A dozen barbershop quartets from across Oregon faced off this weekend in Forest Grove. The town has hosted the Ballad Town USA singing competition every year since 1946.
The quartets are judged on their harmony, precision, blend and personality on stage. Butch Berquist, a baritone, is chairman of the competition. "When you all tune properly, not only do you get four voices, but you get an expanded sound. It sounds like somebody singing an octave above. And when that's all ringing together it makes your whole body shiver," he said.
The barbershop quartet style first became popular in American in the 1890s. Most of the groups in the competition dressed in 1890's style, wearing straw boater hats, shiny vests and bow ties. Some quartets were a bit more unusual; one women's group dressed as firefighters.
"I'm wearing a suit. Secretly I have a top hat that's expandable and a cane that pops out," said Josh Honrud with the New Originals.
Many of the singers said the feeling of camaraderie and the joy of singing in tight harmony drew them to barbershop. Darwin Scheel, lead singer in the group Coda, said the music is in his bones. "I was performing on stage before I was born. My mom was in a sweet Adeline quartet and sang in a chorus, so that's how I got to singing," he said.
The winning quartet takes home a $700 prize
This story originally appeared on Oregon Public Broadcasting.
