He sang bass. He sang tenor. He sang all four parts. One peculiarity of barbershop quartet singers is that they are convinced that the rest of the world is just as enthusiastic about barbershop quartet singing as they are. An invitation to sing along is extended as a favor to mankind.
Nobody has a tin ear.
All you need is practice. You can hear overtones not actually sung. Thompson barbershopped his way through life. His children grew up and he followed them to the Mainland. After his wife died in 1983, he spent five months of each year in Hawai ' i.