This album is no regular wishy-washy barbershop fare, and the back cover liner notes (see below) also inform the potential listener of that fact if s/he wasn't able to figure it earlier by just looking at the avant-garde cover art. This album does have some barbershop standards on it ("Moonlight Bay", "That Old Gang Of Mine", etc.) but they don't comprise the entire album. In addition, the singers on this LP are no amateur small-town ensemble that most barbershop albums of the time featured and whose albums now lie rightfully unappreciated in a box by the dryer at Grandma's house - this group, composed of bass John Neher (1911-1972), baritone Ed Lindstrom (circa 1920-?), lead tenor Mac Perrin (circa 1915-?) and first tenor Gordon Goodman (1911-1960), is one of the best groups I've heard to this day, and could even give renowned groups like Instant Classic a real run for their money! This album also gives some solo time to the bass and first tenor, a rarity among vocal group albums even today.
This album was originally a find at Hymie's Vintage Records on my first trip to their new location on Lake Street after having irreconcilable differences with their original landlord. As a bass-baritone vocalist myself who is friends with a countertenor, I thought the cover art would look great framed in my room (which it does!) and picked it up for $5. However, when I brought it home, I accidentally left the record lying on the floor in the corner of the living room, where my father's dog got to it and scratched it to the point where it couldn't be played. I was not able to find another copy of this record until recently, when oddly enough, I found another copy of it at Hymie's Record Store Day in April of 2015. Apparently, someone had sold to them just a day earlier, and the proprietors were kind enough to let me have it for free after I confessed to them my carelessness towards my last copy!
This album also features the beautiful arrangements of James Peterson, a Minnesota-born pianist, composer and conductor who accompanied all the singers on this LP. As far as I know, no other recordings by him survive and no arrangements of his were ever published, so this album is basically the only existing testament to his musical talent.
Check out this clip from YouTube to hear it for yourself!
From the liner notes on the back cover:
This is Americana!
In presenting this unusual album, Epic Records pays tribute to three tremendously popular classifications of American musical entertainment. (Many of our younger friends may be unfamiliar with such terms as “Basso Profundo” and “Silver-Throated Tenor”, but they can be assured that millions of their mothers and fathers have completely forgotten all their troubles while being transported into another world by these different and highly specialized performers.)
Not too many years ago, people tapped their feet to the infectious rhythms of the banjo and laughed at the very corny jokes of minstrel shows. No two such shows used the same format, but they each made a special effort to include a bass singer who literally made the ladies swoon by his utter masculinity and virility of sound (and not by singing saccharine lyrics of love). Oh, he sang of love, to be sure; but in doing so, he also sang of the sea and things rugged. Other than his role of playing the he-man, his trademark was the manner in which he sang the last phrase of his selection. He sang a slow descending scale that was an epitome of dramatic achievement. As he approached that final low note, a hush fell over the audience, the orchestra was tacit, and the only activity in the hall was the scuffling of Mister Tambo and Mister Bones betting their last dollars as to whether our hero would or would not attain his goal. To those of us who vividly remember the basso profundo, this was theatre!
Here, John Neher, our basso, sings the best known of all profundo solos, “Asleep In The Deep” and the humorous “When Big Profundo Sang Low ‘C’” in the traditional style. Musicians and those who knew the difference used to chuckle at how the bassos would always talk of singing “Low C” when, actually, very few of them were able to sing that “low”, consistently. John Neher sings the “Low C”. To demonstrate his versatility and great artistry, Mr. Neher also sings the deeply moving spiritual, “Deep River”, and one of the really fine songs of its time, “Forgotten”, written in 1894 by Wulschner and Cowles.
Equally popular was another type of singer-the contratenor-he of the light, velvety, effortless high notes. He, too, made the ladies swoon-but in a different way. Instead of the hardy, robust songs of his colleague, he sang the ballad. He sang of tenderness, of sorrow, and of love. With one finely spun phrase, he had the entire audience crying real tears of both sadness and joy. This was the “silver-throated” or, sometimes, the “golden-voiced” tenor.
Gordon Goodman, our tenor, sings the great American ballad by Lily Strickland, “Mah Lindy Lou”. Later he sings one of the most beautiful of all Irish ballads, “Has Sorrow Thy Young Days Shaded?”. He also sings a version of the American folk song, “I Wish’t I Was A Red Rosey Bush”. (An additional note: Mr. Goodman uncovered this version himself, while on one of his many tours of the country.) As his final selection he sings the spiritual “Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child”.
Whereas young people under 35 may not be familiar with the former two classifications, Barbershop Quartets are still very much in existence. Almost every city has a chapter of the Society For The Preservation And Encouragement Of Barbershop Quartet Singing In America, or as it is better known, “SPEBSQA”. These highly stylized chromatic harmonies and smooth blends entertain millions whether they be at a competition of quartets, a night club, a fraternity house, an Army barracks, or just a social get-together.
Messrs. Neher and Goodman join two of the finest group singers in the country, Mac Perrin and Ed Lindstrom, to form the Summit Four. This is truly an all-star quartet. Mac sings lead tenor and usually carries the melody. The prerequisite for a good lead is that he has to be solid-definite. Mac is the “solidest”. The baritone is in the middle of all the chords. His part is the most difficult, musically. Mr. Lindstrom’s intonation and taste are impeccable-and, he has a beautiful voice. This group is an “arranger’s dream”. James Peterson, who arranged these medleys, left no stones unturned. This is great Barbershop!
Originally from Shelbyville, Ill., and a graduate of the University of Illinois, John Neher went to Chicago to seek his musical fortune. After a very successful stay there, where he was a regular on such shows as the National Barn Dance, Hymns of All Churches, and the Northerners, he came to New York in 1943. His tremendous range and his unusual ability to perform in any style of music have made him one of the most sought-after singers in New York.
Gordon Goodman, who has appeared in almost every city in the United States, as well as being very active in radio, television and recording, commands the respect of all people in show business as few other entertainers do. Not many performers are as capable of interjecting such genuine emotion into their performances as is our Mr. Goodman. He lives the part. Hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, Gordon is best known for his outstanding work with Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians.
James N. Peterson, a native of Minnesota, has worked in all fields of musical endeavor-as arranger, pianist par excellence, and conductor. In this album he does all three. He wrote the arrangements, accompanied the quartet, and conducted the orchestra for the solos.
-NOTES BY JAMES FOGLESONG
The songs on this album are as follows:
1. "Let's Harmonize"
2. "Asleep In The Deep"
3. "Mah Lindy Lou"
4. "Medley"
5. "Deep River"
6. "Has Sorrow Thy Young Days Shaded"
7. "When Big Profundo Sang Low 'C'"
8. "I Wish't I Was A Red Rosey Bush"
9. "Keep In The Middle Of The Road"
10. "Forgotten"
11. "Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child"
12. "Medley"
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