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Essentials in
Performance Skills
Four Voices
What makes them tick? A candid interview with the 2002 champions
Updated: 9/23/2003 10:52:00 AM
By Lorin May, Editor of The Harmonizer
When each of you was first exposed to barbershop music, what was your reaction?
Chad: The first barbershop thing I ever saw was a video of the Gas House Gang singing their jockey set. I was a junior in high school, and it totally slammed what I thought barbershop was. In retrospect, that was very important. If we had been exposed to anything less than something great, I think we all would have tuned it out completely. The guy doing the presentation to our choir class said that the would donate tickets to the Huntsville Chapter show for any students who were interested. I and three other guys had learned a barbershop arrangement of “Wonderful World.” Three of us and our girlfriends took a trip to Huntsville that would radically change our futures.
The then current gold medalist quartet, Keepsake, took the stage and started singing “When The Saints Go Marching In.” Our jaws collectively hit the floor. The people in the audience probably wanted their money back because of the scene we made. Before the tag was finished, we were all standing and screaming and tearing our seats out of the floor.
We were much too scared to approach Keepsake in the lobby after the show. Suddenly, Don Barnick introduced himself to us and asked if we were in a quartet. I told him we only knew one song, but we didn’t have our bass with us. He asked, “Well, what am I, chopped liver?” He turned to the couple of hundred people in the lobby and yelled for everyone to be quiet because we were going to sing. We almost died on the spot. We sang our version of “Wonderful World” with Don on bass. We were all so scared we barely made it through, but when we hit the last chord the crowd cheered as if it was the greatest thing they had ever heard. Keepsake then came out from behind the table and gave us high fives and said to make sure we kept singing barbershop. The next day our high school quartet joined the Society and sent our men of note to each matching voice part of Keepsake.
Brandon: The first barbershop experience that I had was the 1993 contest video of Gas House Gang’s jockey set. I was amazed! I knew right away that I wanted to be on that stage.
Lester: I was exposed to barbershop in Cincinnati, as a high-school student. I did not think too much about it at the time, except that I thought wearing the bow-tie and top hat was funny.
Jayson: I was first exposed to barbershop in the stairwell of Hughes Hall at Lee University. The director of the Voices of Lee, Danny Murray, asked Chad to put together a barbershop quartet to sing on shows with the group. Chad picked Lester and me, as well as another individual from Voices (Brandon was still in high school), and we learned a few religious tunes. The first true “Barbershopper” I met was Ron Weaver. He was present when the first chord of the Four Voices was rung in the stairs, and he was largely involved in the initial stages of my barbershop career.
What was your reaction to barbershop and the Society after attending your first conventions?
Brandon: My first convention was the fall of 1994. I competed with the Chattanooga Chorus and Class of ’94 was the district champ. I remember watching those guys and thinking they were superstars. I wanted to be like them (except for their tenor, Eric King, because I had more hair than he did!) That first convention changed everything for me. I decided then that I didn’t ever want to miss another convention.
Lester: Well, I was angry that we did not win the college contest in ’95, other than that, everything was great.
Jayson: My first convention was in Miami in 1995. The Four Voices (without Brandon) competed in the collegiate quartet contest. I can remember being amazed at the sheer number of individuals at the contest. Looking back, I really did not have a handle on the full weight of what the convention and contest means to the Society. The college contest really lit a fire under us. We were on a mission to win the contest in 1996, and that is just what we did. I am not sure if the Society realizes how motivating the college contest is for college-aged singers. It is an extremely powerful recruitment tool for the Society, and it should receive all the support possible. You are breeding the future of barbershop ... it really works!
Chad: I couldn’t believe it! Brandon and I found three or four other guys our age, and we were, young guys singing barbershop, yes! We stayed up all night, all weekend singing like mad. That core of guys from our district became lifelong friends through barbershop. It was the most fun I’d ever had. I couldn’t believe barbershop had slipped under my radar for so long. The contest was won by a young quartet right out of college. They were so much fun and exciting to watch. I loved the whole experience; Brandon and I knew we wanted to be on that stage from that moment on.
Much has been said of your work ethic, both in music and other areas. What’s behind that drive as Barbershoppers? What’s behind that drive in life?
Jayson: I am not sure that the “drive” can be distinguished in terms of “barbershop drive” and “life drive.” I believe that God blesses each individual with talents, and we were taught to grasp these precious gifts with all our being and develop them into something special for the glory of God. I know that this sounds preachy, and please believe that we are not interested in forcing our beliefs on unwanted ears. But if you want to understand our drive and our ethic, this is where you must start; this is where it comes from.
