E A S T  T E X A S
 
C H A P T E R

History of Barbershopping

Barbershop harmony was spawned in the 1840s and developed in the early beginnings of the entertainment and recording industries. It sprouted when minstrel shows and the traveling concert were institutions, popularizing the songs that lent themselves easily to four-part harmony. It reached it's peak during the glorious days of vaudeville and burlesque. Few vaudville bills were without a quartet. Barbershop celebrities have included: Bing Crosby, Gordon Lightfoot, President Harry S. Truman, Arthur Godfrey, Bill Hanna, Irving Berlin, Fibber McGee, and Fred Waring, to name a few.

History of SPEBSQSA

The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of BarberShop Singing in America (SPEBSQSA) began in Tulsa, Oklahoma in April of 1938, when a group of 25 men gathered to rejuvenate the art of barbershop harmony singing which had fallen into disuse with the death of vaudville and the growth of radio. Today, the society has grown to more than 770 chapters in 16 districts in the United States and Canada, with more than 1500 registered quartets and 600 choruses, and an international membership of more than 36,000, including England and other countries.

In 1964, the Society adopted a unified service project called "Heartspring" in Wichita, Kansas. "Speach Town", as it is often called, is dedicated to the problem of speach handicaps (cerebral palsy, aphasia, cleft palate, stuttering). Contributions have exceeded the $3-million mark.

A code of ethics, finely tuned over the years, calls for membership of "congenial men of good character who love harmony in music and desire to harmonize."

History of the East Texas Timbretones Chapter

The East Texas Chapter of the SPEBSQSA was organized in April of 1972 by a group of Nacogdoches men who liked to sing. Of this group, only Chorus Director Bill McWhorter and then Chapter Secretary Tom Lee had previously been members of a barbershop group. Bill McWhorter and Dr. Bobby Johnson are charter members who are still active.

As interest grew, so did the chorus, with members joining from Center, Lufkin, Crocket, and other nearby communities. In January of 1973, the Chapter was officially chartered, and as we learned to sing in harmony, we began accepting invitations for "singouts" - performances for special events and social, civic, and professional organizations.

In September of 1973, the East Texas Timbretone Chorus entered its first offical contest, competing with seven other chapters in the organization's Division III. We found that in just a year, we newcommers to Barbershopping had come to be accepted and felt right at home singing with the senior chapters.

The local chapter also supports local charitable activities, including the Nacogdoches Treatment Center.

We encourage young people to begin developing their singing skills as early as possible.