The Gas House Gang

international quartet champions

London, England

A quick story. I believe the GHG were the most favourite quartet of BABS and certainly one of the most entertaining of all time (IMHO). This particular visit, the GHG were singing at the Barbican centre in London England, during their set, they performed an iconic song from Les Miserables, after which one of my 'musical' friends said "did they stuff the tag up, or was it supposed to be like that!" haha, little did he know. Anyway, after the performance, during a 'kind of' afterglow, this skinny kid from England cheekily asked if he could sing with the GHG (back in those days this was a bit forward) however, they very kindly obliged with Rich stepping aside (although he hung around for a bit until he was happy I was gonna do OK) and we nailed one of their current repertoire songs (sorry can't remember which one). I have kept in touch with Jim particularly over the years and still exchange the odd email or two (goodness knows how he gets the time to answer) anyway he eventually does.

Before the days of X Factor and the like, I've always felt that the GHG have had something extra special (X Factor?) about them, sure International Gold Medal quartets of years gone by have all be gracious and generous, but to me there was something about the GHG that made them extra special. I'm not gonna guess what it was but it was certainly something. I thank them for this gift and wish they were still singing today, I for one like 1000's miss their presence and beautiful musicality. The Society and all of us better off for knowing them, satiated by listening to them and comforted by their tremendous and obvious bond

Kudos to all the members of the Gas House Gang.

~ Jim Catt (formerly BABS) now in Australia

Bye Bye Blues

I have a barn full of memories about GHG, which I rank among the best alltime quartets -- no matter what parameters anyone sets. I hope folks remember your creativity in competition as you climbed the ranks, including the jockey set in (where else?) Louisville, "K.P." with the helium potato floating away, and your artistry that set a Society record in the old interp category with "Southern Roses." Some other CSD quartet had held that mark for several years, with a pretty nice song called "Tie Me to Your Apron Strings Again."

Before Kahl jumps in and writes pages of drivel, er, texican tales about what he THINKS he remembers, lemme offer one special time involving our two foursomes. On a joint CSD show we did an impromptu double quartet version of "Bye, Bye Blues," and to make it fun (and challenging), one of us did the bell chords going up, and the other did 'em down. Worked so well, the audience would never have guessed we practiced that all of 5 or 6 minutes before taking it on stage. As I recall, we did that a coupla times, maybe the second time at the rr4 retirement show in '94. That was probly it, because afterward Jim Henry tried to gig us by saying "we've admired this quartet since we were little kids," and willard's immediate response was "wal, you ain't very big now!"

~ Jim Bagby | The Rural Route 4

Hospitality Room

I was judging a contest in CSD. It was probably just before GHG's fifth album was released. We had just finished the Saturday night evaluations. I was wiped out tired, so I decided to just go to sleep and forego the festivities. Alas, that was not necessarily to be. My room was literally right next to a very popular sounding hospitality room. I tried to ignore the quartets singing and go to sleep but that was not to be. Perhaps the fourth quartet in, I was treated to an epic that started off with "We're four short guys................." Yep! GHG was unleashing their version of Beethoven's Fifth.

Well, I was so exhilerated by that performance that I got our of bed, got dressed, and went off to party with the rest of the convention!

~ Marty Israel

The Today Show

Around 1999 or 2000 - I contacted the Gang to see if they would be available to Come to Connecticut to Join The New Tradition on a Show to help with a fundraiser...sending a High School theater Dept. to the Edinburgh Scotland Fringe Festival.

The group from Westport's Staples HS had been nationally selected - but as a public school needed to raise funds to go. As It turns out my wife Sharon was the fundraiser...we could pay expenses and I could get them on the weekend Today Show if they could make it. They did -- tore the place apart - showed of the society on Today, and helped a theater troop of Pippin go to Scotland...including a young man who played Charlemagne - Justin Miller.

A big Thanks from the Whole Miller Family to a great Quartet.

~ John Miller | Grandma's Boys | The New Tradition

I Still Can't Say Goodbye

After the GHG “KP” and jockey sets in the early 1990s, I came home and got my younger son Jay really hooked on the Gas House Gang. He was ten then (and known as “JR”) and I ordered him the CDs as they came out. I do remember well that the Gang had come to sing on our “Silver” show in 1992 in Alexandria, three performances. I would go out in the lobby and sneak back in to the hall to listen to your quartet set each time, by the rear theatre door. When “I Still Can’t Say Good-bye” started, I simply walked back into the lobby. There was simply no way I could listen to that song and hold it together. As I wrote Jim back then, my folks were in their mid-70s then, and I was just not prepared to live that story. I have no earthly idea how Rob ever got through it as it was.

When I got Jay the recording on which that song was, I told him it was about a young man who had gone off to college and missed his father back home. Otherwise, I couldn’t have sat there with him listening to it. He’s 30 now, and I still haven’t asked if he knew I was feeding him a line then, or when he knew (or if he always knew) the real story.

BTW, Dad wasn’t ready to let me live that story either. He “said goodbye” in May of this year, at 95. I’ve not listened to the song since, and probably never will. And yet I am immensely grateful to the Gas House Gang for giving me the emotional experiences that piece and your whole repertoire has granted me in my lifetime.

~ Bob Sutton | Alexandria, Virginia chapter | Society Archive Committee