Difference between revisions of "Chord Busters"

*Lead: Bob Holbrook  

Much of the credit for that increased respect can be given to these four men. It was in early 1940 that a joint meeting of the new barbershop quartet group and the Tulsans was held at the Hotel Tulsa. The Tulsans were a 100 voiced, nationally known, semi pro, male chorus who sang mostly classical and glee club style music. Tom, Bob, Bobbie, and tenor Virgil Dow were so impressed by the harmonies displayed by the barbershop group and a quartet called the Barflies, they formed their own quartet and joined the barbershop group. For a living, Doc became one of the leading dentists in Tulsa, Greer worked several professions (Allied Steel, The Choteha Powder Plant, Photography, Broadcast Radio, Insurance), Holbrook also worked for the powder plant as well as the City of Tulsa, and Tom would go on to retire after 44 years at Texaco.  

Soon after the contest they lost tenor Virgil Dow to love (choosing hugs over harmony). It wasn't long after that as members of the Tulsans, Tom, Bob, and Bobbie were working as ushers for a symphony concert at Skelly Stadium. Once the concert got underway, they ran into tenor Norman Enmeier in the men's room. He had also competed in a quartet at the state contest but his group broke up soon afterwards. Having four parts, they began singing.  

One of the keys to their early success was the input of Wade Hamilton. Wade was the staff musician of radio station KTUL and organist for the Ritz Theater. His talent included being able to arrange for male voices taking advantage of individual qualities and ranges. His arrangement of I'll Take You Home Again, Kathleen was their most requested song.  

Wade was also a "slave driver". The quartet credits his "driving" them to always work harder as a important fundamental of the quartet's accomplishments.  

The Chord Busters sang on Wade's weekly radio show in Okmulgee for 13 weeks promoting his piano course. They sang six numbers each week and went ten weeks without repeating a song. They were pressured to learn 'em fast. This discipline helped "tune" the quartet and also prepared them for future challenges.  

After about a year, Wade moved to California and the guys turned to another local talented musician, Lem Childers. He was a classic pianist, composer, piano teacher and lover of all kinds of music - he was also nearly totally blind. Lem studied barbershop and enjoyed the style. He agreed to teach, coach, and arrange for the quartet and picked up where Wade left off. He keep them in line, musically.  

One night Bobbie suggested they try putting bell chords in Bye Bye Blues. It took them a few months to work it out. They then sang it for Lem who put the finishing touches on it. It proved so popular, it later surfaced as a contest number for the Gaynotes in 1958, and the Suntones in 1961.  

They often found themselves booked on shows with the Flat Foot Four and the Barflies. Mterwards the Tulsa and Bartlesville champions would swap members for fun and call themselves the "Bar Busters" or the "Chord Flies".

In 1944, when gold medals were first presented, the previous winners were not included. Doc Enmeier saw the need for correcting that oversight and saw to it that ALL those who had won before 1944 received the gold medal each had earned.  

They met the next morning at a radio station and cut their only recording. They sang very well but the material being used was a "soft plastic" (shellac was a war casualty) therefore they only got to record each song with one take and with no playback. They finished in time for Bob to make his one o'clock train for the west coast. The studio results were acceptable, however, and the entire project (three 78 rpms) was produced for about $1,500. They sold them for $6.75 (including postage). They joke that the three record set is worth almost that much today.  

Bobbie returned home within the year and the Chord Busters continued with replacements such as Bob McCullough Sr. and Delbert Jackson. The official end came in  1957 when Tom was transferred to Houston. Greer suffered a stoke in 1973 at 60. It paralyzed his left side and affected his speech. Although his speech recovered well, he never was the same. They also lost track of Holbrook.  

The Chord Buster's last hurrah was during the 1991 International convention held in Louisville. Tom and Doc were invited to attend as special VIP guests (although at the last minute, Doc was unable for health reasons). On hand was a special exhibit prepared by Ruth Joyce, curator of Heritage Hall, showcasing the quartet's history.