Members of the barbershop chorus continue to pass their love for music and singing on to their

Members of the barbershop chorus continue to pass their love for music and singing on to their children and grandchildren.
By NANCILYNN GATTA
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
amily traditions can be recipes or artistic endeavors that are passed down from generation to generation.
When Jeff Gehm, choir director of Penn-Ohio Singers, was asked about the multigenerational vocalists in the barbershop chorus, he said: "It's nice to pass down the heritage of harmony to the next generation. The guys who are in there who are older, it keeps them enthused because their sons and grandsons are in it. It also gives us an opportunity to educate the younger people because their dad and grandpa are in it."
For the David Johns and Frank Riddick families, the love of music and singing is what they gave to their children and grandsons. Members of these families are active or have previously participated in the Penn-Ohio Singers.
"They used to lull me to sleep on car trips with Barbershop tapes," said Jay Dehghani, a junior at Cardinal Mooney High School. Dehghani first sang with the chorus as a 12-year-old. He originally sang tenor, then lead and now sings the bass part since his voice has matured.
Longtime tradition
His grandfather, Frank Riddick, of Springfield Township, has been singing barbershop music for 50 years, 20 of those as a bass in Penn-Ohio Singers. He is continuing the tradition that his father passed down to him. Riddick's father sang barbershop music in Saginaw, Mich., and he also sang in the first barbershop competition in Tulsa, Okla., in 1939.
Riddick's sons Perry and Brook were also members of Penn-Ohio Singers. Perry, of Boardman, has found that his work and family life is too congested to continue singing with the group. He sang bass for 12 years. He still attends concerts and hopes to become an active member when his schedule permits. Brook Riddick lives in Portland, Ore.
Johns family
For Laurel Township, Pa., residents David Johns III, a bass, David Johns IV, a baritone, and David Johns V, a lead, singing in their church choir led to their involvement in Penn-Ohio Singers. Gehm is also choir director at their church.
David Johns IV got his son and his father, David Johns III, a retired employee of LTV in Youngstown, involved with the barbershop chorus. Johns IV said that since everyone lives such busy lives, an advantage of being in the chorus with his father and son is that it is nice to get together with them once a week at rehearsal.
Gehm also has a family heritage of music. "My dad was a music teacher. He was 32 years as a choir director at Ellwood City. My mother was in an orchestra. She played cello. He directed the orchestra," he said.
Since the singers are not professional musicians, they sometimes need assistance in learning their songs.
All performances are sung without musical accompaniment and from memory.
Recording team
To aid with this, a recording team was created. A quartet learns the music before the rest of the chorus and records a CD with the individual voice parts sung louder than the rest of the quartet so the singer can learn his part. A second session is sung without the particular part, so the singer can practice his part and fit in with the harmony of the other voices.
Johns V and Gehm are part of the Recording Team.
For 60 years, the musical form of harmony known as barbershop has continued to fascinate young and old. In the Riddick household, they plan to keep the tradition alive.
When asked how long he planned to sing barbershop music, Dehghani said, "Till I can no longer open my mouth.
"I'm already working on my six-year old brother. He's been coming to shows since he was two. He tells me after shows, 'Jay Jay, I can't wait to get up there and sing with you.' He's just biding his time," he said.
Penn-Ohio Singers is part of the larger Society for the Preservation & amp; Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. The nonprofit group consists of singers from western Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio. The four-part harmony chorus, which includes tenor, lead, baritone and bass voices, received its charter in 1982.
Since then the group of dedicated singers has met every Tuesday to rehearse for concerts, Singing Valentine appearances and fall competitions. The chapter is part of the Johnny Appleseed District, which encompasses Ohio, West Virginia and nine counties of western Pennsylvania.
Last year Penn-Ohio Singers placed second in the Eastern Division contest, which will lead to a District Contest appearance this October in Lima, Ohio.