From The Vault:

Volume 6 Number 1 – Winter 2026

A NOTE FROM YOUR DISTRICT HISTORIAN

Greetings friends of the Illinois District!

As I write this, a new year has come upon us – and another year to enjoy barbershop harmony memories! I hope all of you had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday season. It’s hard to believe that From the Vault is heading into year #6!

In this issue, we honor a long-time barbershopper and illustrator from the Chicago-land area responsible for much of the quartet “clip-art” that we associate with the hobby. We also spotlight a popular district champ from the 1970s, reflect on the accomplishments of two notable district quartet men, and showcase a true relic from the early days of the Society. We round out this issue by remembering a youth quartet that gave rise to a district champion lead singer, and dust off a 1950s recording of a popular Sweet Adelines quartet from Central Illinois.

I am especially thankful for the assistance given by Craig Ahlgrim who shared information about Bob Hockenbrough that was used in this issue.

It’s another trip down memory lane that I hope you all enjoy.

Sing-cerely,

Rich Hansen

Illinois District Historian

Bob Hockenbrough

BARBERSHOP ILLUSTRATOR

(Taken from a 1985 interview with Bob, as well as contributions from Craig Ahlgrim)

Bob “Hock” Hockenbrough was born on August 28, 1912 in Sunbury, Pennsylvania but his “barbershop” story began after relocating to Chicago. Shortly thereafter, Hock and a few friends from the Brookfield/La Grange area put together a quartet for a show. He liked it well enough to continue singing with the group. Named The Four Pops, the quartet included Hock, as well as Lloyd Millard, Emmett Bossing, and Carter Lamb.

In 1946, A friend informed him that a new barbershop group was forming in nearby La Grange and so his quartet went over to meet with Bob “Moose” Haeger. The new Q-Suburban Chapter had its charter night in 1947, and Hock and his quartet became charter members. The chorus took top honors at the district’s first official chorus contest, held in 1953. Earning the right to compete at the Society’s first chorus contest that summer, the chorus came home after an impressive 2nd place finish overall. Hock often served as Master Set Designer and writer for chapter shows.

Hock became very involved in the administrative side of barbershopping. He served as the Secretary for the district from 1950-51. Soon after, he was elected as an International Board Member and was instrumental in the establishment of the Society’s headquarters (“Harmony Hall”) in Kenosha, WI.

Hock was an artist by trade, serving as Art Director for Spiegel Catalog for 40 years. Consequently, Hock was asked by the Society to do illustrations for issues of The Harmonizer (which included his signature “Hock”) as well as for Keep America Singing, a 1948 book chronicling the first ten years of Society history. His famous illustration of four men singing graced the covers of the Society’s early sheet music. In addition to his quartet caricatures, Hock served as editor of The Harmonizer from 1957-58 and also penned a regular column called “Share The Wealth”, which was featured throughout the 1950s and into the 1960s.

Hock was just the second recipient of the Illinois District’s prestigious ABE Award in 1961. His long-time quartet, The Antiques, was a staple in chapter shows and district competition during the 1970s and 1980s. The group was made up of Hock, Dick Neeley, Irv Beyer (Clay Hine’s grandfather), and Chris Christiansen. They were the 1978 recipients of the Ed Wilson quartet award.

Hock’s influence spread to his family. Those who followed in his barbershop footsteps were his daughter Merrilee, who was a member of The Village Vocal Chords of Harmony, Inc. as well as his son-in-law, Jim Ahlgrim, who is a 64-year Society member. Granddaughter Wendy Bellandi, member of Harmony, Inc., won International in 1990 with First Class, and is also a multi-quartet regional winner with Sweet Adelines. His grandson, Craig Ahlgrim, went on to win a district championship with South of Normal in 2017 and his great-granddaughter Lindsay Bellandi recently won the 2024 District NextGen contest with her quartet, sfourzando.

Grandson Craig recalls singing with Wendy, Jim, and Hock at family get-togethers. “I would always worry about the pitch being too high because of his aging voice. And he would always reply with, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll flat it as we go…’ with both hands to the ribcage as if he just finished a big, satisfying meal.” Hock was thrilled to share the love of barbershop harmony with his family.

