Gangster rapper reacts to Geoff Castellucci - 16 Tons low bass singer for the FIRST TIME

[@CynicalTesuji]

Geoff Castellucci is one of those once in a lifetime voices, and his talents don't end there. He also did the vocal and musical arrangements for the song, as well as being the one who shot and edited the video (with video assistance from his wife and production manager, Kathy). He also does the same with the a cappella group for whom he sings bass (VoicePlay). Both he and VoicePlay are 100% independent artists, which is why so few people know about him despite Geoff being one of the best and most accomplished bass singers alive today. There is a lot to appreciate about this man and his talent; I would highly recommend his covers of Carol of the Bells, The Sound of Silence and House of the Rising Sun, although all of his work is incredible.

[@trialbyfirepyrography321]

If you like this one, then his new one he just put out will knock you out of your chair. He did a fantastic version of the Christmas song, Carol of the Bells. And his name is pronounced like Jeff.

[@NicholasAHart]

His name is Geoff Castellucci, his acapella stuff is with Voiceplay. If you want to see him take lead in a song there is "Hellfire" from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

[@GeraldPage-e7u]

Only my second time watching, but I'm loving your reactions. I really think you would be impressed with Voiceplay's cover of Nothing Else Matters. Geoff's bass line throughout the song is incredible, and the other members of the group have unreal talent.

[@EtherealForever]

Geoff has been singing with his acapella group (now called Voiceplay) since mid to late 90's - so PLENTY of practice and he keeps trying to improve all the time. He is great at arranging too - he does all of these himself and then sings it too. He has instrumentation - he leaves acapella for when he is in Voiceplay. They are beyond awesome and do give every member (including their bass Geoff) plenty of airtime and leads. Thank you for the reaction. 🌹🕊

[@AndieO]

Geoff Castellucci is the bass for the group Voice Play. They've been around with some change up in members for 2 decades. Their Catalog is an amazing rabbit hole. Geoff is crazy talented. Would suggest their covers of Creep... Hellfire (they've been nominated for a Grammy for this one )...Little Mermaid Medley is also a fun watch.

[@TheSkullCowboy]

He does a great rendition of Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine"

[@katrinaprescott5911]

You might want to listen to Tim Foust, too. He's another bass singer who sings with an acapella group (Home Free), but also has an album of solo songs. The difference is Tim's album is all do-wop from the '50s and '60s, while a lot of Geoff's are older country songs. Tim sings all the parts of the do-wop songs from bass to high tenor. Tim and Geoff both have extraordinary vocal ranges.

[@christineschutten248]

This song was written about living in a mining town. The company owned the houses and had a company store where the miners bought all the goods they needed. They were usually paid in company scrip which couldn't be used anywhere else. The goods were more expensive and couldn't be bought with regular money. So the miners ended up owing more money to the company store than they made so they were trapped working for the mines. Kind of like indentured servants. Geoff's voice is rich and beautiful here but it's not acapella. He sings acapella with his group VOICEPLAY and they are just outstanding!

[@sabrenas7895]

The original singer is Tennessee Ernie Ford I believe, his voice was just as deep🥰

[@karenponchak5304]

original singer and songwriter was actually Merle Travis, and no, Tennessee Ernie Ford could not go as low as Geoff. Geoff actually lowered the key for this.

[@johndeeregreen4592]

Not even close to as deep as Geoff. Ernie Ford was a bass-baritone and was into fry at his lowest note of Bb1 (Geoff is still in pure chest at Bb1). He had a deep voice... just not that deep.

[@Findelberry]

Oogy bogie man is something yoh should see from geoff

[@BetsySchiller-sj2sm]

Geoff has a five octave range. He's unbelievable. He does everything himself from arrangement, direction, lighting. Voiceplay is who he sings with and they are an independent a capella group that is amazing 👏 It's a great rabbit hole 😊

[@FriedBob]

And he can go from extreme of that range to the other as easy as most people can breathe.

[@holly2786]

eli always helps him with the lighting but he does everything else himself!

[@OriginalLictre]

His vocal range goes from deep in the bass range, includes baritone, and includes some of the tenor range, since he has a five octave range. When he does his covers, he doesn't limit himself to just performing accapella, he's willing to incorporate instrumental work in his covers, but when he's working with Voiceplay, they're an accapella group.

[@MissAmesD]

Gonna put in another comment for his group voiceplay!!!! Any song of theirs is pure fire! Thriller, valhalla calling, seven nation army, in the air tonight!!

