Work at Jacksonville City Hall hiccuped to a brief standstill on Valentine's Day as employees leaked into the lobby near the information desk to
watch Bobby make nice to his wife. Everyone seemed to know what was coming, except for Linda. When the quartet showed up, Bobby, who mans the city's information desk, called her to the lobby, rolled out his chair and seated her –
cramming wads of Kleenex in her hands. She used them all. Afterwards, Bobby beamed. "I'm always getting into trouble with my wife," he said, cheerfully confirming his status as one of "those" husbands. But on this day, his
stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange.
"That was money well spent," he said of his singing get-out-of-jail-free card.
The Hewitts weren't the only ones happy with their Valentine's serenade. As New
River Harmony – a group of 10 Onslow County men who specialize in songs harmonious – made their appointed rounds from Swansboro to Richlands there wasn't a dry eye in their wake.
Deb Forney, who works in the Jacksonville
City Manager's office, dissolved like a Hostess Twinkie left in the rain when the quartet – which complicated the issue by having six members on this occasion – surrounded her desk and crooned "I Love You Truly." One of the
singers went down on his knee, handing her a long-stemmed red rose, while someone else snapped a picture. Forney's benefactor was her husband, Steve, but she says the song was one her late father used to sing to her.
"It
was very touching, very much so," Forney said, adding that she felt almost as though it was also a gift from her dad. All around, female employees dabbed at red-rimmed eyes, while the guys watching hadn't a clue.
"That was
so sweet," one woman cooed, while a man nearby shrugged his shoulders. Maybe the guys watching didn't get it, but the ones singing sure do.
Ed Williams, president of the barbershop-style singing group, says tears followed the two
teams of singers everywhere they went. This was the group's second year participating in the nationwide program.
"We provide a rose and sometimes a picture and a card and as many tissues as they need," Williams said.
The 10
men, divided into two groups, made a total of 52 visits, going to schools, government buildings, private businesses and Camp Lejeune. It's a fund-raiser, but even more important, it's a chance for the community to meet the area's
barbershop quartets.
College instructors, social workers, engineers – the membership knows no professional boundaries. All that's required is they share the same goal – to make beautiful music – together.
That's the key to
the kind of singing that distinguishes barbershop quartets from other groups. It's ensemble singing and, Williams says, the voices should blend as though they are one.
The current membership holds no professional singers,
although one does have formal music training. For the most part, the participants lift up their voices in choirs on Sunday and warble in the shower the rest of the week like everyone else.
But when they glue their voices together
to make music, what comes out is pure honey – sweet and golden. And they're aiming for the big time – the national competition for barbershop quartets – up the road.
"We're good enough, just too new," Williams says.
For the
casual listener, barbershop quartets sound effortless, which Williams says is the whole point. It should flow, nice and smooth and natural. And that smoothness is no happy accident. There's a whole lot of technique that goes in
before the sound comes out.
"There's lots and lots of things to learn, like how we form our vowels," he says. Williams ticks off another half dozen techniques the singers master, then says there's a modern equivalent to the
barbershop groups.
"Ever heard of Boyz II Men?" he asks, referring to the popular four-man group from Philadelphia whose lilting harmonies skyrocketed on the charts in the 90s. He says many of the currently popular boy bands also
use techniques popularized by barbershop quartets.
Williams, who's hoping to attract some new members to the group, says the members approach their singing seriously, but also do it for fun. They practice their craft
relentlessly, but just because they seek perfection doesn't mean they harbor prima donnas. Williams said there's no room for chunky egos in what is, at its best, ensemble singing.
OK, no room for those who have to be the star.
But what about the opposite end of the spectrum, he's asked. What do they do when someone who sounds like Barney Fife with a cold wants to join? Williams grins.
"We just get him to sing a little softer," he says. On the flip side
of that, Williams says opera singers also have a rough go of it singing with barbershop groups.
"Operatic voices have to tone down," he says.
With barbershop quartets in nearby cities such as Wilmington, New Bern and
Greenville, New River Harmony is fitting comfortably into the community. They do have an agenda, though: they'd like to beef up their membership. And they're interested in performing more often, perhaps staging a few shows in the
future, as well as possibly offering singing Mother's Day greetings. In the meantime, the Valentine's Day visits are well on their way to becoming a tradition.
And that's just ducky with Linda Hewitt. She says husband Bobby was
atoning for not helping her with Christmas decorations when he hired the group to sing for her. It worked too. According to Linda, all's been forgiven.
"She'd forget flowers, but she won't forget this," Bobby said. Linda concurs
and gives her husband a reprieve in regard to past sins of omission.
"I told him I'd keep him a while longer," she said.
Which suits Bobby just fine.
