Batesville, In. — Batesville resident Al Geis was part of a Barbershop Chorus that earned a top 15 spot in an international competition. The competition took place in Las Vegas July 8 and 9. Geis is a baritone in the 55 member Cincinnati-based Southern Gateway Chorus.
Geis and his fellow singers placed 13th out of 30 other groups after singing 5-foot 2 and Memories. Geis, who is not a barber, has been singing the “Barbershop” style for about 35 years.
Babershop genre historian Grady Kerr says the style of music may have started by accident in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938 when Owen Clifton Cash and Rupert Hall organized a group of about 15 singers on the Roof Garden of the Tulsa Club on April 11. The management of the club insisted the performance take place on the roof so other patrons would not be disturbed.