Hock passed away at age 90 in early 2003, however his legacy lives on.

Hock's first quartet - The Four Pops, from L to R: Carter Lamb (Bs), Lloyd Millard (Br), Hock (Ld), and Emmett Bossing (Tn)

Hock (middle seated) assumes his new duties after being elected as the District Secretary, 1950

The Q-Suburban Chapter, 1953 - Hock is pictured in the top row, fourth from the left

One of many of Hock's illustrations used by districts and the Society alike

Hock with his quartet, The Antiques, from L to R: Hock, Charlie Franjevic, Irv Beyer, Dick Neely, Fall 1980

One of the "Songs for Men" series that featured Hock's clip art

Hock's great granddaughter, Lindsay Bellandi, who took top honors in 2024 with her NextGen quartet

QCA Spotlight

SOUNDTRACKS (1971)

The Soundtracks were formed in mid-summer of 1970 and three months later placed second in the Illinois District Contest. In April of 1971, they qualified for the International Contest held in New Orleans, where they finished as semi-finalists. In the fall of 1971, the Soundtracks earned the title of Illinois District Champions. During that time, the group was very much in demand for shows due to the wide variety of songs and routines they had, including solid barbershop singing mixed with some old fashioned humor and a touch of contemporary style songs.

At the time of their forming, the group boasted over 60 years of barbershop experience. Tenor Ray Henders was a well-known barbershopper as a member of the group Midnight Oilers. Lead Joe Coburn had quartet experience in Michigan before moving to the Chicago area. Baritone Dan Wolf was a long-time member of the Johnny Appleseed District before coming to Illinois, directed his previous chapter in Ohio, and was a certified judge in the “Harmony Accuracy” category. Before becoming an Illinois District member, Bass Don Bagley had served as a director of the Chordsman Chorus from San Antonio, Texas. All four were members of the Arlington Heights Chapter.

Upon the departure of Dan Wolf in 1972, the group began singing with another well-known barbershopper, Doug Miller. Doug was the director of the Arlington Heights Chapter and gained fame as one of the Sundowners. The group continued to sing in International contests, reaching as high as 5th place Medalists at Kansas City in 1974.

The group sang for a couple more years thereafter, and in late 1976 decided to call it quits. Ray would go on to earn an international championship with Chicago News in 1981 and Don Bagley with the Chiefs of Staff seven years after that. The group made a brief cameo at the district convention in 1991 to celebrate their 20th anniversary, performing with replacement baritone Joe Sullivan.

For the first half of the 1970s, Illinois audiences had the opportunity to enjoy quality barbershop singing from one of the district’s more popular quartets. We salute our 1971 (once and always) Illinois District Champs, the Soundtracks!

The Soundtracks - L to R: Ray Henders (Tn), Joe Coburn (Ld), Don Bagley (Bs), Dan Wolf (Br)

The Soundtracks with new baritone, Doug Miller (2nd from right)

The cover of the Soundtracks one and only album

The Soundtracks entertaining the crowd during one of their many shows.

The Soundtracks as they were featured in the Chicago Tribune Magazine, September 21, 1975

Soundtracks – “Moonlight Bay”

Dynamic Duo

Most quartet singers who compete hope that one day they will achieve top honors at a district contest. Over the years, the Illinois District has had numerous men win a quartet contest more than once, but did you know that (as of Winter 2026) our district can boast of two men who are FIVE-time district champs? That’s right, and if you’ve been to a contest in the last, say, twenty to fifty years, both of these talented singers are very recognizable – Doug Smith and Steve Davis.

While Doug Smith is notable as a international silver medalist with The Sundowners in the early 1970s (see FTV – Winter ’22 Issue), on the district stage he captured five championships singing bass with the following groups: Friends (1980), Piper’s Alley (1991), Echo Lane (1993), Skyline (2005), and Stolen Basses (2006).