Brandon: After seeing that Gas House Gang video and seeing Keepsake in concert shortly after, it became a dream of mine to win the gold. So, in one way, it was the pursuit of a dream, wanting to be the best that I could be. But on a much deeper level, our drive comes from a desire to use our gifts for God.
Chad: I have to think that most of that drive came from seeing others that were successful and wanting to be successful ourselves. Our attitude toward excellence, not just musical excellence, but total excellence (performance, emotion, music, personality, humor, and especially the time you are off stage) was really instilled in us in our college years as members of the Voices of Lee. Egos had to be left at the door—we were a team. We want to be the absolute best at everything we do on and off stage, not for ourselves or anyone else, but because we believe that we are singing for a higher calling and He deserves our best.
Lester: Our relationship with Christ is the driving force behind both areas. We believe that we would not be where we are if it wasn’t for Him. As far as barbershop, our desire for musical excellence in all that we do musically and in life drives us.
Now that you’ve won the big prize, what does the future hold for you as performers?
Lester: I believe that our desire is to sing together, at least in some capacity, forever. I do a lot of different types of styles and singing, so I am open to whatever the Lord has in store.
Chad: The gold medal is a dream come true, but a first step. We want to make music for many years to come and to explore several venues to spread barbershop. People often ask us how we make it look like we are having so much fun on stage. The answer is, we really are. You put in the time in the practice room and then enjoy the fruits of your labor on stage. You can’t fake fun; you either love it or it’s work. When it becomes work on stage, it’s time to take up bowling.
Brandon: Winning has always been just part of the journey for us. We hope to stay together for a long, long time. We are in the process of recording our second CD and have plans to record a third CD. As you can see, we have no plans to slow down. We want to be very active champs and continue to help bring barbershop to a new generation.
Jayson: We have said for several years now that the “big prize” is just the beginning for the Four Voices. We have not “topped out” in any sense of the phrase; we are truly just beginning. We want to use our youth to take this style of music to a diverse population, and we are really seeking ways in which we can do this.
What are the roles of each group member? For example, who’s the glue, the mule driver, the clown, the businessman?
Brandon: Chad sometimes smells like glue, and I think Lester sniffed glue as a child, but I’m not really sure where that question is heading. Jayson had to pick up a second job as a llama driver, but there aren’t any mules in Cleveland. Lester likes to dress like a clown because he says it makes him feel smarter. I guess that Jayson would be the businessman, because he is the only one in the quartet that owns a pair of shoes.
Jayson: Brandon has answered this quite gracefully. We all tend to have our moments of “glueness” or mule-driving, depending on what needs to be bonded or driven. As far as the businessman, Chad and I probably share the title formally, but truly we could not function without the business savvy of all four members. We share the load, and this unconventional relationship has worked well for us. Of course, we each have our responsibilities (well, everyone but Brandon, that is), but we have to rely on each other to stay afloat during this extremely busy season in our lives.
Lester: Well, Jayson takes care of the business side of things and Chad the booking. I handle all of the CD work and sales, and Brandon, well he doesn’t do a dag-gone-thing!
Chad: The businessman – Jayson is definitely the nerd of the group. He handles the financial aspect of the quartet and is the direct contact with the quartet accountant and all that other boring stuff that bookworms care about.
The clown – Definitely Brandon, although Lester has many pathetic, failed attempts at humor. We always laugh at what Brandon does on stage and how people don’t laugh at what Lester does on stage.
The mule driver – Me, for sure. I am the one that is always harping on rehearsal and working and making sure we are doing the things we need to be doing to reach our goals.
Lester is our quartet “pastor,” for lack of a better word. He definitely helps us keep things in perspective and focus on what is important.
If there is one thing that we have really learned, it’s that the sum is certainly greater than the parts in Four Voices.
Musically, what motivates you? What motivates you outside of music?
Jayson: We are motivated by music that stretches our abilities, songs that challenge our voices; however, we are also very conscientious in our song selection. We know when a song is going to work within the first week on the sheet music. I can’t explain why and I can’t tell you how to do this in your quartet, it’s just something we feel. Some songs just line up with who we are and what we are about, and I don’t mean because the lyrics fit.
Brandon: We want to sing material that we enjoy, but more important, that the audience enjoys. We often get great arrangements that we don’t sing because they do not fit us. We know what our strengths are, and we try to play to those.
