|
|
Retired
'The Mystery Foursome'
1951
Pete Pell of Grand Rapids
(still debated, see The Presidents quartet photo)
Marv Brower of Grand Rapids and later California
Dick Sturges of Atlanta
Ray "Curley" Hall of the Harmony Halls
An unidentified quartet in the Harmonizer nick named The Mystery Foursome. Photo from International convention in Toledo Ohio in 1951.
I have my doubts about 1957-58 Grand Rapids MI Chapter President Peter Pell being The Mystery Foursome member on the left. In this photo of Peter Pell's quartet the Presidents, he is one of the 2 men pictured here and although there is a slight resemblance to the gent on the right (maybe it's just the glasses) he looks too young especially in a photo taken about 15 years after The Mystery Foursome one was.
The 2nd gent from the right in The Mystery Foursome is suggested to be G. Marvin 'Marv' Brower, Grand Rapids MI Chapter President 1944-47 and Far Western District President 1953-54. The March 1988 Harmonizer page 20 says he was a member of the "Michigan Hall of Fame" which didn't have a Hall of Fame at that time and it's believed this title was used with some literary license in another Harmonizer article about accomplished Michiganders March 1950. I see some resemblance in the Brower photo but I'm not 100%.
The 3rd member to the right was suggested to be 1942-43 Pioneer District President Joseph Wolff. In this photo of Joseph Wolff from the March 1950 Harmonizer I see no resemblance
But another suggestion that it was Harmonizer Art Editor Dick Sturges of Atlanta seems to be validated in this photo (after adding a few more years).
And finally there is little doubt that the gent on the far right is in fact Ray 'Curly" Hall of the 1944 International Champs Harmony Halls.
Below is the article in question from the March 1988 Harmonizer.
The cover of the July/August, 1987 issue of The Harmonizer featured a number of quartet photos, some of them unidentified. Since then, names have been found for all but one of the quartets. In the November/December issue, the tall gent in white shirt in the final quartet was tentatively identified as Dick Sturgis of Atlanta. The picture was definitely taken at the international convention in Toledo. Ohio in 1951. Barbershop memorabilia collector Wm. Watson has since opined that the man on the far right was Ray Hall, baritone of the Harmony Halls quartet. 1944 international champions. Bob Bisio, Far Western District Historian, has added that the man standing second from the left was G. Marvin "Marv" Brower. Brower was president of Far Western District in 1953-54 and was a member of the Santa Monica, Calif. Chapter. "Marv retired to California after long and glorious service to the Michigan District," Bisio said. "Marv was a member of the Grand Rapids Chapter and was an international board member from 1945 to 1948." In the March. 1950 issue of The Harmonizer. Brower was listed as a member of Michigan's Hall of Fame. with the following citation, "formerly a monument in Grand Rapids. and Emcee without peer in a hundred cities, now a dilettante of the West Coast, a little snow in his back yard." Finally. a note from Dean Fischer of Traverse City, Mich. adds credence to the opinions of Watson and Bisio. "Although I've been gone from Grand Rapids since 1956," he wrote, "my memory says that the guy on the right is Ray Hall, bari of the 1944 champ Harmony Halls. "The tall guy in the shirt is Joe Wolff of Detroit, ex district president," Fischer continued, "and second from left is Marv Brower of Grand Rapids and later, California. "The man on the left is Pete Pell of Grand Rapids," Fischer concluded. Maybe someone from Grand Rapids can verify." Well, there you are. The quest goes on.
Harmonizer March 1988
http://greatlakeschorus.org/history/harmonizer/
Harmonizer_vol48_no2_mar1988.pdf#page=20
Peter Pell
http://greatlakeschorus.org/retired/presidents/
G. Marvin 'Marv' Brower
http://greatlakeschorus.org/history/harmonizer/
Harmonizer_vol9_no3_march1950.pdf#page=36
Joseph Wolff
http://greatlakeschorus.org/history/harmonizer/
Harmonizer_vol9_no3_march1950.pdf#page=43
Dick Sturges
http://www.gradywilliamkerr.com/Preservation/
PreservationAugust2010.pdf#page=7
Ray Hall
http://greatlakeschorus.org/history/harmonizer/
Harmonizer_vol9_no3_march1950.pdf#page=36
Harmony Halls
http://greatlakeschorus.org/retired/harmonyhalls
The Myster Foursome
http://greatlakeschorus.org/retired/themysteryfoursome/
|
|
