Silence the alarm. Slide out of bed. Take a shower. Shave.
Put on lotion, brush teeth, polish shoes, put on tuxedo.
It’s 9 a.m. and time to go.
This is the annual Valentine’s Day routine for the Barbergators, Gainesville’s chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society.
On Friday and Saturday, four Barbergators quartets traveled all over Alachua County spreading love and joy throughout the community by delivering love songs for the Seventh Annual “Valentine’s Singing” fundraising event.
One of the quartets is made up of the Barbergators includes lead singer CJ Shaw, bass Tyson Adams, tenor Michael Roth and baritone Bob Tucker.
“I just enjoy going up there and performing, and I love seeing the people’s reactions because they do smile, and you can see the gleam in their eyes,” Shaw, 28, said.
The proceeds from the Barbergators performances help pay for singing coaches and other expenses, Roth, 63, said.
All eyes were on the road as the quartet belted out love songs on their drive to Corizon Health, located on the second floor of the Bank of America building in Northwest Gainesville.
Their crisp, cardinal-red vests and ties illuminated the room with color. Roth blew the pitch, and the awkward silence broke.
The first song — “Heart of My Heart,” a 1926 love song by Ben Ryan — oscillated with the rhythm of the quartet’s movements while the group’s soft tones reverberated throughout the room and into the halls.
After the melodies tapered to a close, there were a few teary eyes, an abundance of red faces. Then, a roar of applause erupted.
The quartet sang to Sue Ellen Lauret, a registered nurse at Corizon Health.
“It was overwhelming, exciting and a tear-jerker,” she said. “It was beautiful.”
The Barbergators have been to restaurants, schools, offices, homes and nursing homes, Roth said.
“That’s kind of the beauty of it — we get to travel,” he said.
Scott Chatten, vice president of music and performance for the Barbergators, said he believes that “as much as you’re getting enjoyment from listening to us sing, we’re getting as much enjoyment, or more, out of your reactions.”
“The musical style of the barbershop harmony is pretty distinct and uniquely an American style,” Roth said.
Among the four singers, there are about 40 years of barbershop quartet experience.
“Make ’em cry,” he said. “What I am after is that tugging at the hearts strings.”
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/16/2015 under the headline “Barbergators belt it out for V-day"]
From left: Michael Roth, 63, CJ Shaw, 28, Tyson Adams, 47, and Bob Tucker, 59, all members of the Barbergators, sing “Heart of My Heart,” to Lingyan Li, 44, a visiting scholar from China, who is engaged to Tucker. “She leaves the U.S. March 2nd, so we appreciate how special this time together is,” Tucker said.