Lester: Music is a self-motivator. No matter what setting you’re in, there is music. I believe that, musically, I am motivated by my wife (because she is such an excellent musician), my own personal expectation, and my worship to the Lord.
Chad: We’re motivated by our love for music and singing together. Music is such an integral part of our lives; it is hard to separate what motivates us in and outside of music. We are blessed to have wonderful families that support and love us. Wanting to be good people that provide for our families and living our lives in a way that exemplifies Christ is the strongest motivation behind everything we all do in our lives.
In life, I suppose the concept is similar; yet more philosophical in nature. I choose to involve myself in things that fit my talents and gifts, and I search out those opportunities in which I can make a meaningful impact in this world.
Who do you most admire and why?
Chad: My mother is the inspiration behind the Guyton brothers—our biggest fan and supporter and my hero. She is the model of love, dignity, and class. Without her influence, Brandon and I—well, all of my five brothers—would be God only knows where.
Danny Murray knows what he wants and won’t settle for anything less. He sees the potential in people and helps them achieve their dreams. Clay Hine is one of the most gifted musicians and singers around, but completely humble and giving. He’s a wonderful husband and dedicated father and true hero to our quartet.
My most influential quartets are The Suntones, Bluegrass Student Union and Keepsake (most impact on me as an individual). Suntones are the best ever! Bob Franklin is my hero as a lead.
Brandon: My mother! She raised six boys while my dad was a very busy minister, and she never complained. If there are angels on earth, she is definitely one of them. Without question, she is the reason that we love singing. My earliest memories are of her teaching us to harmonize.
Lester: I admire the lead of our quartet, Chad, because he carries so much weight every time he walks out onto the stage. The rest of us have it fairly easy, but the lead carries the melody (the part everybody knows) and is the storyteller.
Jayson: My father. I cannot say that I have purposefully imitated his successes in life, but who I am today seems so familiar. There is much to say about my mother’s ability to provide for her children while accomplishing great things professionally (juggling many things). Dr. Paul Conn (president of Lee University) has shown me it is possible to both intellectually and emotionally approach the love of God. Danny Murray, the director of the Voices of Lee, taught each member of the quartet what it means to be diligent, and he has the unique ability to discover and develop hidden talents. He is largely responsible for my development as a bass singer, and this has certainly become a large part of who I am.
Lester Rector (tenor)
Hometown: Cincinnati
Family: Married to Holly Rector form Pensacola, Fla.
Job: Teach and direct a gospel choir at Lee University while leading campus worship
Education: Bachelor’s in music from Lee University. Working on a masters degree in church music
Goals: “I want to follow the Lord wherever He takes me and sing many different styles of music in many different arenas.”
Lester’s life is music, from his jobs to his schooling to his hobbies, which includes lead roles in musical theater with his wife (left, in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat). A full-voice barbershop tenor who “can sing harmony with a dog whistle,” the quartet is about the only place where Lester’s stellar solo voice isn’t the center of attention.
Brandon Guyton (bari)
Hometown: Lived in Buford, Ga., Gadsden, Ala., Cleveland, Tenn.
Family: Son of minister, second of six boys. Brother of lead Chad. Married to high school sweetheart Noemi Soto. Nine-month-old son Chandler (above) and another baby on the way.
Job: Work in sales for Wheeler Electronics, a telecommunications company in Cleveland.
Education: Bachelor’s degree in history from Lee University.
Goals: To raise lots of successful and happy children, become a scratch golfer, and retire next year.
Brandon is as close as you’ll get to a rebel outsider in this quartet—he was too young to be a founding member of Voices of Lee or Four Voices, and his job isn’t affiliated with The Church of God denomination. But the quartet comedian has a huge voice and range; able to sing all four parts well, he handles the vocal gymnastics of the difficult quartet arrangements with ease.
Jayson “J.B.” Van Hook (bass)
Hometown: Cleveland, Tennessee, with short intervals in Indianapolis and Des Moines
Family: Second of four kids. Married five years to Arlyne Santos VanHook. Have a one-year-old son, Logan
Job: Director of institutional research at Lee University
Education: Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lee University. Master’s degree in industrial/organizational psychology from University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. Working on a Ph.D. in educational administration at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Goals: “Working hard to be a useful resource for my alma mater, Lee University. As far as career ambitions, I have them, but let’s see what happens!”
