🎶 BABS Bulletin | September I
Barbershop Calendar, Harmony Express, John Wiggins Obituary
Summary
- The Barbershop Events Calendar
- Harmony Express is back
- Former BABS Chair John Wiggins Obituary
- Club Spotlight - Cottontown Chorus & Anvil Chorus
- Pitch In - A number of Clubs are looking for a new Musical Director
- Rolling Hills Chorus
- The Kentones
- Harmony Lincs
- The Usual Suspects
Got a Barbershop Event Happening? Put in the Barbershop Calendar!
We've had members ask us in the past if there can be a central repository for babershop events that are happening all over the country, and now we're pleased to annouce that we've got one!
If you've got a hankering to attend a Barbershop Event, then look no further.
If you've got a barbershop event to add to the calendar, it's also really easy to do (and all of the details are on the website).
You can see the calendar, and start submitting events to it, below.
Harmony Express is coming back
After a brief hiatus, everyones favourite online Barbershop publication (aside from the BABS Bulletin of course) is making a comeback!
It's taking on a new perspective where it will be managed by Peter Bryant, who is doing an excellent job with the BABS Podcast, who hopes to breathe fresh life into the publication with news from around the UK and beyond, and guest publications from time to time.
Harmony Express is officially LIVE and you can read the first article below - make sure you remember to subscribe to get the emails directly to your inbox.
Obituary - John Wiggins
5th August 1934 - 21st August 2026
By Chas Owen
John was hooked on Barbershop from the day he joined Reading in 1974.
Just one year later, having recruited more than a dozen singers, he formed the Chesham
club, now known as the Knights of Harmony, and remained an active member of the club
for the following 45 years, mostly as the chorus director.
John was a prolific arranger with a love of chords, hence his email address of
@chordman.co.uk. He was happy to give his work to anyone in the barbershop world.
JW, as he became known, soon joined the newly formed Guild of Judges and went on to be
a music judge for the next 20 plus years. He was instrumental in arranging the first BABS
Harmony College in 1981 and ran the arranging stream for many years. He went on to hold
a number of posts for the Association Exec. John was appointed Vice chair in 1986
followed by Chairman in 1987.
John was an active member of the convention team being involved with both sound and
lighting, with his wife Gina. He subsequently re-joined the Executive as Director of Special
events in 1996.
Despite all his administration and management work, he still found time to sing in quartets.
He, along with Gerry Holland, Eddie Prior and Tony Searle, were the first British quartet to
attend the US Harmony College in 1983. John also sang with a Club quartet called “Friends
& Neighbours”, so called as they all lived within walking distance in the village of
Cheddington
John was very proud to be named in the first list of BABS Hall of Fame members.
He will be sorely missed by those who knew him and the many more who knew of him.
Club Spotlight - Cottontown Chorus & Anvil
Cottontown Chorus - New Ladies Chorus launched in Bolton
There's growing excitement over the launch of a brand new Ladies' chorus in Bolton. The prospective singing group will operate alongside Cottontown as part of the Bolton Barbershop Harmony Club. An inaugural session is due to take place on Tuesday, 15th September at 7:30pm, in tandem with Cottontown's own regular quarterly ‘Come and Sing’ recruitment event, at Turton High School.
John Kelsey, who chairs BBHC explains: “We've long held an ambition to provide an opportunity for women living locally to sing Barbershop. Bolton and Bury, the neighbouring town, have a combined population of around half a million people. There are dozens of local mixed choirs and a few for female voices but none offers the exciting blend of unaccompanied four-part harmony that we enjoy so much. We’re hoping this will appeal, especially, to women in Bolton whose ambitions are not being met by other community choirs.’
So far the Bolton club has received more than sixty expressions of interest on social media.
For further details contact [email protected]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anvil Chorus - Come and Sing Day
On Saturday 19 September Anvil Chorus will be holding an event where new singers can join us in learning together the song Mr Blue Sky.
The event takes place at the Old Oscott Sport and Social club in Great Barr B44 8PE between the hours of 1000-1600.
The song for which excellent teach tracks and dots are provided has major connections to Birmingham, having been composed by Jeff Lynne of ELO and arranged for Barbershop by Dr Liz Garnett. Whilst we are holding this event to recruit new members we would also like to extend this invitation to all barbershoppers both regionally and nationally.
If you would be interested in attending please drop our MD an email at [email protected]
Have you got something exciting from your Club you want to share with the rest of the BABS Community? Have you got an upcoming show or event that you want to advertise? Then this is the space for you!
We'll be putting these features in each BABS Bulletin going forward, providing we get the content to fill it - and that's where you come in.
If you've got something you'd like to share please fill in the short form below.
Spots will be allocated based on the following criteria
- If the Club hasn't had a Spotlight spot previously
- If the content is time sensitive
- If a specific date is requested (we will do our best to accommodate these, but can't guarantee it)
Pitch In
A Number of BABS Clubs are looking for a new Musical Director
- Rolling Hills Chorus, Edinburgh
- The Kentones, Bromley
- Harmony Lincs, Lincoln
If you're interested in any of these roles, more information can be found below
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you're wanting to get a message out to other BABS Members (or anyone for that matter) wanting them to "Pitch In", then this is the place for you! You can submit an advert below for a number of things, including;
- Finding people in your area who are interested in forming a quartet
- Seeking a new Musical Director for your chorus
- Getting help with some of your Chorus IT or Marketing
If you have a request, please follow the link below to our website, where you'll find more information, see existing requests, and be able to submit your own.
The Usual Suspects
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grants
The Grant Application Window is currently CLOSED (Opens again 1st October)
BABS has a number of grants available to support clubs and singers.
- Recruitment
- Financial Hardship
- New club startup
- Regional events
- Support for education and international contests
More information, along with application forms, can be found below.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BABS Official Podcast
Tune In is the official BABS podcast. Hosted by the BABS volunteer team, each episode dives into organisational updates, recaps recent events, answers listener questions, and features interviews with special guests. Whether you’re a seasoned barbershop enthusiast or a newcomer, Tune In has something for everyone!
Got questions or feedback for us? Drop them in the comments or email us at [email protected].
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dates for your diary
Sunday 13th September - Autumn Member's Meeting (Online) - 1830-2100
Saturday 7th November - Prelims (Tamworth) - 1000-1800
Friday 28th - Sunday 30th May 2027 - Sing2027 (Brighton) 1700 start
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Join the BABS WhatsApp Community!
The BABS WhatsApp Community is a great way to stay connected, share ideas, and engage with fellow members across the organisation. Whether you want to discuss barbershop, ask questions, or keep up with the latest BABS news, this is the place to be.
Joining is easy - just click the link below for instructions.
Join the BABS WhatsApp Community
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Is your club on our map?
Did you know that we have a Chorus Finder map on our website?
If your chorus isn't listed, or has out-of-date information, please let us know by emailing [email protected]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
BABS Council Members
Every Club has a number of Council Members who play an important role in the wider BABS decision making process. You can read more about their role, and find out who they are below.
You must be logged in as a member to add comments.
Become a member
Already a member? Log in or create an account.