Barbershop international

Four men in a barber´s shop, either waiting to be shaved or already being shaved, with wide open mouths and expressive faces. united in song.

With this humourous and over-subscribed caricature of four men singing in a barber´s shop, Norman Rockwell created an illustration which now decorates the walls of many enthusiastic barbershoppers throughout the world After barbershop had fallen victim to the up-and-coming big bands and the radio in the Roaring Twenties, Owen C. Cash and Rupert I. Hall wanted to revive the barbershop tradition. They met at the "Hotel Muehlenbach" in Kansas/USA in 1939 and founded the "Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America" - "S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A." - a men-only organization which now has about 35,000 members in the USA, in c. 2,000 quartets and c. 800 choruses. The world-wide organization "Sweet Adelines" is of similar size and significance, with branches in, for example, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sweden and Germany.

Barbershop singing has been established in Europe for some decades. The British have been singing barbershop since 1974, in the course of the following years, Sweden, Holland and Ireland discovered this singing style for themselves. The first German groups came together in the 80s. Even "exotic" countries have since been gripped by barbershop fever. Meanwhile you can hear barbershop harmonies in South Africa. Russia and Israel, even in Japan and China.

Barbershop activities are networked worldwide. Thus BinG! made a cooperation contract with S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A. and Holland Harmony as early as 1992, entitling German barbershoppers in the highest scoring choruses and quartets to take part in international contests.

There are now 13 barbershop associations worldwide, which are all organized in the World Harmony Council. In the course of each annual international American convention, the WHC organizes a concert, the "World Harmony Jamboree", at which groups from any association can perform in front of an international audience. The proceeds from this event benefit every WHC member association.