gentlemen sing a cappella, or without musical accompaniment. Welleford, minister of music at Salem Baptist Church, finds that aspect of directing the group a challenge and a joy.
``If it weren't for this group I'd never get the chance to direct this many men who want to sing a cappella,'' he said. ``Here they don't have the music to carry them or to hide behind.''
Welleford has been directing the group for four years. He directed a similar group in South Carolina in the 1960s, but during the intervening years wasn't involved in barbershop singing.
There had been some evolution of the genre during the interval, he said, but mostly it was the same as when he first started. The main reason people participate in it is the same, too.
``They come to sing. Very seldom do they talk about business or their jobs. All that is unimportant when they come here.''
Buck Buchanan, the group's president, said camaraderie is an important part of the allure of barbershop singing for many members.
``This is a really enjoyable group,'' he said. ``It's just a joy to be here. It's almost like family life. These guys would do anything for you.''
Buchanan, a property manager for a real estate firm, finds the Monday night practices a welcome change of pace. ``I've been doing this off and on for seven years, and I thoroughly enjoy it. It's an interesting hobby. It never gets old.''
The fellowship of the group also is something that attracted Ed Lovell, a bass, to the group. Lovell, a retired director of pastoral care at Roanoke Memorial Hospitals, first heard barbershop singing in 1948 while a student at Wake Forest University. It wasn't until 1970, however, that he joined a group in Winston-Salem. The next year he moved to Roanoke and joined the local chapter, then just a year old.
``The attraction of the music is what is fundamental,'' he said. ``What's appealing to me is the harmony of the chords. If it's sung accurately, you get a harmonic structure, and when you hear it it almost becomes an addiction. You want more."
William F. ``Bill'' Clark, one of the founding members of the group, thinks barbershop singing has broadened its appeal somewhat over the years.
``The style of the music has changed. It's more appealing to more people. It has some pretty sophisticated harmonies, and it sounds more mellow than it used to. It's become less square over the years,'' he said.
Clark, who is public works director for Roanoke, did some barbershop singing in a college glee club. While living in California, he happened across a group of singers and joined immediately. There was no group affiliated with the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America in Roanoke when he moved here.
``I don't know how the Society found out I lived in Roanoke, but one day I got a call asking if I'd go to a meeting at Fishburn Park,'' he said. ``There were probably a dozen people there at the first meeting. I didn't know any of them. That's how it got started: One Sunday afternoon in a park.''
Whatever their reason for joining, Welleford said, barbershop singing provides a challenge that keeps the members involved.
``The challenge is perfection," he said. "This isn't just a sing-along group. These guys want to do it right. When they ring in - when it all comes together - they come unglued. They're hungry as the dickens for it.''
Tickets for the anniversary performances are $8 for general admission and $6 for seniors and students. They are available from members or can be purchased from Travelmasters at Townside Plaza, 3735 Franklin Road, S.W.; Auto Trim Design, 124 East Washington Ave., Vinton; and at the Tax Man, 1335 Peters Creek Road, N.W.
by CNB