Boston Common A Capella Barbershop Quartet

HERE IT IS FOLKS! The unveiling of the Holy Grail of Barbershop. This is the first time performance ever of "That Old Quartet of Mine", preceded by "Who Told You". To see current performances of Terry Clarke and Larry Tully on KZbin, go to Our Town Quartet.
Enjoy everybody!
Jamie Carbone

[@EricM_001]

Thanks for posting. I had no idea how big Boston Common was in the Barbershop world. Found this by chance while searching for news on Rich Knapp, who was a friend and colleague of my father when I was a kid. Great to see his face again and to finally realize how talented he and the others were.

[@garyr1846]

Best Ever Was member of Spebsqsa for over 36 years and heard many of the top Quartets but never heard one that I enjoyed more than the Common

[@donaldlivesay2612]

im 49 and i grew up in a household with bb shop music and i have never herd a finer tenor in my life. every time i listen to all there songs i get teary eyed. NO tenor to this day can match his voice......and wonder why they won 7 times...all u haters eat it and listen to perfection.

[@lenanona-p1x]

Damn. No one could ring chords like these guys. Ever. In a total class by themselves. First heard them on my dad’s recordings in the 70’s, saw them win in 1980 and I still get goosebumps today.

[@thomasoa]

One highlight of my life was a barbershop concert we did with The Boston Common. It was with their second lead, not the original four. Before, all the quartets gathered at someone's home, and BC warmed up in the living room with us sitting on the couch a few feet away. It was a pure physical experience, a sense of warmth just filling every inch of my body.

[@thebl00per]

There's a reason everyone learned all of their songs - they touched our hearts more than our ears! That night in 1980, "the legends became champions". And we all the better for that.

[@stevenschlussel7051]

I well remember that night. "While many champions become legends, tonight the legends become champions".

[@beachbum47]

+Steven Schlussel That was a magical night. So glad I was there to see it actually and FINALLY happen.

[@lifeontheledgerlines8394]

Eh, as FRED once said: "Boston Common, they won in '74, and '75, and '77, and '78, and '79, and finally in '80. *points and looks at judges* WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" They were legends in the first place, and champions in the hearts of the audience long before they actually got the gold medals from the judges.

[@efrenmartinez6138]

@@lifeontheledgerlines8394 sorry I’m a little uneducated, did the old scoring system allow a quartet to win multiple gold medals?

[@lifeontheledgerlines8394]

@@efrenmartinez6138 No, it didn't. The joke is that they should've won (they won the hearts of the audience) but they didn't actually get first place until 1980

[@efrenmartinez6138]

@@lifeontheledgerlines8394 ooooh I see. Thank you for the clarification!

[@philryan7028]

I was lucky enough to grow up down the street from Larry. The block party jams were incredible.

[@marathonman3095]

UNGODLY Tenor Lead vibrato. the whole key to this ungodly amazing group is the the most amazing Tenor known to man but the Amazing Lead and Base, Baritone vibrato. the changes that took place in BB shop was in my book a disgusting attempt to eliminate these amazing voice blends. i am at total awe at this level of perfection until the day i die. i salute sheer perfection.

[@SidV_YT]

The tenor is my grandfather (Kent Martin)

[@rogerdotlee]

I think I do. It touches the very soul of what Barbershop Harmony is all about. It's being able to ring chords and make people smile. Friendships that last a lifetime.

[@bobsutton3244]

RIP, Terry, a man, a voice, a legend. We who were fortunate enough to have heard you will always miss you.

[@volvofinance9816]

Absolutely Crushed that set and everyone prior to that set!! I remember my father's quartet was second that year and I asked him if he was disappointed...He said that he was never so relieved in his life to place second !!! They hadn't seen the finals and he asked me how they where and I was speechless when he saw it a few months later, he was blown away. That night following The Boston Common and Chicago News, which was my Dad's Quartet was a front row seat to heaven.

[@darrylsjodin7184]

Wow, neat to see your post! I was in my early 20’s and singing in the An-o-chords chorus in Anacortes Wa when we sponsored the Chicago News at our summer show! I was amazed at their excellence and professionalism! It was wonderful to experience that!

[@kevinsprinkel4911]

To put it more succinctly, listening to BC is like a hot chocolate with the one you love in front of a Christmas Eve fire.

