Singing Valentines Stories

The stories below are from FWD quartet's experiences while delivering Singing Valentines in 2002.

20 stories as of 2/22/02 at 9:30pm.

San Francisco, CA San Francisco Gold had already finished a total of about 13 Singing Valentine performances during our two days on duty. We were waiting around to deliver our last Valentine at 9:00 PM, Thursday. Finally the time rolled around and we approached the door to her apartment under the stairs to the main house on a residential street in San Francisco. No answer. We waited. After several tries and five minutes had passed, we went to the main entrance on the porch. An Asian-American man answered and called his daughter to the door when we made our problem clear to him. His daughter was our “receiver’s” landlord, so she used a passkey to find that, indeed, no one was home. By now, the landlord was really interested because she knew the man who had ordered the Valentine, and liked both of them very much. She helped us to call him on the phone, and he was shocked to hear his girlfriend was not home. A few minutes later, he called back and told us she had decided to get some overtime by staying at work longer that night, since she knew he would be working, too, and she would just be lonely if she went home at the regular time. Our man told her in no uncertain terms to “Get home – NOW!” In the meantime, in order to keep our voices warmed up, we entertained the landlord and her family, all of whom came filtering down from various rooms in the house as we sang. They were thrilled, and considered themselves lucky the tenant had not been home. About 30 minutes later, our young woman walked in and was totally mystified to see us arranged in quartet position in the front room of her landlord’s house. When we presented the Society-provided teddy bear in the clear plastic tote bag with hearts all over it, and told her who it was from, her face became sweet, tears sprang to her eyes, and she hugged the bear to her chest. We sang “The Story of the Rose,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” and “Valentine” (to the tune of “Caroline”). She wept with happiness and when it was done, she said they were to be married in March – of next year (!). Needless to say, she received our business card and our commitment to sing at the wedding. “All’s well that ends well,” they say. Jerry Lester bari, San Francisco Gold Quartet www.sfcablecarchorus.org/sfgold.html

Mesa, AZ A reporter from the Arizona Republic newspaper in Phoenix, AZ, went along with the love@home quartet and wrote a nice story about the deliveries. See the story at 4 guys in red bow ties know how to melt a heart

San Diego, CA Out of the 19 deliveries that our quartet, "Harmony Collage", made, the most memorable was the Singing Valentine to a school teacher. She was the teacher at Lincoln High School in San Diego whose students were all severely physically disabled. They all looked like someone had just plopped them on pillows on the floor and they stayed there, because they were unable to move on their own because of their disabilities. It was difficult for me to maintain a "happy" demeanor for the teacher while dealing with the enormity of the odds against these kids. But we started singing anyway. We were there to deliver. About half way into our first song, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart", I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. As I continued to sing, I quickly glanced over to see what it was, and there was one of the boys, on his back, otherwise immobile, but his mouth was wide open and his lips were moving as he tried to sing too, and he had this HUGE grin. Well, I lost it, for about 3 measures. The quartet went on, dragging me with them to the end, and we were applauded by a grateful teacher, and several other staff. Ah, the power of music. It never ceases to sneak up on me!.... And I found out from the teacher that music is one of their principal therapies in working with these children, so we fit right into the program with our gift of song. Lu Quinney, San Diego Chapter

Santa Monica, CA Best Moment - 2.14.02 When my quartet arrived at "The Asylum", a Dead Kennedys CD was playing at about a zillion decibels. The flat plasma tv screens suspended from the ceiling were showing MTV, and the oldest person in sight appeared to be about 25. It turned out we were delivering a singing Valentine to the owner and staff of one of LA's hottest visual effects studios. We asked for the owner who appeared to be about all of 30 years old. He in turn paged the entire staff of about 20 to come out and see what his friend had sent him for Valentines Day. Well all these kids assembled in the lobby. I would venture to say there was not one body that was not pierced or tattooed somewhere. So here we were, four guys older than everybody's father, dressed with our red sequined bow ties, suspenders and arm garters. I thought to myself, "Let's just get it over with. These kids are really going to laugh at us. Let's make it quick and get out of Dodge. I couldn't have been more wrong. They applauded. They yelled. They screamed. They whistled. They loved us! They were all in a party mood and we were the icing on the cake. It was one of the best audiences I have ever experienced. They loved our music and what we were about. Lessons learned. Sing your heart out every time you perform. Barbershop is not just about singing "the old songs". It's about four part harmony sung in the unique style called barbershop. And never, never prejudge your audience. Bruce Schroffel Santa Monica Oceanaires

