History of the FRIENDS OF YESTERDAY Barbershop Quartet
By Richard (Dick) Bentz, Lead
In the Fall of 1972, the Friends of Yesterday (“FOY”, or “FRIENDS”) quartet formed with Dick Bentz as lead, Gene Jackson as bari, both from the “Hometowne USA Chorus” in Bethesda, MD, Paul Kline as bass, and Gene O’Dell as tenor, both from the “Chorus of the Chesapeake” chapter in Dundalk, MD. After much debate, the name of the quartet was chosen from the intro line of a song called “Down in the Old Neighborhood,” which begins: “Where are the friends of yesterday? They’re gone like the leaves that fall…”
In the Spring of 1973, The FRIENDS entered our first competition - the 1973 International Contest Preliminary in Philadelphia, PA, for the right to represent the Mid-Atlantic District in the Portland, OR, International that summer. We failed to qualify and finished as alternates. As fate would have it, the Easternaires withdrew, and the FRIENDS got their first try at international competition. Don Stratton, bass of The Oriole Four, coached us into the semi-final round, and we finished a respectable 20th place.
That Fall, we squeaked by our perennial rivals, The Reign Beaus End to win the 1974 District Contest in Washington, DC, and qualified for the 1974 International by finishing a disappointing, but good-enough-to-go, sixth place in Manhattan, NY. A variety of coaches lent a hand along the way to Kansas City that year
In the Spring of 1974, the FRIENDS began what was to become a flood of cassette-learning programs. Under the guidance of originator Don Vienne (Dundalk chapter), we recorded all 13 Barberberpole Cat songs on 4-channel recording equipment. Then, using what was then considered electronic wizardry, technicians produced tapes on which single voice parts predominate on one side, so the listener can hear and learn his part; on the other side that same part is missing, so the listener can sing along. The idea caught on and soon the Society was (and still is) producing and selling cassettes by the thousands. The FRIENDS’ original recordings were used in the Society’s product for many years.
The FRIENDS qualified for the 1974 International by finishing another disappointing, but good-enough-to-go sixth place. A variety of coaches lent a hand along the way to Kansas City that Spring. Wilbur Sparks, Harry Williamson, Bob Wachter, Dick Stone, Don Claus, Arnie Bauer, and particularly Billie Ball all added their considerable talent to the growth of the FRIENDS; but it was all to little avail, for we again finished in 20th place.
That fall, we suffered a near-fatal blow, as Paul Kline’s job moved him to Atlanta. Immediately, we put out the call for a replacement. Scores of basses tried their hand. Even the multi-talented Freddy King auditioned. It was on that occasion at a Columbia Chapter meeting in the Spring of 1975 that a new barbershopper happened to be leaving the meeting when the FRIENDS “trio” was singing a song that the chapter was just learning. Lew Shipp added the bass part to “The Opening Night on Broadway” and he very shortly became the newest bass in the Friends of Yesterday. It was too late to compete in the 1975 international preliminaries, but that didn’t keep the FRIENDS from singing in Indianapolis that year, even if it wasn’t from the contest stage.
In 1976, the FRIENDS spent a lot of rehearsal time with coach, arranger, and friend, Kirk Roose. His arrangements of “I’m All That’s Left of the Old Quartet,” “Maggie,” and “If You See Sally” became quartet trademarks. Our first international contest with Lew that year in San Francisco resulted in a respectable 13th place. In August we spent six solid days barbershopping together at the Society’s “Harmony College” in St. Joseph, Missouri. It was an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
With Lew, we went on to finish 10th in Philadelphia in 1977, and 9th in Cincinnati in 1978. We skipped Minneapolis in 1979 because of an automobile accident that injured Dick and Lew. We went on to Salt Lake City in 1980 and finished 9th again. Those three contests were the only ones where we finished in the top ten as finalists.
After Salt Lake City, a young Al Mazzoni came on as our new Bass. With him we finished 15th in Detroit in 1981, and 17th in Pittsburgh in 1982.
As our reputation grew through the years after 1976, we went on the Chorus chapter show circuit, often traveling twice in a weekend, and booking as far in advance as 18 months. We made it a point, whenever possible to take the three wives (Mary Bentz, Edie O’Dell, and Betty Jackson) along to these gigs (Al wasn’t married.) On a gig in Dover, Delaware on March 24, 1984, we sang three shows. One of them was filmed by a local TV station. They gave us a copy of the tape and I put it on YouTube under “Friends of Yesterday.” It’s still there.
When Gene O’Dell got a job transfer to Florida in 1984, we all agreed it was time to retire, rather than try to replace Gene – an impossible task. Our last travel gig was at Jackson, MS, in May, 1984 and our last local gig, was at the Baltimore Hilton in June, 1984. For my wife Mary and I, it had truly been the best 13 years of our lives. I know that Gene and Edie O'Dell and Gene and Betty Jackson felt the same way. Gene Jackson passed away on November 16, 2018. Gene O'Dell passed away on December 28, 2020.
|
