Dealer's Choice barbershop quartet

Dealer's Choice

It was January 1972 and the Dallas Big D Chapter had volunteered to perform for the Waxahachie, TX charter night. On the way Al Kvanli, Bill Thornton, Brian Beck, ad Gary Parker decided to sing a few tunes in the back of the bus. Even over the engine roar it sounded promising. They decided to buy socks and give it a go. In August they drove straight through from Dallas to Kenosha, WI for Harmony College, a trip which proved to be the catalyst for their accelerated future development. It was there they met and learned from Bob Johnson, Mac Huff, and Don Clause, each of whom had a significant positive impact on their evolution. They squeezed about three years of rehearsal into the next ten months. The following summer in Portland OR they became the only quartet since 1952, and even to this day, to win the gold medal in their first international competition. The original four sang through 1976 when Brian moved to California to pursue his studio musician career. Dr. Greg Lyne, then a young choral professor at Eastern New Mexico University and one of the DC¹s arrangers and coaches, stepped in to singing baritone through their final performance in 1978 at the BABS convention. In 1988, Bill, Brian, and Gary returned to the stage with Greg Clance, who grew up watching the DC take the Society by storm while singing in the Vocal Majority. With Greg they recorded their fourth successful album and performed for four more years before retiring at the 1992 international convention at the Super Dome in New Orleans. The DC is credited with ushering in a new era of vocal technique, and even today their recordings attract countless new and repeat fans.

Discography

Songs Like Daddy Used To Play

A Song Like Daddy Used to Play
Back in Those Wonderful Days
Who'll Take My Place When I'm Gone?
At the Jazz Band Ball
Old Fashioned Mother of Mine
California, Here I Come
Bring Back Those Good Old Days
April Showers
My Queen of the Senior Prom
Sunshine of Virginia
All Dressed Up With A Broken Heart
Goodbye Dixie Goodbye
S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.
You Can Have Every Light on Broadway
Redhead

Thankfully for Barbershop fans, the vinyl classics of yesteryear are being reissued. This recording by the 1973 International Quartet SPEBSQSA champions is as vibrant today as 20 years ago. Among the breathtaking performances are "Who'll Take My Place When I'm Gone," "California, Here I Come" with its spine-tingling tag, "April Showers," and "Goodbye Dixie Goodbye." In addition to the original 12 songs are three bonus tunes: "S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.," "You Can Have Every Light On Broadway," and "Redhead." This one belongs in every barbershopper's collection!

5221 CD $14.98

Choice II

An Elegy to the Old South
Coney Island Washboard Roundelay
What'll I Do?
This Ole House
In the Still of the Night
I'm My Own Grandpa
Love Letters Straight From Your Heart
The Lord's Prayer
Didn't We
Consider Yourself
Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Country Roads

Well, you'll just have to get the complete set. That's all there is to it. The historic Texas Quartet begins Choice II (the original album title) with an eighteen minute "An Elegy To The Old South" which is a series of medleys with introductory narrations to keep it cohesive. Notable arrangements include an unusual "In The Still Of The Night," a version of the often repeated, humorous, "I'm My Own Grandpa" and the bass lead on "What'll I Do?" You'll find that the absolutely stunning version of "The Lord's Prayer" which was originally the last song on the vinyl album is followed by four additional bonus tracks on the CD, including "Brother Can You Spare A Dime" and "Country Roads." They're still champs to our ears!

5221 CD $14.98

The Last Session

Have A Little Talk With Myself
Chloe
Simon & Garfunkel Medley
Shenandoah
I Can't Give You Anything But Love
The Way We Were
Yes Indeed!
Contest Up-Tune Medley
Together
Ain't She Sweet?
This Is All I Ask

1973 International Quartet Champions Dealer¹s Choice recorded this CD just prior to their appearance at the British Association of Barbershoppers Convention in 1978. Featuring a nice mix of traditional barbershop and pop tunes, such as a Simon & Garfunkel medley and the quintessential hankie-wringing movie theme, The Way We Were,² the group also includes the tongue-in-cheek ³Ain¹t She Sweet,² and ³Chloe,² which begins subtly and then gradually swells into a broad chorus, followed by its apogee, the tag-the defining moment for any manly barbershop contingent!

Listen to "Chloe" in Real Audio.

5223 CD $14.98

Like The First Time

Beach Boys Medley
If You Could Read My Mind
Hello Mary Lou
Brian's Song
I'm Looking At The World Through Rose Colored Glasses
Where Is Love?
I Don't Know Why I Love You Like I Do
You'll Never Know
Mr. Piano Man
Like The First Tme

A different line-up than that of the previous recording-Brian Beck and Greg Clancy assuming the positions of Al Kvanli and Greg Lyne-Volume Four nonetheless reflects the same fine close harmony that made Dealer¹s Choice consistently popular, even today. Leading off with a crowd-pleasing Beach Boys medley, the Dealers segue into ³If You Could Read My Mind,² the Œseventies pop hit, the arrangement of which is entirely original and a barbershop how-to manual of stylistic conversion. A recommended selection for any fan of the genre, but Dealer¹s Choice enthusiasts will want all four volumes.

Listen to "If You Could Read My Mind" in Real Audio.

5224 CD $14.98

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