Originally posted in KUNC.org

With shows like American Idol bringing a major increase in revenue dollars for TV networks, there's an old American musical art form which is also seeing an increase in popularity with a younger audience across the country, and right here in Colorado.

There's an interesting phenomenon taking hold in the Barbershop Quartet world. You know barbershop? "…Hello my baby, Hello my darling, hello my ragtime gal..?" Yea, it's pretty old and outdated.

But YouTube "Gaga Barbershop Quartet", and you'll find a group of high school guys singing Lady Gaga's "Poker Face". It sounds nothing like the barbershop you remember. The young group is from Yorkville, IL a suburb of Chicago.

Groups like this are sprouting up all across the country, including right here in Colorado.

One of the Colorado groups is called "Foundation." They're the current Rocky Mountain Barbershop Collegiate Quartet Champion, and are a part of the large barbershop chorus "Sound of the Rockies" from Centennial Colorado... Click here to read more and listen to an audio sample...

Originally posted in http://www.theolathenews.com/2011/12/20/1363582/singing-group-raises-record-cash.html
By MATT CAMPBELL

A holiday chorus making the rounds of retirement communities in Johnson County last weekend set a personal best and possibly a local record for one-day donations to the Salvation Army.

The Heart of America Chorus, comprised of more than 40 volunteers, raised nearly $23,000 in one six-hour period Saturday. That was up from last year's take of just under $7,000.

"I almost passed out, it was unbelievable," said chorus co-chairman Mike Mathieu, who carried a peck basket to collect all the donations that were tossed to the group by residents at the retirement centers. "We've done it every year for a lot of years and to jump to this total is just beyond our wildest expectations."

The Salvation Army was impressed, too.

"I have not seen anybody deliver that kind of number in six hours before," said Andy Wheeler, bell-ringing and special events coordinator for the Salvation Army in the Kansas City metro area. "I would be surprised if anybody did better than that nationally."

Wheeler said even a good day in front of a store for 10 hours would not produce such a large sum of donations.

The Heart of America Chorus is the local chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society and has been around since the late 1930s. For several decades the group serenaded shoppers. But Mathieu said the audience needs to be seated. That way they stick around, listen and donate more. The last year the group played a mall was at Metro North and they raised only about $2,800.

Then in 2006 they started visiting retirement centers in Johnson County and collected about $4,500. Their record before this year was nearly $11,400.

The group uses a school bus, sponsored by the J.E. Dunn Construction Co., to visit the Atriums, The Forum, Town Village Leawood, Grand Court Overland Park, Silvercrest at Deer Creek and Tallgrass Creek senior centers.

At each stop they perform for a half-hour, singing traditional Christmas and Hanukkah songs, reportedly to packed audiences.

Whatever their magic is, Wheeler hopes they continue to perform it.

"What they're doing is nothing short of amazing," he said. "They're incredible."

Jim Miller passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on October 27, 2011
Jim Miller was a leader. When he was a young prisoner of war during WW II, he led other POW's in song as they were marched from place to place, inspiring them and providing a reason to go on. When he was a BHS quartet singer, he was a lead who took two quartets to district championships and on to International rankings, entertaining thousands in the process. When he was a football coach, he developed Howard Schnellenberger and Paul Hornung, both of who were instrumental in shaping the way the game is played today. When he was a chorus director, he led two different chapters, The Louisville Thoroughbred Chorus (CAR, 1963-1985) and Cincinnati's Southern Gateway Chorus (CAR, 1986, 1990-1995), to a total of seven gold medals at International competition.

Whether it was his infectious grin, his twinkling eyes or his "Just call me Jim" attitude, Jim Miller was the epitome of an inspirational teacher and leader, always bringing out the best from his members. Jim had it. It was in his heart. There are those who walked in his shadow and hoped to be like him, but there will only be one Jim Miller. Seeing him direct was always exciting and mesmerizing, like watching lightening explode in a bottle. Then at the end of the performance, he would turn to the audience just before the applause would start to erupt. And there it was. Jim's beaming smile. So sincere. So exciting. He loved directing, he loved performing and he wanted you to love it just as much as he did.