[@MommaBird52]

He is not a they! He is a He! Geoff Castellucci of Voiceplay. This song was made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Geoff was using mining equipment because that song was based on a miner's life -- owe my soul to the company store. Check out more of the big 3 acapella groups -- Home Free, Pentatonix, and Voice Play. And since you migrate towards bass -- the Bass Gang.

[@judyduguay8673]

Tim from homefree also has a voice like this, they are both amazing

[@stevegreen6760]

Yes, Tim, Big Brev, Bobby Bass and the Bass Gang

[@guyray1504]

Krizz check out the bass singer for Home Free Tim Foust singing on his channel " Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow/ Stay". He sings all the parts and are overlayed. It's doo-wop at its best.

[@Broomrider1492]

His name is Geoff (Jeff) Castellucci. He is the bass singer and a founding member of the Acapella group VoicePlay #TheatreKidsOfAcapella. This is the video that I first found Geoff. He led me to VoicePlay. Fell head first down both rabbit holes and instantly became a patron of both.

[@genxhippie3973]

Timing is perfect for Voice Play OOGIE BOOGIE'S Song.

[@hockemeyer1]

This is a cover of Tennessee Ernie Ford's 1957 hit Sixteen Tons. The song is about coal mining.

[@hwyla4416]

Coal mining before unions! The mining company owned everything! And the surrounding company town was remote enough they couldn't exactly go competitive shopping. Everything had to be bought from the company store. Even your rent to the company. And you did not usually get paid in money but in scrip, to be spent at the store. Hence why you couldn't 'die' and meet St. Peter. Your family would be left with a big debt to the company and be at risk of starving and becoming homeless unless you hopefully had a teenage son who could then go work for the mine to continue the cycle of debt.

[@hockemeyer1]

@hwyla4416 coal mining was unionized in 1890. My grandfather was a coal miner in Lynch Kentucky during the late 1920s and early 1930s. The mining companies still owned everything and ran just like the song.

[@hwyla4416]

@@hockemeyer1 Thanks for the info. I guess then part of the reason the original singer had such problems with the song 'making it' had to do with a bunch of series of strikes? And now I've forgotten who the original singer was. I believe it was during the '40s? The song had to wait until the '50s (and Tennessee Ernie Ford) to become a hit. I'm thinking it was Merle Travis?

[@karapearson6858]

As a child of the silent generation I remember my mom always watching Lawrence Welk on rerun. My all time favorite singer on his show was Larry Hooper. His sang this song on the show when it was still black and white TV. music.kzbin.info/www/bejne/oYmraqp4Z52rbpY&si=YskB6IFG0Vmevp2E

[@stevegreen6760]

Just head on down the Voiceplay and Geoff Castellucci rabbit holes. In Valhalla Calling Geoff hits the God note a B0. Voiceplay as a group highlights all the singers in nearly every song. Be Prepared and Oogie Boogie Song are a couple exceptions. Definitely check out his Carol of the Bells he released last week.

[@barbandjohnr]

He's is the bass singer of Acapella group Voiceplay.. since Xmas is almost here the song Oogie Boogie by Voiceplay is a good one. He leads the song

[@natilious1]

I love this song because of Barry Carl from Rockapella. It's awesome to hear another amazing bass singer perform this. I believe the song was originally an old folk song.

[@timradde4328]

You should listen to Voiceplay's cover of Nothing Else Matters. All acapella. Ok, one short part is not. Simply amazing.

[@k1k2voyer]

His name is Geoff Castallucci (sp?) From Voiceplay, as well as lots of solo content. You should check out Voiceplay"s version of Nothing Else Matters, and Valhalla Calling!

[@thetalantonx]

Another great Valhalla Calling cover comes courtesy of The Bass Gang featuring Big Brev!

[@k1k2voyer]

@thetalantonx and also Payton Parrish with Miracle of Sound!!

[@hwyla4416]

@@k1k2voyer And it should be mentioned because a lot of folks might have heard the song but not know who wrote it, that Miracle of Sound is the composer and writer of the song. He did really like VoicePlay's cover of it. I thought his comment on it was really cute: 10 out of 10 'Raised Alehorns'. As someone who has cosplayed medieval, that won my heart.