[@mikegabriella7352]

There has been much said about the Boston Common and their unique sound. Allow me a moment to add my perspective. I've know these guys since the 70's and actually sung in a quartet with 2 of them for about 1/2 year. People refer to their "tremolo" as a defining element, and while there is a touch, it is not what defines their sound. For me, you have one of most amazing bass voices this style has known ... open, and extremely rhythmic; fully verse in the FUNCTION of the bass voice ... on the verge of instrumental vs. vocal. The baritone, the perfect compliment with perhaps the most LUSH voice the Society has ever known. The Lead, and a good friend is perhaps the epitome of musical artistry in this popular song form. The tenor, one of a very few who can full voice up to B natural and still stay within the sound of the quartet. Beyond an incomparable combination of voices, they also understood how music works and the power of "duets" within the music. Tutored by Lou Perry ... this sound ... this combination will never be re-created. And, as great as it was to experience here again, it cannot compare to the sound they generated in live performance :)

[@scottbrannon9643]

Hi Mike! Totally onboard with your assessment....I had the pleasure of singing with THE OTHER TWO for about nine years. Terry and Larry remain the best "bass clef" I've ever heard with an amazing synergy together. Rich is, in my opinion, the best barbershop lead ever....Kent probably the most unique tenor voice. Each voice contributed to their unique-ness, and that's to say nothing of the unique and palpable "presence" they had onstage...and you're right, no recording can re-create the experience of hearing and seeing the Boston Common live in their prime!

[@charlesgreaves3293]

Hi Mike, "young" Charlie Greaves here, from the Narragansett chorus days, still singing in Naples fla.

[@janumbower6905]

Scott Brannon m

[@janumbower6905]

Scott Brannon terry clarke

[@SidV_YT]

The tenor is my grandfather (Kent Martin)

[@WilliamPupkis]

Let me be one of the first to tell this audience that the Boston Common has been elected to the Barbershop Harmoney Society's Hall of Fame, it would seem only the 3rd to do so...so well deserved.

[@spitfireale60]

Impressive. Impressive that you're one of the first to tell us. I'm sure that means so much to you.

[@marathonman3095]

Absolutely the BEST tenor i have heard in my life that still brings tears to my eyes. i use to follow the Dapper Dans in Disneyland a round when i was i kid (10) and even lost my parents doing do. it was my Dads that figured out where i was. to this day The Boston Common is and will always be the absolute pinnacle of Barbershop Quartet music. their Tremolo as you say sets them apart which is a very rare thing as the vibrato is in sink with each other that does not happen in life yet it did and i will listen to this group until the day the good Lord says it is time to go.

[@bobsutton3244]

It makes me sad that some day we might have to explain to people why this is as great a performance as we will ever be privileged to see and hear. I feel lucky to know why it is, and to appreciate it every time I listen. Thanks, Jamie.

[@DavidVT23]

Yes, they were correct on *both* points of their dispute with the judges. And while these days you hear incredible stuff from the winners, they all sound ... generic (*amazing* and generic, but still). A similar point in my mind comes from Stephen Jay Gould, professional biologist and amateur lover of baseball. He wrote something like "the final pitch of Don Larsen's perfect game [in the World Series] was perhaps 6 inches outside ... and it would have been a crime to call it anything but a strike." Nowadays, everything is so technical (and amazing!), there's no romantic or adventurous spirit.

[@paulgardner6239]

We see the quartets of today and there are very few who are close to the Boston Common. Crossroads, perhaps? But it's the songs now. NOTHING is sung with such skill and emotion like this. Why can't we keep this music alive and let it be treasured and loved and not thought of as old and past it?

[@rmosutton]

OMG. Jamie, that really was the Holy Grail. When all else goes away, there will always be the memory of that fantastic performance to remind us of the purity of barbershop singing and the unity of a group on that one special occasion. No, there will never be another like them, and that is truly a good thing.

[@SidV_YT]

Kent Martin (The one on the very left) is the tenor and my grandfather. I just just watching his old stuff.

[@dinerdude44]

Used to attempt this at contest back in the early 80's, after listening a hundred times trying to match their emotion, passion and accuracy. Happened ONCE in practice...and I'll never forget the feeling....or two of my beloved mates that have passed. Shed a tear remembering 'That Old Quartet of Mine'.

[@hypnotheresa]

So happy to see this! My father grew up with Rich and the quartet would stay at our house when in town for performances. They would sing in our living room and the house would fill with admiring neighbors. The Four Rascals did the same. Nothing can top those performances! Thank you for the memories.

[@DebraHammondpop2]

Whatever became of the fellows? LOVE their sound!!

