According to Ollie Durand, a member of Umpqua Timbermen Barbershop Chorus since ‘72, a person knows when they can’t carry a tune in a bucket.

The members of the chorus don’t have anything to worry about when it comes to singing in tune; after learning tapes and sectional rehearsals, the group whose members range in age from 17 to 81, produced a melodious show.

“Harmony should be a part of everyone’s lives,” said Durand, who started singing with the chorus because the director at the time wouldn’t take no for an answer.

For the chorus’ annual show at Jacoby this Saturday, the singers will stretch their voices for songs performed and recorded by Al Jolson, whose career as an entertainer lasted nearly 40 years before he died of a heart attack. The peak of his career came in the 20s and 30s, with his singing of jazz, blues and ragtime.

According to Durand, people loved him and his music.

“Most of his music, you can harmonize with,” he said.

Barbershop harmony has its own distinctive style characterized by one person or one section singing a melody, or the lead part; a tenor part or section almost always singing higher than the melody; a bass part singing at the bottom of the chord; and a baritone part that fills in the middle, which is needed to make a four-part chorus.

The Timbermen will be joined on stage by Timber Belles Ladies Chorus, Roseburg’s Vintage Harmony quartet and the featured guest quartet, The Dean’s List, from Portland.

Umpqua Timbermen Barbershop Chorus was started in the late 1940s. It has performed every year since and recently the Timber Belles were formed.

Barbara Buckwalter said several ladies were wishing there was a chorus and the Timbermen loaned them the director.

“It’s been a great time,” she said.

Buckwalter agreed that you have to be able to carry a tune to sing the a cappella.

“Barbershop doesn’t leave a lot of room for errors — it can be really bad because there’s no one to keep you in line or cover your errors,” she said about the void of an accompanist.

The Timbermen will sing selections such as “April Showers” and “California Here I Come” and the Timber Belles are planning on singing, “Who’s Sorry Now?” and “Ma, He’s Making Eyes at Me.”



• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@newsreview.info.