A devoted father and husband and a high achieving student turned college administrator, Jayson (“JB”) seems to do everything well. The quiet but highly personable bass nevertheless has had to work harder than any other quartet member to change his own vocal style to complement the developing quartet’s sound.
Chad Guyton (lead)
Hometown: lived in Buford, Ga., Gadsden, Ala., Cleveland, Tenn.
Family: Son of minister, oldest of six boys, all singers (one day there will be a Guyton brothers quartet). Brother of bari Brandon. The only single member of the quartet (but looking every day!)
Job: Communications coordinator for the six-million-member Church of God denomination. Convention planning, Internet, radio, video production, public relations.
Education Bachelors degree in communications from Lee University. Planning to pursue a master’s degree at Church of God seminary and a doctorate in a ministry-related field.
Goals: To be the best man, husband, father, I can be.
Chad is the quartet’s original barbershop superfan, shown here from a Polaroid with Joker’s Wild at “Sing with the Champs” in 1995. (He’ll be doing that every year, now!) Free and relaxed on stage, he’s a technical perfectionist in rehearsal. Even with the Voices of Lee, he learned every nuance of every other voice part.
What the quartet is made of: nuggets from Clay Hine and Danny Murray
What are the guys of Four Voices really like? Ask two of their mentors. Danny Murray is director of Voices of Lee, an a cappella music ensemble from Lee University. Each member of the quartet was directed by Murray in the ensemble and each counts him as a primary mentor and musical influence. Clay Hine sings bari for 1999 international champion, FRED, and directs the Big Chicken Chorus. He has been Four Voices’ primary coach for about two years.
Great potential, humble beginnings
Danny: They were very annoying for the first few months! The vocal quality was there, but the ensemble was not.
Clay: Their individual solo voices are all pretty phenomenal—it really surprised me. Their main challenge has always been keeping individual production from getting in the way of unit sound.
Work ethic
Danny: They’re not silver spoon in the mouth kind of guys. Everything they’ve attained in life they’ve had to dig out. They’re the kind of people we like to see do well.
Clay: They worked as hard as I’ve ever seen anyone work. They’d often practice five out of seven days of the week, and these were really intense rehearsals.
Danny: At their first college contest, they saw what they were up against—not only good singers, but a big tradition. They knew they had to become part of it and pay their dues. They understand that to be good, you work harder than anyone else.
Closeness and intensity
Clay: They get in spots in rehearsals when they’ll fight like brothers over really stupid things. But they’re as close as any quartet I’ve ever seen. All four are as close as Chad and Brandon are.
Danny: Guarding and protecting each other’s feelings would be a real impediment. They don’t let that interfere with their rehearsing.
Desire to give
Clay: Chad and Brandon are among the best tag singers in the Society. After a Saturday show, they’ll stay up long after the afterglow singing tags with members of the host chapter, and early the next morning the quartet will be out singing at a local church service.
Danny: Some people are givers, other are takers. These guys are givers. They are happy to share their energy and inspiration with the Society. It’ll be interesting to see the young groups that come up under their tutelage.
Future potential
Danny: They’ve bought into a work ethic that’s really paid off and they’re not about to slow down. They know there’s a lot of responsibility that goes with the applause. They won’t be the kind of champions that will fade. They’ll work just as hard as champions as they did to become champions.
Clay: I can picture them staying together for a long time, if for no other reason than they like singing together. Putting out a better and better musical product is a really big thing for them. They’ve only scratched the surface on where they’re going.
Four Voices Time Line
1993 |
Chad and Brandon get bowled over by barbershop at a Harmony Explosion presentation to their high school choir by Barbershopper Ron Weaver. |
1993 |
After hearing and meeting 1992 champ Keepsake in Huntsville, Chad and Brandon’s quartet joins the Society |
1994 |
Chad, J.B., Lester and Dan Vincent meet in Voices of Lee and form Four Voices—Chad on bari |
July 1995 |
Finish 6th in MBNA America College Quartet Contest |
July 1996 |
With Brandon now at bari and Chad at lead, become collegiate champion |
October 1999 |
Win Dixie district championship in first non-college contest |
March 2000 |
Record debut CD in one day to raise money to go to International convention |
July 2000 |
Place 13th in Kansas City |
March 2001 |
Place 13th in international prelims. Disappointment spurs three intense months retooling sound and songs |
July 2001 |
Place 3rd in Nashville |
April 2002 |
Tie for fifth in international prelims |
July 2002 |
Win international gold medal in Portland |
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