Few barbershoppers have had the influence on the Illinois District to match that of Glenn Perdue. A native of Peoria, IL, Glenn left a legacy of barbershop leadership in Central Illinois that spanned 67 years. An avid quartet singer until his health no longer permitted, he was the consummate baritone singer. His tremendous ear was developed in part from his career as a piano tuner.
Glenn was born in Peoria in 1925. He began singing at age 5 when he and his brother Bob would sing on the radio. As he got older, Glenn sang in a quartet with his father Guy (also a piano tuner) and his two brothers Bob and Don. After graduating from Peoria Woodruff High School in 1939 where he excelled in all sports, Glenn served in WWII on the Intrepid. Glenn returned to Peoria after his service and married Mary Lou in 1945.
In 1951, Glenn joined the Peoria Chapter. As a baritone with a keen ear, he sang with The Heart of Illinois Four, a top-20 finisher in the 1957 International contest. The group finished as high as 2nd in District and International Prelims in the 1950s. Switching to lead, Glenn then sang with The Midwesternaires in the early 1960s.
Directing came naturally to Glenn, who practiced under other district icons John Hanson and Floyd Connett. Hanson was the first director of the Bloomington and Peoria choruses, and Connett was director of Peoria’s Belles of Harmony (Sweet Adelines). Glenn became a master at teaching songs by rote, as his mentors did.
When Connett began directing Bloomington in 1953, Glenn was his assistant. Because Connett became the Society’s first field man in 1957, Glenn was responsible for preparing the chorus for the 1958 competition. Glenn led the chorus to another district title in 1959 and a trip to Dallas for the International contest in 1960. As fate would have it, Glenn’s appendix required removal shortly before the contest. Rather than forego the chance to direct, he lay prone in the back of Floyd Connett’s station wagon for the drive to Texas. Even so, Glenn led the chorus to a fourth place finish!
Besides directing Bloomington, Glenn also directed Peoria for 18 years. Often he led both groups in the same contest. While under Glenn’s direction, Peoria won the district in 1966 and placed 7th in the 1967 International contest. During his career, Glenn also directed Springfield men’s and women’s choruses (5 years), Decatur (9 years), Farmington (2 years), Bloomington Sweet Adelines (2 years) and Peoria Sweet Adelines (6 years).
In 2009, Glenn received the coveted “Music Man Award” from Illinois’ Quartet Champions Association. At Glenn’s retirement from Bloomington leadership, member Charlie Driver wrote a tribute summarizing Glenn’s contributions:
“Most of all, Glenn Perdue certainly gives barbershopping an excellent image, wherever he is. He’s the kind of fellow everybody seems to like instinctively, he bubbles over with energy, he brings every stage alive, his sense of humor is obvious at all times. He constantly sells barbershopping.”
Glenn passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. His life was full of barbershop music and the Illinois District has truly been influenced by the legacy he leaves behind.