[@NikoPorter]

You ma’am, are one of the luckiest ladies ever! Buy a Boston Common album? Nahhh they’ll just sing in my living room... COME ON THATS A DEAL RIGHT THERE!

[@stevederebey]

Best quartet EVER! No one has ever matched that mellow sound these guys produce!

[@judybeach3991]

Very mellow sound

[@judybeach3991]

I hear more vibrato than I want ..

[@revsonny]

I, too, get the goosebumps! I think they're enhanced by realizing that these guys had decided that this was their last contest, win or lose. Thanks, Jamie, for providing these videos. They prove to me what I've always heard about The BC - that they sang with heart like no other quartet!!

[@stevewilkinson7200]

I was working the Fly Rail for the San Gabriel and Arcadia California SPEBSQSA show Just after they won this competition They were the special guests and sounded amazing from the wings stage right. After the show, they went to our lobby for meet and greet with the audience and I went along as security and crowd control. I can still remember standing just feet in front of them as they sang in our lobby that has plaster walls and glazed brick floor. Absolutely unbelievable rich sound and incredible blending. I will never forget that night!

[@alangarrett1181]

At the insistence of Dr. Bob Proctor, a long time barbershopper and mentor, I sang this song in a quartet using the Boston Common version as a learning tape. Dr. Bob just passed away and yet I still can hear him singing each of the four parts with ease. Here’s to you Doc and thanks for your tutelage. Until we meet again….

[@Mitin619]

Ive known these guys since 1911 and they are still my favourite.

[@2006nationalchamps]

this is the real barbershop music i grew up singing , todays classics like this need to be sung again not the doowap music i hear today , gosh i love these guys .

[@DavidVT23]

Yep. They decided that this would be their swan song. I can't think of a better farewell song.

[@chrisring123]

I knew what words and what chords were coming, and I STILL got chills! What an amazing gift they gave us all that night! Thanks so much, jcarboneda10r, for finding and sharing this with us!

[@spideydew20]

So glad to hear these guys again, after so many years.

[@gatlinburgbearjj]

My dads favorite song. Happy fathers day I miss you.

[@kevindmcc]

I'm watched this 3 times in 24 hours... I can't get it out of my head, nor will I ever be sick of this.

[@recquilt]

I've listened to the audio recording of this gem a hundred times but what a thrill to see this video clip...Thanks for posting

[@thebl00per]

The "by my side" swipe in "Who Told You?" at 1:45-1:51 is breathtaking and powerful. Of course, "Old Quartet" is chilling and timeless, vowel matching be damned. Their tuning is impeccable! That song should be prohibited from all future contests.

[@gnobreeb]

Absolutely Phenomenal chord transition from 1:41-1:51

[@FrancescoLogozzo]

Bob Bobson Wow that is a crazy voicing: It's a dominant 7 in second inversion, so it's a 5-7-1-3 stack (which is closed position, meaning the notes cannot be stacked more closely together than they are in this position). The lead and bass cross voices on "by my side" and it ends up such that the lead (Rich) is on the bottom 5th, the bass (Terry) is on the 7th above him, the baritone (Larry) is on the tonic above that, and the tenor (Kent) is on the 3rd above that. You rarely see the bass above the lead, especially so high - the bass is singing an E above middle C!

[@spitfireale60]

Who cares, Mr. Pedantic?

[@FrancescoLogozzo]

spitfireale60 I dunno it's kinda cool... you don't have to be rude about it. It's not very often you see the bass go above the lead.

[@Indexter]

Hey screw that other guy, I agree that this is seriously one of if not the most interesting voicing from a quartet on KZbin. Thanks for confirming; I could hardly believe what I was hearing!

[@spitfireale60]

It might be the greatest thing ever. Seriously.

[@malcolmex3204]

spitfireale60 You have officially failed being a person.

[@sidneycar89]

They were my favourite quartet when i joined the barbershop society got their CD which i often play ,still enjoying their wonderful sound Sid Carter

[@Mike26860]

I was heavily involved in barbershop in the 80s. Absolutely loved these guys. My favorite song was "What'll I do when she is gone." Does anyone have a copy fo this?

[@TheTourmaline57]

sheer perfection.They are brilliant.Not only an audio gift but they capture the heart.

[@shaneforamerica]

Thank you so much for posting this! I have always enjoyed the version on the cd collection, but to here the original verse and the original lead in the contest environment is truly a pleasure.

[@ranhar1]

Boston Common was light years ahead of their time - a foursome that just went out and sang - beautifully!