[@vdoyne]

Geoff ("Jeff") Castellucci is the bass singer and a founding member (1997) of one of the top three acapella groups, VoicePlay. Layne and Geoff (the two founding members still in VoicePlay) graduated high school in 1997. Geoff started his solo channel during the pandemic shutdown when VoicePlay's extensive tours and bookings shut down. Geoff's solo channel isn't acapella, as he saves that for VoicePlay. However, he does all of the arranging, vocals, instrumentation, planning the video, initial audio mix, and all of the video editing. So, so much talent and skills! Geoff has a five octave vocal range (three octaves in full chest voice). Geoff has confirmed that "Sixteen Tons" was entirely in chest voice...none of the subharmonics that he is so well known for. Geoff and VoicePlay are 100% indie. Read the video description credits to see how very, very much the guys have learned to do for themselves. Geoff's wife, Kathy, is their production manager for VoicePlay and Geoff solo. If you want to hear Geoff go insanely low, listen to VoicePlay's "Valhalla Calling" and it's prequel "My Mother Told Me." Layne arranged those...Geoff doesn't tend to do that to himself. (Although, his "Carol of the Bells" solo release for Christmas this month is spectacular and full of subharmonics...his lows go from G1 chest to D1 subs. Wow! His "Carol of the Bells" is likely to reach 1M views on KZbin before Christmas at the rate it's going!

[@michellegray7892]

History lesson; back in the day coal mines in virginia and other surrounding areas had company stores. they'd pay you partly in store credit, so they literally ended up giving the money they worked so hard for and got black lung disease doing to the very people who sent them down the mines in the first place. it was a cycle of absolute poverty for people who had no real education or chances of work elsewhere. This was all they knew. So that's the company store they are talking about since some would let you buy 'on credit" so you'd have to work to pay that back if you needed something like shoes or a new hard hat (yeah-none of that was provided free. The miners had to pay for it themselves). Also since they paid them slightly more in credit than they would cash-most ended up owing the company store.

[@allybandy3047]

Great old song about what it was like before Unions existed. You were paid less than they charged you for food and housing so you couldn't quit and work somewhere else because you were always in debt to the boss. You have to hear Geoff sing Monster Mash, and Voiceplay Oogie Boogie song

[@DarleneCheatham]

He was trained through choir in middle school high school. His old choir tragg FFG her is his wife’s fsther. He and the beatboxer of his group Voiceplay started doing barbershop in middlehighschool with earl elkjns who was with Voiceplay for years and mykal kilgore. Mykal is in broadway now but recently came and did Be Preoared and Stand by me. With them

[@karenponchak5304]

btw- you missed that his name was on the cover of the album art

[@brick4643]

this is Geoff Castelucci. check out Oogie Boogies song that he did with Voiceplay to see his full range from the top to the bottom.

[@hwyla4416]

Big range displayed, and surprising, but not his full range. He only goes down to an E1 in "Oogie Boogie" but he has other VoicePlay songs where he sings B0s. 3 notes lower. One of the really impressive bits in "Oogie" is that last line basically drops multiple octaves in one line.

[@thetalantonx]

2:57 - This is Geoff Castellucci (of Voiceplay) singing 16 Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford. 16 Tons is in the genre of a "work song", something where you have people singing to keep time together on rhythmic tasks. Sea Shanties are along similar lines, work songs but they keep tempo or alternate actions with call and response. Geoff Castellucci of Voiceplay is a fantastic low bass who also does the arrangement for Voiceplay and collaborates with other groups on arrangement. Other skilled and wide range basses include Tim Foust of Home Free and Avi Kaplan once of Pentatonix. Home Free's cover of Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash features Avi K. If you really want to see modern basso profondos together, check out The Bass Gang, especially their cover of Valhalla Calling. It has Big Brev who is himself an opera singer that can *effortlessly* do the bass-baritone lead of Ode to Joy. I am very, very into low bass and Oktavism. Had a few good Facebook chats with Eric Holloway back in the day, another true basso profondo who provided the singing and chanting for the Hell Priests in Doom. I've found of every oice range of singers basses, basso profondos, and Oktavists tend to be the most chill guys.

[@amyperkins2008]

Such a talent! Geoff covers a lot of songs where he sings all the parts. I've never heard this song, but it's an old railroad song. He does a cover of Halloween songs including Monster Mash. That was how I got introduced to his music. His voice hits you in the gut like when you hear a tug boat

[@PatrickLocher]

Check out his jacks lament Cover

[@michaelbradley7529]

Read your comments section, people have been telling you his name on your previous video as well as the group he sings with.

[@AP-gb3eh]

Tennessee Ernie Ford is the one , also he did a Xmass tv show with his and staffs children that was hysterically funny as the kids stile the show . The company store was the only place miners could get supplies, the company would inflate prices to keep them in servitude

[@Hollowassasin]

Geoff is also part of the acapella group Voiceplay. He has a 5 octave range

[@katjohnson6315]

Many years before you were born, Tennessee Ernie Ford did this classic! See if you can find that one!