Fontana, CA The Note-Ables (Larry Sharp, bass; Joel Strasser, bari; Harry Irwin, lead; and Bob Patterson, tenor) delivered a 6:00 PM singing valentine to a lady in Fontana. We arrived on time, and had just finished our first song, when her husband, a big steel-worker-type walked in the front door and said, "Ah, I caught you at last." I started to wonder if we were covered by the Chapter's insurance policy but, fortunately, he was kidding. Bob Patterson

Tucson, AZ Tucson - Silverliners Tom McGorray We started the day with our replacement bass Dick Shuman (Bud Weir was sick). Wowed them at Denny's(St Mary's & I-10). We had trouble getting through the gate at our first gig. Curly Davis our lead stopped a car coming out and the driver hit her beeper and we got into the gated community. No one home so we hit the cell phone. While we were talking to the husband the wife showed up and all went well. Shuman had trouble with the camera but finally we figured it out. Our second gig was for a flower lady at Safeway. They had two flower departments but the Manager finally found our girl Terry. Lots of tears (I did not think we sounded that bad but O. B. Arestad was not sure) Terry loved every minute of the program and said she could not wait to get home to thank her husband. The camera worked fine but Dick left his keys in the car in the parking lot with the motor running. We couldn't give his Buick away. Our third gig was for Jim Leeman's wife Betty and his daughter P.J. at the Rellito Center. This was a school for retarded children and this sing out made the day worth while. Several of the children responded to the music and it was very gratifying. Dick forgot the camera. One of our gigs was for a lab technician near Northwest hospital. Ruth loved our singing and offered to take a blood sample for free. Our instructions did not say anything about giving blood. We did a sing for Al, the manager of the Wells Fargo Bank, in Basha's at Sunrise and Kolb. Al turned very red when we told him that Savannah Jones had requested the gig. We did not know who Savannah Jones was and he was quite surprised. (She is a radio disc jockey here in Tucson). We have pictures to prove that we completed the gig....threw in "Darkness on the Delta". Food sales went up while we were there. We sang for a very nice lady in a rest home. She was 87, bed ridden, and from Chicago. We stayed for quite awhile, sang several extra songs at her request. She sang along with us (an old choir gal) but we did not tell her about 5th wheeling. Dick forgot the camera again. At 7 PM as the sun faded in the west we sang to another beautiful lady who et O B know that she was older than he. She was a Sweet Adeline" from Chicago and her husband (deceased) and bass in a quartet for many years. A son and two daughters cried with every song, which they had heard their father do many times. Dick gave them the camera and they took many shots of the group. They had attended the annual show in Tucson and said they loved it. We left to thank you, thank you, thank you and a $20 bonus. We had to hustle to get O. B. to choir rehearsal. He said he would not have to warm up. Much thanks to Bill et al., for a great job putting this program together. Tom McGorray

Apple Valley, CA The members of Prescription 4 Harmony had a wonderful time in their first year of providing Singing Valentines. We delivered six valentines, all to very different locations and situations. Perhaps the funniest was to a woman at her home. Her daughter answered the door and brought us in to the living room. She then called, "Mom, come here, you've got to see this." Mom came out from the den, gasped and even jumped a little from the shock of seeing four strange men, all dressed alike, standing in her living room! After getting over the shock, she really enjoyed the singing, even to the point of some tears. Another highlight was delivering one to a male cabinet maker at his place of business. His wife also showed up with a gift of her own. After we finished our first song (during which he kept telling his co-workers, "I knew she'd try something like this,") one of his co-workers yelled out "You deserve this &%@#!" We all got a good laugh out of that one! Mike Smith Baritone, Prescription 4 Harmony Apple Valley, CA barigoodsinger@yahoo.com