[@judyleonhart9531]

When I get to Barbershop Heaven ,. I will be the FIrst. In line to hear my most favorite quartet, The Boston Common

[@RH2golf]

I saw them in '79 when they lost to Grandma's Boys and thought the crowd was going to riot. All other groups only wish they could harmonize this well.

[@jayliminator]

they just make you so incredibly proud to be a barbershoper in the NED. BC is b4 my time (no pun intended) but i am an old soul and i wish more quartets today sang the good old songs with even half as much heart.

[@lelonfurr1200]

ty what an original sound!

[@thomasoa]

Just a perfect arrangement sung by a perfect quartet.

[@Nuance5]

Boston Common were the first and the best example of singing & performing "from the heart". The audience got it and that's why FRED said "They won in 73 and 74 and 75 and 77 and 78 and 79 and finally in 80". But the judges were bound by their category rules and thus COULDN'T get it. Thus - "What were you thinking?"

[@lifeontheledgerlines8394]

That is one of my favorite performances by FRED. I mean, they are not wrong.

[@Bretster2010]

I just love this stuff, absolutely Eargasmic.

[@DebraHammondpop2]

I absolutely LOVE THEM!!!!

[@charlesgreaves3293]

Spent some time with guys when I was just a kid, on my Dads boat during Block Island Barbershop Weekend. I had no idea then that what I was hearing was that special. I know now. Some great Barbershoppers came to the weekend over the years. I agree, that sound will never happen again.

[@thomaspottie3776]

So very sorry to hear of Terry's passing. No doubt about it, he was the greatest bass I ever heard in barbershop and I've been a member for 52 years. His quartet had a distinctive sound that never will be copied. I will always remember their visit to our area when they sang as guests on one of our Chapters' shows(I can't remember which chapter!) To the remaining members of the quartet...rest assured Terry is in a better place and singing his heart out for his listeners. God Bless!! Tom Pottie, City of Lakes chorus, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

[@Lexxxcellent]

Goosebumps of awesomeness :)

[@damianthibodeau6136]

The message was strong and they sung it well by bringing out the message smoothly.

[@macmcintosh1577]

1980 - That was my first trip to an International Convention! Then my wife and I got to do a 25 year repeat in 2005, and Boston Common was featured!

[@JamesEstes927]

Starting at 5:15 to the end, if you don't get goosebumps, this style of music just isn't for you

[@imapaine-diaz4451]

Nobody could make a tag ring like these guys!

[@rogerdotlee]

I'm with you. Chills and goosebumps. My first contact with this song was during the 2010 tribute to the champs video (I thought Barbershop Harmony was a dead art form until September or so of 2010). It's good to see them do it live-ish.

[@koonjar]

I LOVE THIS AND I DONT KNOW WHY!!

[@ThePmacattack]

Yes, the guy on the right is the baritone. The vast majority of barbershop quartets put the baritone and tenor on the ends. It's probably a bit more common to have the baritone on the right side, but often you'll have the tenor on the far right and the baritone on the far left.

[@Nuance5]

Don't know if it was ever on video, but their "Old Songs Melody" - while mostly a tack-together of 8 bars of this, 16 bars of that - has a WONDERFUL last page, with a transition/key change to the final song and tag that leaves NOT A DRY SEAT IN THE HOUSE!

[@beachbum47]

Did they look relaxed or what? Amazing quartet.

[@severtone263]

I am just glad that the sound quality is better than the video looks. Good harmony.

[@charlesriggs55]

You want to hear perfect balance? Here it is. None better.

[@billb0925]

What a wonderful video. I like the studio recording just fine, but the live version is just so much more real to me. I know there are lots of great quartets and great songs in the history of this genre, but I can't imagine any better combination than this song and this quartet.

[@mpacht1]

Still the greatest barbershop quartet!

[@TJBarranger]

Boston Common. Hallowed be thy name.

[@lifeontheledgerlines8394]

As a Bostonian, I feel like I should grab some friends and sing some of the songs that Boston Common did on the Boston Common as a tribute or something.

[@kevinsprinkel4911]

What can you say about Boston Common that hasn't been said? Great individual voices for sure, and Rich and Kent's slight vibrato lent a quality never so elegantly done b4 nor since. But, IMHO, what set and what continues to set BC apart (33 years after their long overdue win) from ANY quartet is that every word, every phrase, every song they sang served to tell a story, and I think THAT is what connected with people, and is certainly what inspires me to listen to them. Barbershoppers everywhere--take a lesson from BC: if you're not connected with your audience, you're just producing chords and overtones. Fun, no doubt, but not terribly meaningful.

