Gentlemen's Agreement
The Gentlemen's Agreement is the Barbershop Harmony Society's 1971 International Quartet Champion.
Quartet Members
Winning Members:
- Tenor: Al Rehkop
- Lead: Drayton Justus
- Bari: Glenn Van Tassel
- Bass: Bob Whitledge
Replacement Members:
- Bari: Greg Backwell
- Bari: Jim Gross
Contest Placement
International
District (PIO)
- 1970 - District Champions
Recordings
Extended History
The Gentlemen's Agreement, 1971 International champion, is one quartet that really was an "overnight success." Almost, anyway.
Organized in December 1969, it qualified for the international contest in the spring, went to Atlantic City in July and came home with fourth-place medals. The following year, in New Orleans, the Detroit-area quartet won the whole ball of wax.
But why not? Two of its members (baritone Glenn Van Tassell and tenor Al Rehkop) claimed their second gold medals in New Orleans; they had been half of the Auto Towners, 1966 champions. And the other two, lead Drayton Justus and bass Bob Whitledge, were equally talented, long-time barbershoppers, even though they didn't have medals to show for it.
Van Tassell, Whitledge, and Justus had been directors or assistant directors of three different choruses; Rehkop, an accomplished composer and arranger, was responsible for many of the quartet's songs.
One week after winning the gold the G.A. accepted an invitation to make a 17-day tour of South Vietnam. From the decks of ships to forward-area bases to hospitals they entertained US servicemen, singing 41 shows in a little over two weeks. Greg Backwell, formerly of the Nighthawks, replaced Van Tassell in about 1973, and Justus later joined The Suntones. The quartet retired, then reorganized two or three times but finally shelved the pitch pipe in the mid-80s.
External Links