Whittier, CA I've been singing valentines with my quartets since 1987. I've always enjoyed bringing pleasure to people throughout Southern California. This year for the first time I wasn't able to sing in a quartet due to work commitments. Last Valentines Day we called my girl friend in Chicago and sang to her over the phone. This year I was called out of class and asked to come to the front office. A Sweet Adeline Quartet from the Verdugo Hills Chorus was waiting to sing to me. After hearing excellent renditions of Let me Call You Sweetheart and Cuddle Up a Little Closer I can tell you that it's just as much fun to receive a Singing Valentine as to give one. My girl friend Kris really knows how to make me smile!!!! John Gassman

Payson, AZ From Payson & Scottsdale, Arizona (all members of the Central Arizona Quartet Chapter and ex-Phoenicians) We are a relatively new quartet called the Beeliners, and with the birthday of the Bass on the 11th, became a Senior Quartet with at least 144 years experience singing barbershop. We decided to do singing valentines in the little town of Payson, Arizona, because it had never been done here before. Two of the members, Stu Wilcox, baritone, and Bill Kane, tenor, had done them in Phoenix and talked Ron Lodge, lead, and Don Holcombe, bass, into doing them in Payson where travel time between gigs is much shorter. We gave a rose to each recipient, and we had the 5 year-old granddaughter of our lead, Allie, be our flower girl. One of the appointments we had was at Allie's school, where we sang for two Valentine's Day recipients, and while there, we decided to sing for Allie's class. Allie became an instant celebrity in her class and when we were getting ready to leave, she decided, because of her new status, she wanted to stay with her class. We decided that would be fine because we were going to be singing valentines all day long, and she could join us later, which she did. We started at 8:30 in the morning on our local radio station, visited several nursing homes, the hospital, a number of businesses and private homes, the town council meeting, entertained at several restaurants, and didn't get done until almost 10 that night after singing at a wedding reception. For a senior quartet, it was rather taxing, but the response of the individuals just keeps you going. Allie held up the best of all, and we ended the evening by singing Happy Birthday to her for her birthday the next day. Don Holcombe www.donholcombe.com don@donholcombe.com

Tucson, AZ Quartet: Forevermore, Tucson, AZ (Tucson Sunshine Chapter) Paul Kriegshauser, T; John Lockwood, L; Ed Johnson, Bs; Dennis Shepard, Br. By Ed Johnson We delivered 14 Paid Valentines plus a "freebie" for my grandson, a Junior at Catalina Foothills High School. We sang to a girl he "sorta likes" during his Advanced Theatrical Productions class. The kids loved it! And the drama teacher liked it so much, he had us sing to his wife over the phone. One of the girls in the class hired us to meet her boy friend's plane next week. The new vocal music teacher was there, too and we got a chance to pitch YMIH. Our first gig involved a special request to deliver a Sunflower instead of a rose, and sing "You Are My Sunshine" (we woodshedded the harmony). He was calmly taking it all in stride (feeling safe in the security lobby with just us and the guard), but blushed brightly when all his workmates applauded from the balcony above. We were twice mistaken for dancers (male strippers?). We were more astonished than flattered -- we're not unattractive, but not exactly buff, either; and are in our 40's, 50's and 60's. And do male dancers come in groups of four, dressed alike? Another special request was to add "Lida Rose" to the set we delivered at a service club luncheon. Then the wife, who was there, got up and sang "Dream of Now" with us. Standing "O". Yes, we had rehearsed with her. Some men never learn. We delivered a surprise to a wife in the afternoon. The husband was there, and answered the door after a slight delay. We never saw his wife. She was not "ready" for guests or any surprise, and wasn't "dressed" and "made-up". Didn't have her wig ready either. We didn't have time to wait, so sang to the closed bed-room door. Never saw or heard the wife. Ed Johnson 520-749-0033 Phone 520-749-0011 Fax

