Fran Donohoe’s quest for musical harmony started in the 1950s, when he was a kid singing in a doo-wop group called the Fabulous Fabutones.
Back then, Donohoe and his buddies were looking for echo anyplace in Long Island they could find one, singing the songs of Frankie Lymon, Johnny Maestro and the Five Satins.
“We loved the togetherness and harmony of doo-wop music,” said Donohoe, who is still singing and harmonizing as president of the Heart of Florida Chorus in The Villages.
The local chorus, directed by Scott Werner, along with a host of top national and international Barbershop Harmony performers will appear in what’s billed as an “An Acapella Spectacular” Saturday, Sept 19. It will be held at 2 and 6 p.m. in the North Lake Presbyterian Church, 975 Rolling Acres Road.
“We’re still singing harmony and we’re still together,” Donohoe said. “We’re all a lot older now but the music is just as good and just as much fun.”
The shows will be kind of a Woodstock for Barbershop harmony groups.
“These are among the best harmony groups in the world today,” Donohoe said. “It’s very rare to get them all together on the same show.”
You can see a clip of local singers rehearsing on Villages-News.com’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheVillagesNews?ref=hl
The self-proclaimed “super show” includes:
The Heralds of Harmony, from Tampa Bay, led by Tony De Rosa. He is one of the most honored singers and directors in Barbershop harmony. The Heralds of Harmony were among the Top 10 in International Competition.
The Atlanta Vocal Project: Clay Hine is the director the Georgia group, which came in 14th last year in Barbershop harmony competition.
The Heart of Florida Chorus was started in The Villages back in 2003 and Director Scott Werner was a founding member. He leads the group, which features about 60 members.
Barbershop Quartet performers include:
The Main Street Quartet, which placed third in the world in competition. The group is: Mike McGee, Myron Whittlesey, Tony De Rosa and Roger Ross.
A Mighty Wind Quartet, is a perennial Top-10 finisher in singing competitions. Tim Reynolds, Tim Brooks, Drew McMillan and Clay Hine form the group.
Barbershop harmony has been around for more than a century and remains popular today.
“Modern music is dominated by electronics and rhythm,” Donohoe said. “Barbershop harmony has a classic sound and purity.”
Villager Jeremy Reynolds agrees.
“Our music has structure and melody,” said Reynolds, a member of the Heralds of Harmony out of Tampa. “This music has a long history and it has a lot of meaning to most of the people in The Villages. It’s very popular here.”
And he can’t wait for the concert on Sunday.
“This isn’t just local singers; these guys are stars,” Reynolds said. “When this music is done right, you get a tingly feeling up your spine. These guys do it right.”