Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe KENOSHA, Wis., June 26 (UPI) -- Some may think barbershop quartets have gone the way of the buggy whip, but there are 30,000 members of the U.S. Barbershop Harmony Society. There are 800 chapters dedicated to preserving and encouraging barbershop harmony. And barbershop enthusiasts are recruiting members to join quartets and choruses, sing recreationally and compete, according to the Barbershop Harmony Society based in Kenosha, Wis. Advertisement "People cannot believe how much fun it is," said Mark Fortino, lead in the 12th Street Rag Quartet. "Those previously unfamiliar with barbershop are quickly drawn in by the 'ring' of the barbershop chord. If someone likes to sing, they owe it to themselves to go to a practice and experience the camaraderie and supportive atmosphere." Barbershop quartets and choruses contribute more than 100,000 hours of labor per year singing for more than half a million people, says the Barbershop Harmony Society. The rock group Phish performed barbershop arrangements and featured the quartet FRED on their 2001 Phish tribute album "Sharin' in the Groove."