Placerville, CA On Wednesday Got Music? only had three paid gigs, so I called the Community Relations officer at the local hospital and asked if we could sing around the hospital. Yes, of course, and he said he would escort us. Our first visit was to a friend recovering from surgery. We walked in and surprised him, then sang a song. Next I asked if it was true he had no a chance to get his wife a card and flowers. "Well, yah", he said. "Would it be OK with you if we give your wife a card and rose and sing her a love song from you?" I asked. "Oh, yes". While we sang she went and held his hand and soon tears were flowing for both of them. Boy was that hard to sing to and we barely made it through the song. Next we traveled around the hospital and sang in eight different places. See Roger Fetterman's story below about one side trip we made. We left a lot of smiles behind. On Thursday we had 24 deliveries (and 6 more freebies). The really special one was from a high school student to his girl friend. He met us at the front of the school just as classes let out and then went to get her. While we waited, many students came up to us to ask what was happening. They were really upbeat and fun to talk to. When we sang, about 100 kids circled around us and all but two were quiet and really focused on the singing. The girl was blushing and smiling all at once. The boy was serious and kept looking to see how she was dealing with it. As we were leaving, many students called out to us with complements or came and shook our hands. What a super experience. And boy did that kid raise the bar for the rest of the guys. Keith Eckhardt Placerville, CA Bari: Got Music?

Tucson, AZ All decked out in our red blazers and "Love Bandit" ties, we walked into a local health club to sing a Valentine for one of the members. Talk about being over dressed! Anyway, we delivered the Valentine and reduced the recipient to a quivering blob amid applause from the surrounding Nautilus apparatus. On our way out, we were approached by one of the news reporters from the local CBS-TV affiliate station who was also there working out. He said they would be interested in covering one of our Valentine presentations sometime during the day. We exchanged phone numbers and headed out to deliver the rest of our assigned valentines. By 4:30pm we had finished all our gigs and had not heard back from the TV station. We were just about to loosen the ties and tip back a cold one at a neighborhood watering hole, when the cell phone rang. We told the reporter we had no more gigs scheduled but we would be happy to come to their studio and sing one for one of their news staff. They said, "fine", but we would have to get there by 5:30pm. We were 25 miles on the other side of town and it was rush hour, but we made it in time. We surprised one of the producers in the newsroom, whose husband was the cameraman who shot the footage. All the newsroom folks and the on-air anchors who had just finished their 5:00pm newscast were totally impressed! They aired the segment on the 10pm news and again the following morning on their 6:00 am newscast. What a great day! Spreading love and harmony and getting on TV to boot! Roy Ireland Eastsiders Quartet Tucson, AZ

Pomona Valley, CA Not really a story, but a Pomona Valley pickup quartet consisting of Stan Chapin, George Lee, Don Sypherd, and LLoyd Felt sang 31 singing valentines in three days. These kids range in age from 68 to 80. Bob Patterson, PVP Pomona Valley, Bari Tortilla Flats

Walnut Creek, CA The most moving Valentine I was involved with yesterday was delivered to a woman in a restaurant, having dinner with her three adult children. The Valentine was purchased by the children, but we were expressly directed to tell her it was from her husband, with love. Her husband had passed away six months ago. I introduced our quartet and told her that this Valentine was "sent with love from Randall, who is certainly with us today in spirit." There were a lot of tears from all four at the table (and almost some from the quartet) as we sang but, notwithstanding our quartet's misgivings initially, it turned out to be the right thing to do. There were warm smiles through the tears, and our efforts were truly appreciated by all four of them. I'll admit, however, that I have sung better -- there's something difficult about singing with a lump in my throat. Blair Reynolds Devil Mountain Chorus

