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Thoroughbred History:
The Thoroughbred Chorus History
The Louisville #1 Chapter had its beginning in 1945
after local businessman Fritz W. Drybrough invited a number
of friends to his home on July 11 to listen to a once-popular
style of music, barbershop harmony. The four-part close harmony,
a cappella style of singing, had been in vogue from the turn
of the century through the 1920s, but with the advancement of
the electronic media, the "barbershop style", along
with vaudeville, was steadily replaced by the crooners and big
band of the swing era.
From that original gathering, and with the help of friend Ed
Mall and then Society International President Jerry Beeler from
Evansville, the Louisville Barbershop Chorus was conceived with
a membership of 33 men under the direction of Burt Harmon and
then Bob Ising. Drybrough served as the first president of the
chapter. The Louisville #1 Chapter was part of The Society for
the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing
in America (SPEBSQSA) founded by O.C. Cash, a Tulsa lawyer,
in 1938. Mr. Cash presented the Louisville #1 Chapter with its
charter on June 10, 1946.
The chapter became one of the largest chapters in the Society
and in the early years presented shows with some of the best
talent available. For example, in the 1951 annual show, the
chorus sang only six songs, but there was a chapter quartet,
a female quartet, a local dance troupe, and seven out-of-town
quartets. The chapter grew to a membership of almost 300, but
there were only about 100 men who sang on a regular basis. Most
of the members seemed more interested in socializing than in
improving their musical skills and, as a result, membership
declined. By 1956 the singing chorus had decreased to about
60 men and chapter membership had shrunk to 150.
In 1957 there was a movement by some of the more serious-minded
singers toward the goal of competitive excellence. It was at
that time, in the midst of the decline, in September 1957, that
the Thoroughbreds were born. The name "Thoroughbreds"
was given to the new chorus by an original member who had registered
the name for his quartet, which had since become inactive. The
moniker suited the chapter's geographic location and became
rather prophetic in light of the chorus' competitive track record.
The Thoroughbreds entered and won their first Cardinal District
contest in 1958. After finishing eighth in 1959, sixth in 1960,
and second in 1961, the chorus won the Society's International
Chorus Championship in 1962. That was the beginning of a remarkable
run of success. Following the championship in 1962, during the
decades of the 60s, 70s and 80s, the Thoroughbreds competed
on the International stage 13 times winning six more championships,
finishing second five times and third twice.
Also, the chapter produced three International quartet champions.
The Bluegrass Student Union won in Cincinnati in 1978, the same
year the chorus won the 5th championship. Then in Hartford in
1987, an unprecedented event occurred. The Interstate Rivals
won the championship and the Second Edition finished 2nd, the
only time the top two quartets were from the same chapter. The
Second Edition won the gold in 1989 in Kansas City.
In many ways, the history of the Louisville chapter is a mirror
of the history of the society. Early leaders of the Louisville
chapter helped to shape the direction and policy of the Society.
The success of the chapter during the 60s, 70s, and 80s, was
fashioned under the leadership of many strong presidents and
administrative boards, talented music teams and extraordinary
leadership from its musical directors. Bill Benner directed
the chorus to its first championship in 1962 and then Joe Wise
and Jim Miller shared the directorship during much of the late
60s and early 70s. Miller's eminently successful era included
seven championships, three seconds, and one third from 1962
to 1984. Miller gives credit to chorus coaches Ed Hackett (1957
through 1964) and Ed Gentry (1963 through 1987) for much of
the chorus' success during this era.
Ken Buckner and Allen Hatton co-directed the chorus to a third-place
finish in 1987, and Allen Hatton was the director for second
place finishes in 1988, 1989, and 1990, and a third place in
1992.
The decade of the 1990s and the early years of the new millennium
were years of change and transition for the Thoroughbreds, in
contrast to the relative stability of the musical leadership
during the first three decades. In the 10 year period from 1993
to 2002, the chapter experienced six director changes from Allen
Hatton to Ken Hatton in 1993, to Ken Buckner in 1996, to John
Zehnder in 1997, to the co-directorship of Allen and Ken Hatton
in 1998, to Allen Hatton in 2000 and Jay Hawkins in 2002, now
under the direction of Dave Duncan. In addition, the chapter
experienced a decline in membership and two new chapters were
formed in the Louisville area. The Louisville Metropolitan Chapter
was chartered in the early 1990s and the Greater Louisville
chapter followed in 2002.
Competitively, though not able to maintain the level of success
enjoyed by the chorus in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, The Thoroughbreds
continued to make impressive showings during the 1990s. In San
Francisco in 1990, the chorus tied for the championship, an
event that was unprecedented. Based on a scoring decision, the
chorus was placed second. In 1992 the chorus finished third
in New Orleans and then finished sixth in Pittsburgh in 1994
and in Miami in 1995. After finishing eighth in Salt Lake City
in 1996 the Thoroughbreds returned to the medals with a stunning
fifth-place finish in Anaheim after qualifying as a wild-card
entry.
From a performance standpoint, the Thoroughbreds continued to
be in demand for civic and military functions. The chorus was
a fixture at the opening performance at the Kentucky State Fair
and helped to dedicated the Kentucky International Convention
Center in Louisville. There were performances before Kentucky-Louisville
basketball games in Freedom Hall and Rupp Arena and baseball
games at Slugger Field. It debuted the University of Louisville
spirit song. As a result of a renewed effort to become more
involved in the affairs of Jeffersontown, the home of Jim Miller
Hall, the chorus, in partnership with the city, sang for many
special events and occasions. There were also performances for
the Governor of the Commonwealth and during a special visit
of President George H.W. Bush in 1991. The chorus also made
memorable trips to the Bolton Landing New York Music Festival,
to Charlotte, North Carolina, to Circleville, Ohio and to Union
City, Tennessee.
The chapter served as the host of the Cardinal District Fall
Convention in 1993 and 2003. After the highly successful International
convention in 1991, which stood as the best attended convention
up to that time, efforts were made to again host the convention.
Those efforts were rewarded when the society chose Louisville
to serve as the host city for the 2004 convention. Larry Knott
served as the General Chairman of the convention in 1991 and
Dave Duncan in 2004.
The chapter was visible at the highest levels of the Society
during the 1980s and 1990s with chapter member Ernie Nickoson
serving two terms as president, Ken Buckner serving as the Society's
Coordinator of Events from 1987 to 1997, and Bill Myers serving
as a Music Specialist for Quartets from 1985 to 1989. Warren
Donaldson became the chapter's second international champion
bulletin editor in 1997, an award that Jim Fulks won in 1980.
In recognition for his outstanding work over many years, Fulks
was named to the PROBE Hall of Honor. Other Thoroughbreds served
in various capacities at the District level.
The chorus and chapter remain vibrant and competitive, creating
great camaraderie, singing for thousands throughout the region,
and frequently donating performances for charitable causes.
The chapter supports Cardinal District and International functions
and continues to play a leading role in the society.
The Thoroughbreds own and maintain a first class building, Jim
Miller Hall, which was purchased by the chapter in July 1978.
The hall is maintained for the benefit of the chorus and its
members and it is available to organizations and individuals
for rent. The chorus produces recordings of their works for
the public and since 1958 the Thoroughbreds have produced an
annual show on the first weekend in December, an event that
has become a tradition for thousands as a part of their holiday
celebration.
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