Suntones

The SUNTONES began as a Miami "chapter quartet" in 1957 with Gene Cokeroft on tenor, Clark Bell singing lead, Bill Wyatt on baritone and Danny Whipple on bass. Wyatt wrote wild and crazy arrangements of songs like That Old Black Magic . In addition to singing barbershop, the quartet enjoyed singing "Hi-Lo's" songs and were known for their ability to tune chords. Families and draft boards took their toll on original members and forced personnel changes.In 1959, the quartet won the first district quartet championship of the newly formed Sunshine District. Their first exposure to the International Convention audience was in 1959 in Chicago where they placed 24th.

In the spring of 1960, they called Harlan in West Palm Beach. In an instant, they knew that "this was it.". The quartet burned up the Florida Turnpike every other night for six weeks to win the right to represent the Sunshine District in Dallas that summer. The SUNTONES placed eighth in Dallas.

At the Barbershop Quartet's Society's International Competition in Philadelphia, the SUNTONES had the audience on their side. Call it luck, destiny or a little of both, the SUNTONES were picked to sing last in the top ten final round of competition Saturday night. They began that night by singing the beautiful Mighty Lak A Rose The entire convention audience stood up. The cheers and applause seemed to go on forever. The quartet was a bit surprised. This was the first standing ovation received by a competitor in the history of the Society. As if it were fate, they ended the contest with a song that would become a trademark, Bye Bye Blues. The Suntones later discovered that they had racked up a 350 point winning margin. Some suggested even if they hadn't sung in the finals, they would have had enough points to win anyway. Here is where many gold medallist quartets begin to slowly but surely disappear. For the SUNTONES, it was only the beginning. After the championship year, the SUNTONES decided they might as well do this thing right. They began to set new standards and became innovators. The quartet decided to produce recordings as often as possible and sought professional bookings outside of barbershop circles. Their heavy scheduled forced them to improve and perfect their presentation.

Masterwork Series

Bye Bye Blues Emaline After You've Gone If You Can't Tell The World She's A God Little Girl Old Songs Medley Danny Boy No, No, Nora Finian's Rainbow Medley That Old Black Music A Little Street Where Old Friends Meet West Side Story Medley It's A Most Unusual Day Their Hearts Were Full Of Spring Jezbel Where Is Love Watch What Happens As Time Goes By Two Guy Medley Show Me Where The Good Times Are Tennessee Waltz Shrimp Boats Armed Forces Medley For All We Know

Miami, Florida's Suntones, formed in 1957 singing innovative arrangements of "Old Black Magic" and Hi-Lo's songs, finally won SPEBSQSA Quartet Gold in 1961. They went on to record extensively and seek professional bookings outside of barbershop circles, causing them to perfect their act, and helping to create a world of possibilities for top-drawer barbershop groups in the entertainment industry. "Suntones" is a "best-of" collection of 23 songs, certainly tough choices given the large number of excellent recordings by the group. From the first cut, "Bye, Bye Blues," the final tune in their Gold-winning set that became a trademark for them, we see how special this group is. "After You've Gone," which begins straight, introduces a major 7th chord, jazzy 2nd chorus and wild and crazy tag. "If You Can't Tell the World She's A Good Little Girl," "Old Songs Medley" showed that even though they tended toward daring innovations, they never lost their love of the simple, "square" barbershop songs. "Danny Boy," "That Old Black Magic," "West Side Story Medley," "Jezebel," "Where Is Love," "Show Me Where The Good Times Are," "Tennessee Waltz," "Shrimp Boats" and "For All We Know" need to be listened to again and again to appreciate the chances the Suntones took, and how solid the barbershop fundamentals were that formed their base. "Suntones" is an amazing recording on many levels, and certainly mandatory listening for aspiring quartets to expand their horizons.

Listen to That Old Black Music in Real Audio

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