If that wasn’t impressive enough, Doug also has captured six (that’s right, SIX) other district championships with seniors quartets, including Gym Class (2002), Gadzooks (2011), Tribute (2014), Friends (2017), Not Dead Yet (2024), and most recently Take Your Seats (2025).

Steve, on the other hand, won his first district championship with Chicago Swing (2000). Singing tenor in all of his groups, his other championship foursomes include Rush Street (2008), Chronicle (2013), Union Station (2015) and Lake Shore Drive (2021). In 2024, Steve captured his first district seniors championship when he sang with, yep – you guessed it – Doug Smith!

Who knows what’s in store for this “dynamic duo”? Only time, and more quartets, will tell!

"Plate Topper"

Today, you might notice a car with a Barbershop Society frame surrounding their license plate. Barbershoppers have been identifying themselves with their automobiles for quite some time. For this issue, we have a unique artifact – it is a SPEBSQSA license plate topper. The piece was recently acquired for the archives and dates back to the 1940s, when the Society was a fairly new organization. Not much is known about the history behind this object, but it is an interesting piece, nonetheless. License plate toppers were very popular throughout the 1930s and 1940s before giving way to the sticker craze of the 1950s and 1960s.

North Boone H.S. Quartet

In this issue we spotlight a quartet of young men from the northernmost parts of the Illinois District that made quite an impression in their school and community. It started with two freshmen students at North Boone High School in Poplar Grove, IL – Nathan Noble and Dan Sorg. They got their first taste of a cappella music when their chorus teacher sang “Sixteen Tons” with the boys. They were hooked. The next year, they formed a three-part group with Chris Weber. Although the music teacher had left by this point, the boys wanted to continue singing. With the guidance of Mrs. Pat Noble, the boys added Alex Nowak and the next year the boys sang “Baby, Talk To Me” in their school’s production of “Bye Bye Birdie.”

With the popularity of their quartet taking off, the boys kept a busy schedule performing at the Boone County Fair, area churches, community events, and nursing homes. The group took first place in the Rockford Area High School Barbershop Quartet competition, performing their two favorite pieces – “Down By the Riverside” & “Lida Rose.” The quartet also performed on the Rockford Chapter’s 50th anniversary show. At a time when it was unusual to see athletes who also sing, baritone Chris Weber (starting running back for the school’s football team), inspired other boys in his school to start singing and the choir began to grow.

The boys did compete in the district contest in 1999, however, the group disbanded due to graduations and busy extracurricular schedules. Chris stuck with singing barbershop, joining the Rockford Metro Chapter and eventually winning a district championship with Velvet Hammer in 2012.

The North Boone HS quartet at the district competition, 1999

The Big Four (1954)

In this issue, we dig deep into the archives for a recording from the 1953 Sweet Adelines Queens of Harmony quartet, The Big Four. What started out in 1952 as a joke to put together a surprise quartet for an installation of officers ceremony turned out to be magic. The group was actually made up of four bass singers! Sarah LeMaster, the outgoing president of the Chillicothe Belles of Harmony Chorus, decided to surprise her chorus by inviting four other basses to join her for a pick-up quartet – Bertha Bradley, Bertha’s daughter Inez (“Junior”) Thompson, and Lucille Miller. Everyone was stunned at the full, resonant sound – especially the director of the chorus, who happened to be the legendary barbershopper Floyd Connett (see FTV – Fall 2023 Issue).

They were an instant hit, and won the 1953 International Sweet Adelines quartet competition. Their slogan, “800 Pounds of Harmony” was no joke – as was confirmed when they were weighed as a foursome during one of their many television appearances. The quartet became known nationwide, headlining numerous Sweet Adelines and SPEBSQSA shows, performing on the Arthur Godfrey radio and television shows for approximately 12 weeks, and appearing on stage with such celebrities as Patti Page, Mickey Rooney, Danny Thomas, and Liberace. The group continued singing together for many years, eventually with a replacement tenor, until they officially retired in 1968.

They were the first Sweet Adelines quartet to be accepted as an “equal” in the world of men’s barbershopping and their signature sound and humor paved the way for many quartets thereafter. Here for your enjoyment is a 1954 recording of “Coney Island Washboard.”