As the lead in The Citations and the Derbytowners, Jim was smooth as silk. What a showman! Whether he was singing a ballad or an uptune, nothing was sung by chance. He sang with every inch of his heart.

To Jim, barbershop was a family affair. His children sang barbershop, his grandchildren sang barbershop and even his son-in-law and grandson-in-law are barbershoppers! In addition to his wife of 66 years, Rosemary, Jim is survived by three generations of barbershoppers in the Hawkins, Crutcher, and Wheaton families. Jim's daughters, Donna Crutcher and Kathleen Hawkins, have followed in his footsteps as Miller Photography, which has served as the official photographer for Society's conventions for decades.

Jim's family desires to see an endowed scholarship for directors to attend Directors College at Harmony University in Jim's name as a fitting tribute to the legacy he has left us all. Members and non-members alike may make donations in Jim Miller's name to Harmony Foundation's memorial program, Keep a Melody Ringing, to ensure this scholarship is funded. In memory of Jim Miller, it's our turn to be leaders in finding the next legend of the Society by funding this scholarship. Make your gift now at www.harmonyfoundation.org.

Naked Voice Records Releases The 2011 Barbershop Harmony Society Contest Audio

18-Volume Set Features 226 Tracks From All 50 Quartets and 31 Choruses at The 2011 International Competition

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Click here to download the 2011 Convention Audio

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NEW YORK, New York—October 20, 2011—Naked Voice Records and The Barbershop Harmony Society today announced that the 2011 International Quartet and Chorus Competition audio recordings are now available for the first time on the iTunes Store®. Starting today, the the 18- volume set, featuring all 50 quartets and 31 choruses on 226 tracks, is available for purchase and download on iTunes® worldwide as either albums or individual songs. Fans get the opportunity to listen to the entire competition, in contestant order, and experience hearing the best artists in the world of this incredibly challenging and exciting uniquely American artform.br>
Naked Voice Records boasts the world's largest digital catalog of a cappella music, featuring over six thousand songs from over 400 artists, including Vocal Spectrum, The Westminster Chorus, ACOUSTIX, The Vocal Majority, The Alley Cats, Ambiance, and The Buffalo Bills. Fans can purchase songs and albums and listen to them on their Macs, PCs, iPods, iPhone™, Apple TV®, and many other music players. Single albums are available for purchase and download, and individual songs are available for $0.99 each.

A complete list of artists and tracks for the 2011 International Quartet and Chorus Competition audio recordings is available at nakedvoicerecords.com.

"We love The Barbershop Harmony Society and are honored and thrilled to bring the 2011 International Competition audio to the world," said Stephen Wilde, Chief Creative Officer of Naked Voice Records. "These live audio recordings represent the best the barbershop world has to offer." Rick Spencer, Chief Operating Officer for the Barbershop Harmony Society, added, "We are pleased to have this partnership with Naked Voice Records, and are very excited that our members and fans can now purchase and enjoy these great barbershop recordings through iTunes."

The 2011 International Competition audio features all 6 contest songs from the newly crowned 2011 International Quartet Champion, "Old School", and both contest songs from the 2011 International Chorus Champion, "The Masters Of Harmony."

About the Barbershop Harmony Society: Founded in 1938 in Tulsa, Okla., the Barbershop Harmony Society is the largest all-male singing organization in the world with nearly 26,000 members including 2,000 quartets in 800 chapters. Another 5,000 barbershoppers are members of affiliated organizations in Australia, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, The Netherlands, Finland, New Zealand, Spain, South Africa, and Sweden. The Society is headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, and is home to the Old Songs Library; the world's largest privately held collection of sheet music, containing 750,000 sheets and 125,000 titles from the heyday of Tin Pan Alley. The Heritage Hall Museum of Barbershop Harmony, also located in Harmony Hall, serves as a repository for barbershop memorabilia, early recordings, costumes, research materials, and historical documents tracing the roots of the barbershop style. www.barbershop.org.

About barbershop-style a cappella music: Barbershop harmony is a uniquely American musical art form. It is known for its four-part harmony and the "expanded sound" created by its unique chord structure and voicing.

Press Contacts:
Dave Kindinger
Naked Voice Records
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(212) 479-7355

Melanie Chapman
Barbershop Harmony Society
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(800) 876-7464 x4137