Western Continentals
The Western Continentals is the Barbershop Harmony Society's 1968 International Quartet Champion.
Quartet Members
Winning Members:
- Tenor: Al Mau
- Lead: Ted Bradshaw
- Bari: Paul Graham
- Bass: Phil Foote
Replacement Members:
- Tenor: Frank Friedemann
Former Members
- Tenor: Curt Kimball
- Bass: Terry Diedrich
Contest Placement
Internationals
| 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8th | 21st | 2nd | 1st |
District
Represented the Far Western District.
- 1964 1st
Recordings
Extended History
Western Continentals
A funny thing happened to the Western Continentals on their way to the 1968 International championship. In 1965, only a year after they first got together, Dr. Curt Kimball, Ted Bradshaw, Paul Graham and Terry Diedrich placed eighth in the International competition.
Then Kimball, the tenor, was called to service in Vietnam and was replaced by Al Mau. They dropped to 21st in '66.
They went to Los Angeles in '67, not only with Mau but with a new bass, Phil Foote, replacing Diedrich. They won the silver medals. The next year, in Cincinnati, they captured the gold.
If a native Arizonan still lived in Phoenix in the 1960s, he wasn't with the Continentals. Mau was from Wisconsin, Bradshaw (the lead) from Ohio, Graham (bari) from Michigan, and Foote from Detroit (by way of El Paso, thanks to the Air Force). Kimball had come from Oklahoma.
The quartet was "on again, off again" for a decade after winning the championship. Mau moved to California in 1971 and was replaced by Frank Friedemann, but they disbanded in '72. Foote had also left, but by 1973 both he and Mau were back, and the Continentals resumed shows until a job transfer took Foote away again. He returned a second time in 1977, but the quartet hung up the pitch pipe for good in 1979.
External Links