District Champions that went on to become International Champions

Year listed is when quartet won International.

  • 1949 – Mid States Four
  • 1953 – Vikings
  • 1965 – Four Renegades
  • 1979 – Grandmas Boys
  • 1981 – Chicago News
  • 1988 – Chiefs of Staff
  • 2018 – After Hours

District Champions that were International Medalists

  • Harmony Kings – 4th Place in 1941 and 1942
  • Four Tissimos – 3rd Place in 1955
  • Imposters – 5th Place in 1964, 3rd Place in 1965
  • Sundowners – 5th Place in 1966, 4th Place in 1967 and 1968, 3rd Place in 1969, 2nd Place in 1970 and 1971
  • Avant Garde – 5th Place in 1968 and 1969
  • Sound Tracks – 5th Place in 1974
  • Chicago Chord of Trade – 5th Place in 1987, 3rd Place in 1988
  • Chordiac Arrest – 5th Place in 1988 and 1989

District Champions that won the Seniors International Quartet Contest

  • Jim Foley – Old Kids on the Block (1991), The New & Improved Industrial Strength Mini-Chorus (1994), Tri-County Reclamation Project (1999)
  • Ray Henders – Old Kids on the Block (1991), The New & Improved Industrial Strength Mini-Chorus (1994), Chicago Shuffle (2002)
  • Warren (Buzz) Haeger – The New & Improved Industrial Strength Mini-Chorus (1994)
  • Dave Boo – Chicago Shuffle (2002)

5 Time District Champion

  • Doug Smith – Friends (1980) (Bass), Piper’s Alley (1991) (Bass), Echo Lane (1993) (Bass), Skyline (2005) (Bass), Stolen Basses (2006) (Bass)

4 Time District Champions

  • Jim Bond – Villageaires (1950) (Bass), Four Tissimos (1954) (Bass), Escapades (1961) (Bass), Varieties (1963) (Bass)
  • Rick Anthoney – Friends (1980) (Tenor), Classic Ring (1990) (Tenor), Bravo (1998) (Tenor), Alchemy (2003) (Tenor)
  • Joe Krones – Renaissance (1995) (Bass), Bravo (1998) (Bass), Cheers! (2001) (Bass), Stolen Basses (2006) (Lead)
  • Steve Davis – Chicago Swing (2000) (Tenor), Rush Street (2008) (Tenor), Chronicle (2013) (Tenor), Union Station (2015) (Tenor)
  • Tim Pashon – By Popular Demand (1999) (Baritone), Off The Record (2009) (Lead), Waldorf Hair Company (2011) (Lead), Drive Time (2014) (Lead)
  • Craig Ahlgrim – Stolen Basses (2006) (Tenor), Off The Record (2009) (Tenor), Waldorf Hair Company (2011) (Baritone), South of Normal (2017) (Baritone)

3 Time District Champions

  • Joe Sullivan – Four Renegades (1957) (Lead), Avant Garde (1967) (Baritone), Tin Pan Allies (1981) (Baritone)
  • Dick Johnson – Varieties (1963) (Baritone), Chords Unlimited (1969) (Lead), Chordiac Arrest (1987) (Lead)
  • Don Bagley – Sound Tracks (1971) (Bass), Tin Pan Allies (1981) (Bass), Chiefs of Staff (1984) (Bass)
  • Dick Kingdon – Friends (1980) (Lead), Chiefs of Staff (1984) (Baritone), Echo Lane (1993) (Baritone)
  • John Muir – At Ease (1983) (Baritone), Four Star Revue (1988) (Baritone), Fascinatin’ Rhythm (1992) (Lead)
  • Chuck Sisson – Chiefs of Staff (1984) (Lead), Echo Lane (1993) (Lead), Cheers! (2001) (Lead)
  • Mark Keever – Friends (1980) (Baritone), Genuine Craft (1996) (Baritone), Alchemy (2003) (Baritone)
  • George Harper – Common Ground (1994) (Lead), Bravo (1998) (Lead), Lakeside Edition (2004) (Lead)
  • Don Deegan – Debut (1989) (Lead), Off The Record (2009) (Baritone), Chronicle (2013) (Baritone)
  • Jay Giallombardo – Grandma’s Boys (1968), Voce (2007) (Bass), Union Station (2015) (Bass)