Santa Fe Springs, CA We walked into this huge beauty parlor. I mean this wasn't just a row of little old ladies getting ready for the bridge club, this was a lot of mirrored walls, high tech stuff going on, and high-energy young . . . well, let's just say the scenery was pretty amazing. So--ahem--this tall, very shapely young hair dresser greeted us with a big smile and said, "Oh, are you going to take your clothes off?" To which our lead responded: "Ma'am, I hate to tell you this, but we look better with them ON!" The recipient, another cute young hair dresser (stylist, technician, what do they call them?) was pretty impressed. It was from her boyfriend. There were loud cheers. Oh, to be young again. John Krizek FWD President

Sutter Creek/Placerville, CA I had the pleasure of singing as a bari fill-in with Got Music? on February 13th. After warming up with Kent (tenor), Keith (lead, filling in for Tom) and Dick (bass) we began our day at the Placerville Hospital. When we finished our song at the second nursing station, a young woman asked us to sing for a friend, who needed to be cheered up. We went to her room, sang our song to her friend, who cried and smiled at the same time. As we left the room, the young woman thanked us and noted that it was the first time her friend had smiled in two weeks. A simple song in four-part harmony brought hope to a suffering patient! As a first timer (in a quartet before an audience), my day was marvelous! The wonder of our hobby is that we get to do something we love and it brings joy to others. Our day was filled with many happy stories. Thank you Got Music? - please invite me to sing with you again in the future. Roger Fetterman President, Sutter Creek Chapter

Fresno, CA The Fresno Gold Note Chorus sent five quartets out yesterday to do the Valentine's Day thing. I was in one quartet that did thirteen deliveries in Tulare, Visalia, Orosi, Fowler, Clovis and Fresno (about 60 miles from north to south). One of our performances was at the Visalia Country Club where we were invited by the recipient to have drinks and lunch. Being the dedicated barbershoppers that we are, we chose to rush off to Orosi (a small farming community north of Visalia) to sing for a school teacher before lunch. When we got to Orosi the teacher was at lunch and we ended up eating at McDonalds. Moral of the story; we gave up a good lunch at the Visalia Country Club for burgers at McDonalds because of our dedication to the cause. Gordon "Mongo" Bergthold Fresno Gold Note Chorus

Sacramento, CA When our fone rang yesterday, lo and behold it was my 4th cousin removed, Bill McCay calling from Yakima Wash. "He says, hi George, is Ethel home?" "She is, good, put her on." Whereupon his quartet comprised of Himself and his three sons, sang Heart of my Heart to her. Great quartet, been together for years.The surprising thing is that Bill has been on Chemo for sometime and still was determined to fulfill the Singing Valentine schedule. Singing really is a tonic for the mind and soul. George McKay FWD Sunshine Chairman

Talk About Touchy Topcats walked into a small office building to deliver our song to a very nice young lady. However, she had other ideas. She grabbed me by the hand and ran us all back into this little break room were she kicked everyone out and told us we could just leave! Well, He paid so we sang. The whole time she stayed posted by the door and hit anyone that tried to enter. After our performance and delivery of the flowers she ran out the back door. It was quite odd.... Tim Huntsinger Lead - Sacramento Capitolaires (2002 Music&Performance V.P.) Lead - TopCats (www.topcats.net)

Placerville, CA; Feb 14, 2001, 9am As Got Music? walked into the Journalism class at a local high school, the teacher said "Uh, what's going on here?" I told him his students are sending him a Singing Valentine. "Oh no!" he said. I handed him a red rose and told him they think he is a sweetheart and we sang Let Me Call You Sweetheart. Yes, he blushed. Then we gave him a card and said they send him a blessing and sang Irish Blessing. Now his eyes got moist. The kids were bouncing up and down the whole time. Two of the students escorted us off the campus, smiling and laughing and talking non-stop. What a tremendous start to Valentines Day. Keith Eckhardt, Baritone, Got Music?, Placerville, CA

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