[@AP-gb3eh]

As a PS Baritones were extremely popular in the 50 s on Broadway and television

[@tomemig7465]

Tennessee Ernie Ford's, Company Store, and Jimmy Dean's , Big Bad John, are both good mining songs.

[@r3adrpro811]

Geoff has done a version of Folsom Prison Blues (you just reacted Roy Clark's version!) which you may want to check out. He sings with multiple versions of himself (the Geoffettes) are named Jeoph, Jeff, Goff and Daryl. Each one of them has a slightly different vocal range used in the arrangements and different personaitiesl Geoff even did Ghost Riders in the Sky in which the four alter egos "appeared" without him. it is hard to name a favorite. His Carol of the Bells, his most recent release, is amazing. Wicked Game, There Ain't No Sunshine and Imagine are "simpler" arrangements which show other sides of his musical abilities.

[@holly2786]

geoff is amazing. he can go from a C#1 in bass all the way to i believe at least D5 in tenor!

[@reneleroux7669]

Since you have a rap background and you've enjoyed Geoff's low bass, you need to check out his a cappella group's (Voice Play) Valhalla Calling video. Both channels are independent; allowing them to cover almost any song/genre.

[@peggyradeck9140]

If you want to hear a low voice check out J D Sumner. He was with the Stamps Quartet and backed up Elvis. He is in the Guinness World Book as the official lowest voice ever. Listen to Elvis’ Why Me Lord featuring J D Sumner. Also there is a video of just his voice range. It’s incredible

[@thisismetoday7423]

Another comment to check out VoicePlay! 🙏🏻

[@sokyoutdoors588]

This song was written by Merle Travis in the early 50's, he didn't really like it and sold it to Ernie "Tennessee" Ford and he turned it into a hit song. The song is about the coal mines of Appalachia.

[@1957Shep]

The original was done by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Another country singer known for his low singing voice. But he didn`t have as much range as Castellucci has.

[@jeffvanduyne4614]

New sub here Krizz! Great reaction bruh! You want some acapella with some hip hop mixed in there with Mr. Castelucci and his group Voiceplay featuring JNone, you definitely HAVE to check out Valhalla Calling!!! ABSOLUTE 🔥 The beat boxer in Voiceplay is awesome!!!

[@jacebeleren9290]

YES Krizz is listening to my single favorite musician OF ALL TIME. Be sure to check out Voiceplay as well, he's one of their founding members and they're as good if not better than Geoff's solo work

[@sibertiger1970]

Geoff Castellucci is pronounced "Jeff Cas-tell-oo-chi" Geoff is a bass singer, not baritone. His name is the channel name and also visible on the album cover at the end of his videos

[@brianbranson2306]

bet you never heard of John Henry, or big bad John either

[@kathalinehansen7078]

this is the original version by Tennessee Ford. His snapping fingers started out as a way of setting the tempo. but it got recorded and became a signature part of his version. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWKcaWONm7B2ZtEsi=HaCpXscIIqBYqGkI

[@billymitchell2943]

You should check out his cover of I See Fire.

[@dallas1272]

You liked the cover you should check out the original artist Tennessee Eanie Ford.This is about coal mining awesome reaction love your channel❤

[@sharonleath1232]

Please give a listen to him perform with his accapella group, VoicePlay. I recommend their rendition of The Oogie Boogie Man from the Nightmare Before Christmas.

[@amberfuchscia709]

❄️❄️❄️❄️⛄️☃️🤶🎅🎄🎄💚❤️💚❤️

[@davidwhitley1545]

If you liked this, you have to check out, "Your Man" by Josh Turner

[@jessicahedman3048]

[@CarolLee-mq8er]

Tennessee Ernie Ford did the song first. Yes he’s a country singer. Check out the original.

[@troymclain9441]

It's not a choir all the men are the same guy, if you want to hear him go seriously deep listen to his Christmas song Carol of the bells

[@zachwillett5853]

I have a LOT I could say about where this song came from, if you're interested in a bit of a history lesson.

[@troymclain9441]

When they had the old mining towns the people work for the minors play we're all Miners and the people that ran it they opened up company stores so basically what they did is they worked all day in the mines and they spent all the money they made paying back to the people that work for in The company store

[@ShadowPerson11]

⛏⛏⛏⛏⛏

[@kathalinehansen7078]

done in old gospel style. speaking of coal miners in the 20th century.

[@crystalraven142]

Look up voiceplay

[@lillieprekler]

I Prefer Tennessee Ford better!!!!

[@tomemig7465]

TENNESSEE ERNIE FORD, was much better, in my opinion. This cover is OK, just not as good.