[@ryanlimpus9202]

I cannot get over that chord from 1:42-1:51. i get chills every time i hear it >.

[@stevepressley]

wow, is all I can say. Listened a million times, never saw it.

[@brockertteambrockert]

Fantastic!

[@RH2golf]

We were in Cincinnati when they came in second. The crowd booed the announcement. They should have won over Grandma's Boys (as good as they were).

[@rogerdotlee]

There are some instances where one 'like' is simply not enough. This is one of them.

[@DavidVT23]

I think FRED said it for us: "They won in 73 and 74 and 75 and 77 and 78 and 79 and finally in 80. What were you thinking?"

[@hugoforth]

This is what all Barbershop Quartets should aspire to....unfortunately the tremolo ..which is in every voice and makes up its individuality is frowned upon and coaxed out of Barbershop singing, that is why quartets are hard to tell apart, Boston Common kept a small amount in all their voices, that is why we know when its them singing, and why it is so good, they are the Pavorotti's if you like, of the Barbershop Quartets, and will never be equalled, in my view.

[@kyuubicat5]

i love this music

[@heycolslaw]

I believe the tenor has the lung capacity of the whole room he's in. :)

[@patioco]

mind blowing

[@allkindsofgains]

goosebump music

[@NikoPorter]

Having a bad day? I prescribe you a Boston Common album... thank me later...

[@Jackman24601]

Forgive me for sounding ignorant here, but as a teenager, I don't know THAT much about the BHS, but I thought the rules were that, once a quartet won, they couldn't compete together again?

[@briarshuff9674]

Jack Bridges no more than 2 individuals of the quartet can sing together. They can make other quarters. But only two can sing together.

[@InvalidFingerprint]

Is there an alternative name for the first song "Who Told You?" because I'd really like to find the sheet music, but that song name doesn't give any results for any website that I've searched; any and all help is appreciated, thank you.

[@O-N-phelo]

This sounds stupid but I feel like this brings back memories and I'm 19. Might have been in a barbershop in a passed life

[@rickyallando825]

How good are those tenors

[@Nuance5]

Mike, I think you may be looking for "Who'll Take My Place When I'm Gone?" - sung by Side Street Ramblers - 1983 champs (Especially super tag by Brian Beck)

[@Barbershoperlead11]

@InvalidFingerprint Go to the BHS website and download the PDF of the Music Catalog. Its there

[@DavidVT23]

First song on this video: FRED - 1998 International Quartet Final (youtube)

[@TheJayman213]

when listening to barbershop quartets i can never make out what the one on the right is singing. is he the bariton?

[@DavidVT23]

Also, I'm not sure if I would dispute the Bluegrass Students Union win in 1978 too much.

[@werty45321]

Barbershop quartets almost always stand tenor, lead, bass, baritone. That;s left to right.

[@DavidVT23]

So, then and (I believe) now, many of the top quartets were coached by the people who were also serving as judges of the competitions. The Boston Common objected to this practice for two reasons: one, it at best removes the appearance of impartiality, at worst actually leads to it; two, judges coach quartets to sing they way they want them to sound. So, quartets looking to score well started sounding similar, which the BC felt was bad.

[@WilliamPupkis]

yes...

[@DavidVT23]

That is correct. However, many felt that they were the best quartet competing in several years prior to their victory, and the only reason they didn't win was that they were having a long-running dispute with the judges. In fact, they sat out the finals in 1976 in protest of the fact that judges often are coaches of the quartets that they are judging. FRED is a comedy quartet ('99 Champs), and they were making fun of this. As my father says, the point of a good education is to get all the jokes.

[@ChaplainGab]

Yes, I have a copy of that song (no video though).

[@patioco]

what do you mean by BHS website?

[@MickDargan]

@basteanelle One person just loves to be different. Probably stumbled across this looking for a video about pulling legs off spiders.

[@Jackman24601]

Okay, so, it's a general consensus that they were the best performers in those years, but the judges just didn't score them the best, for their own reasons? Can I ask, what was the dispute specifically about?

[@samwilliams455]

Can anyone tell me who's singing which part of the chord at 1:49?

[@samwilliams455]

I meant in terms of notes werty, it's overtone crazy and can't figure it out!

[@Jackman24601]

Was this their finals set?

[@ArtAcousticSong]

1:49 como tomo aire ese tipo de la izquierda