Times Observer file photo Pictured are members of the Conewango Clippers. The chapter has been in existence for 75 years, but is in need of new members. “For about two years, we’ve been around 13 guys,” baritone John Shaughnesy said.

The Conewango Clippers are looking for some new voices.

They are always accepting new members — the more the merrier — but right now, they are in need of tenors.

“For about two years, we’ve been around 13 guys,” baritone John Shaughnesy said. “I first joined in 2005.”

Lead Kevin Babcock joined within a year. “We have maybe 20 guys,” he said.

The number dwindled “gradually,” Shaughnesy said. “We didn’t keep recruiting.”

“Guys would drop out,” he said. “A high school student graduated and moved. A couple of guys retired and moved to other parts of the country.”

There have been new additions.

Lead (“I used to be a tenor… I can’t sing that high anymore”) Milt Goerlich is one of those. “I’m the newest guy,” he said. “I like to sing. I’ve always liked barbershop.”

Most members come from some kind of singing background — usually a school chorus or church choir. Many grew up with music at home. “Families used to sit around the piano,” bass Doug Angove said.

“My mom could play anything,” Goerlich said. “She taught me to sing. I always loved it.”

“I’ve sung all my life,” Shaughnesy said. “I was in my first barbershop quartet in my junior year of college. When I moved to Warren, I went to see the show. Then I came in one night and said, ‘How do I join?'”

He paid his dues to the chapter and has been part of the program since.

Babcock’s story is similar. “I’ve always been in choir,” he said. “I went to the annual show. I looked through the program. It said, ‘You can sing, too.'”

He took that literally and showed up at a meeting. The camaraderie of the group was a bonus. “I like listening to the guys’ stories and singing a couple songs,” he said.

There are plenty of those stories.

The Clippers perform several major gigs each year. They perform at nursing homes to appreciative crowds, at birthday parties, and churches. And, one of their annual efforts is Singing Valentines.

For a price, individuals can hire a quartet. Four men in tuxedos will sing to the person indicated by the purchaser. Typically, the indicated person is a woman. And, usually, the purchaser is there, too. “It’s neat to see a couple who’s been married for a long time sit on the couch together while we sing to them,” Angove said.

But, some of the better stories are of different situations. “The girlfriend or wife contacted us and told us where he would be having his breakfast,” Angove said. “Here’s this guy in his leather jacket, hair down to his collar. And here’s four guys singing ‘Heart of my Heart’ to another guy.”

“It was very awkward for him and almost as awkward for us,” he said. “He was about ready to crawl under the table.”

The group now has some songs that have been modified for singing to men among its repertoire.

Whatever reason a new members gives for signing up, their numbers aren’t keeping pace.

The chapter has been in existence for 75 years. At one time, the Clippers counted 60 to 70 members.

Those days are over, but 13 is enough to handle performances where more than quartets are required. More voices would be better. The total is not the issue. For a group that relies on four-part harmony, not having one of the parts is problematic.

“It’s not just having enough people on stage to put on a good show,” Angove said.

In a barbershop quartet, and in barbershop music in general, there are four parts: tenor, lead, baritone, and bass.

The Clippers are short on tenors.

Blending the four parts into a whole is a significant part of the enjoyment for some of the members.

“I love blending voices,” Goerlich said.

“Singing in unison is boring,” Shaughnesy said.

There is an element of challenge in the group. That, too, is part of the fun.

“It’s not necessarily easy to be in a group like this,” Shaughnesy said. “In an era when everything is on a screen, it’s a different approach. We’re making the music.”

Still, the main requirement is that members have to enjoy singing and enjoy sharing their music with others. That’s about it.

“We want singers,” Angove said. “They don’t have to be able to read music. They have to have a voice that’s capable.”

And, they have to enjoy — and have some kind of experience — singing.

“We can teach them how to read music,” Shaughnesy said. “We can’t teach them how to sing.”

There is software that can help an individual learn his part in the music.

The Clippers, like many organizations, are not meeting due to COVID-19. They are in a recruiting phase, rather than a rehearsing phase.

When they start to get together to sing again, they expect to go back to Grace United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. every Monday. They hope to have more members. “If anybody has an interest, give me a call at (814) 779-1807,” Shaughnesy said. “I’ll at least put you on a list and keep in touch.”