2 Time District Champions

  • Bob Corbett – Mid States Four (1946) (Bass), Chicagoans (1948) (Bass)
  • Eddie Jensen – Chicagoans (1948) (Baritone), Imposters (1962) (Baritone)
  • Clair DeFrew – Villageaires (1950) (Tenor), Varieties (1963) (Tenor)
  • Bob Maurus – Vikings (1951) (Tenor), Vi-Counts (1958) (Baritone)
  • Warren “Buzz” Haeger – Four Tissimos (1954) (Tenor), Four Renegades (1957) (Tenor)
  • Bob “Squeek” Tilton – Four Tissimos (1954) (Lead), Escapades (1961) (Lead)
  • Tom Felgen – Four Renegades (1957) (Bass), Chicago News (1979) (Bass)
  • Bob Meredith – Timbre Kings (1959) (Baritone), Avant Garde (1967) (Bass)
  • Chuck Lewis – Four Barons (1960) (Bass), Ideals (1970) (Bass)
  • Joe Warren – Imposters (1962) (Lead), Avant Garde (1967) (Lead)
  • Bob Menter – Varieties (1963) (Lead), Chords Unlimited (1969) (Baritone)
  • Greg Wright – Sundowners (1965) (Tenor), Chicago News (1979) (Baritone)
  • Jack Baird – Barbersharps (1966) (Baritone), Close Harmony Committee (1972) (Baritone)
  • George Peters – Chords Unlimited (1969) (Bass), Chordiac Arrest (1987) (Bass)
  • Ray Henders – Sound Tracks (1971) (Tenor), Chicago News (1979) (Tenor)
  • Ben Williams – Saturday’s Heroes (1973) (Lead), Benchmarks (1982) (Lead)
  • Jim Foley – Saturday’s Heroes (1973) (Baritone), Benchmarks (1982) (Baritone)
  • Ed Chapman – Saturday’s Heroes (1973) (Bass), Candidates (1977) (Bass)
  • Al Mueller – Federal Reserve Notes (1975) (Tenor), Male Delivery (1978) (Tenor)
  • Rich Pilch – Federal Reserve Notes (1975) (Baritone), Male Delivery (1978) (Baritone)
  • Doug Wehrwein – Tin Pan Allies (1981) (Tenor), Chordiac Arrest (1987) (Tenor)
  • Joe Bourke – At Ease (1983) (Lead), Piper’s Alley (1991) (Baritone)
  • Vern Knapp – At Ease (1983) (Bass), Four Star Revue (1988) (Bass)
  • Ron Rank – Lucky Day (1986) (Lead), Genuine Craft (1996) (Lead)
  • Doug Brooks – Four Star Revue (1988) (Tenor), Renaissance (1995) (Tenor)
  • Gregg Peters – Debut (1989) (Tenor), Common Ground (1994) (Tenor)
  • Kirk Wood – Classic Ring (1990) (Baritone), Sharper Image (1997) (Baritone)
  • Jim Larson – Common Ground (1994) (Baritone), Bravo (1998) (Baritone)
  • Tom Kentish – Common Ground (1994) (Bass), Sharper Image (1997) (Bass)
  • Joel Lancaster – Sharper Image (1997) (Tenor), Cheers! (2001) (Tenor)
  • Tim Carter – Genuine Craft (1996) (Tenor), Skyline (2005) (Tenor)
  • George Sotos – Alchemy (2003) (Bass), Stolen Basses (2006) (Baritone)
  • Scott Diehl – Debut (1989) (Bass), Off The Record (2009) (Bass)
  • Duane Fenn – Lakeside Edition (2004) (Bass), Rush Street (2008) (Bass)
  • Greg Lee – By Popular Demand (1999) (Lead), Aces High (2002) (Lead)
  • Bob Tempas – By Popular Demand (1999) (Tenor), Lakeside Edition (2004) (Tenor)
  • John Davis – Chronicle (2013) (Lead), Union Station (2015) (Baritone)
  • Andy Isbell – Fascinatin’ Rhythm (1992) (Bass), Drive Time (2014) (Bass)

Miscellaneous Trivia

  • Tom Felgen won two International Championships; Once with the Four Renegades (Bass) in 1965 and once with Chicago News (Bass) in 1981.
  • John Miller won two International Championships; Once with Grandma’s Boys in 1979 and once with The New Tradition in 1985.
  • Jay Giallombardo won two International Championships; Once with Grandma’s Boys in 1979 and once for directing The New Tradition Chorus in 2001. Jay has also won eight consecutive International Silver Medals from 1992-2000 for directing The New Tradition Chorus.
  • Greg Wright is one of eight men to have won all five International Quartet Medals. He is the only one to do it in order. He sang with the Sundowners (5th Place in 1966, 4th Place in 1967 and 1968, 3rd Place in 1969, 2nd Place in 1970 and 1971) and with Chicago News (2nd Place in 1980, 1st Place in 1981).
  • There have been 4 QCA members who have medalled at International on two different voice parts. They are Jay Giallombardo (Grandma’s Boys – Baritone; Chicago Chord of Trade [Jay did not win the District with Chicago Chord of Trade], Bass), Doug Miller (Sundowners – Baritone; Avant Garde – Bass; Sound Tracks – Baritone), Joe Sullivan (Four Renegades – Lead; Avant Garde – Baritone), and Greg Wright (Sundowners – Tenor and Baritone; Chicago News – Baritone).
  • Doug Miller is one of six men to medal at International with three different quartets (Sundowners – Baritone, Avant Garde – Bass, Sound Tracks – Baritone).
  • Only two father and sons combinations have won the District Championship. George and Gregg Peters and Ray and Pat Henders. George won districts with Chords Unlimited (1969) (Bass) and Chordiac Arrest (1987) (Bass), and Gregg won with Debut (1989) (Tenor) and Common Ground (1994) (Tenor). Ray Henders won with Sound Tracks (1971) (tenor) and Chicago News (1979) (tenor) and Pat Henders won with Rush Street (2008) (Bari).
  • There have been five District Champions to have been President of the Illinois District. Tom Watts from 1958-59 (Barber-Q-Four), Walt Martin from 1977-78 (Valley Four-gers), Bob Cearnal from 1983-84 (Federal Reserve Notes and Male Delivery), Joe Sullivan from 1997-98 (Four Renegades, Avant Garde, and Tin Pan Allies), and Rich Hansen from 2015-2016 (Drive Time).
  • Joel “Opie” Lancaster won two District Championships in 1997. He won with Sharper Image (Tenor) in the Illinois District and the E.I.B. Quartet (Tenor) in the Central States District. Opie won them in consecutive weekends and is also the only person in the Society to have ever done this up to that time.