Evening star., 1940-06-24

Tulsa Attorney Now
Responsible for Hundreds
Of Male Quortets
BY the Associated Press.
TULSA, Okla, June 40. G.
Cash started out two years ago with
few vagrant baritone notes and
nothing to blend them with.
Today he's responsible directly and
indirectly for more male quartets
than he can keep track of-not that
he tries seriously. For the whole
idea of founding the Society for the
Preservation and Encouragement of
Barber Shop Quartet Singing In
America was to have fun and good
fellowship.
Mr.. Cash, tall, blond and genial,
still is listed only as the founder and
permanent third assistant temporary
vice chairman of the society. Rupert
Hall of Tulsa was elected national
president at the society's first ma
tional meeting in Tulsa last year.
The society will hold it's national
championship competition at the
New York Worlds Fair July 22-26.
1--WE expect that every State in the
Union probably will be represented
in the national competition, Mr..
Cash said. "One quartet is coming
over from Honolulu"
Thinks 1t Does Good.
Mr.. Cash, tax attorney for an
oil company, believes that, besides
the fun, the society also Is accom-
plishing much good
We've got probably a couple Of
hundred chapters scattered over the
United States. he saio.
Bankers find themselves singing
with clerks, State Supreme Court
justices with cops and bookkeepers.
You know Eddie Cantor told me re-
Gently that singing nation is a
contented nation"
A banker friend from Wichita.
Kans., related Mr.. Cash, used to
sing in his hometown quartet as
a boy, then in his college glee club,
but for 20 years or so business stifled
his bass. Curiosity lured him to
barber shopper bust one night.
Circulating through the 200 or so
close harmony wranglers he roped
himself of a lead, baritone and a
tenor that just fitted his bass.
After the evenings festivities they
agreed to meet again and swapping
names the bankers friends were a
baker, veterinary and a clerk. At
the appointed night the baker
called. He had 400 angel food cakes
to bake. The banker, the clerk and
the horsedoctor went to help.
Cake-Icing Bee.
There we were" related the
banker, "all decked out in white
jackets and caps in the bake shop,
slapping icing on cakes and just
giving those good old tunes q real
working over.
when we got through we tried
to find a quiet spot to continue our
fun, but 1t was hot night and
everybody was out. The baker
finally solved the problem. We
ended up on the far side of a
cemetery, sitting on a tombstone,
raising the dead"
The one about Sheriff - (name
deleted by Mr.. CASH in a North
western State takes second place.
The sheriff was good baritone,
one Of his deputies bowed to no man
as a better bass.
While studying the problem Of
either teaching his other deputies
to sing tenor and lead or getting
some that could, the sheriff heard
two such sweet voices coming from
his Jail.
The felons were called on the
carpet and asked to give. The sheriff
and his deputy joined in. 1t was a
perfect fit. The two prisoners got
the breaks, a better cell and the
run of the house. The sheriff worked
with them constantly, pointing to
taking them with him to q barber
shopper bust.
Prisoners Had Other Ideas.
But the prisoners had other ideas.
A few hours before the first appear
ance of the officers and their close
harmony prisoners, the felons broke
Jail.
Mr.. Cash started hobby several
years ago Of collecting old songs.
He and couple of friends sang
often together, but usually they
lacked bass.
And" asked Mr.. Cash, what's
q quartet without bass?"
Then two years ago, he invited
II friends to get together to try
their luck at little fast and close
harmony. The friends brought
friends, and from there on the S. p.
E. B. S. @. S. A. just grew.
The first non-participants heard
about it was after a reporter inves-
tigated the cause for a crowd of
listeners blocking a downtown street
under hotel window, where the
harmony hurdlers were holding
forth.
"You don't have to be q fancy
singer to get lot of fun out of 1t, :"
said Mr.. Cash.
But, he emphasized:
ct am tho hocf ho r{fo, &y,{. .idn