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PrintCOLUMBIA — Roy Rogers is proud of the diversity of ages among the members of the Boonslick Chordbusters.
"Some people think it's a bunch of old guys, but they're wrong," said Rogers, vice president of pubic relations and marketing for the Chordbusters. The a capella group, which is the Columbia chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, has its Christmas concert on Saturday.
Ages range like the harmonies among the ensemble's 25 members. The youngest, Patrick Lockwood, is a junior at MU and the Chordbusters' program director. The group's oldest member, 91-year-old Fred List, has been a member for several decades.
The Columbia chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society has had several names since its first incarnation in 1949. Back then, the group was called the Tigertown Tuners. The group's current name pays tribute to the Boonslick region of Missouri, named after Daniel Boone and the salt licks he found by the Missouri River.
What: Christmas with the Chordbusters
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts, 203 S. Ninth St.
Admission: $12 adults; $8 children 12 and younger; $36 immediate family pass
For Rogers, singing with the Chordbusters can be summed up in one word: fun.
"If you've got a background in something, and you're standing still, you'll end up doing it," Rogers said. "I enjoy it."
At the performance this weekend, the Chordbusters will sing both secular and religious songs, including "Jingle Bells," "White Christmas" and "Silent Night." Midway Heights and Grant elementary schools will join the Chordbusters on "Everlasting Fruitcake" and "The Secret of Christmas," which was written by Hugh Emerson, a Chordbuster.
The Chordbusters have rehearsed for this performance for the past five months. Rogers, who has been a Chordbuster for three years, said he is excited to sing in the Missouri Theatre because of the acoustics. He is particularly looking forward to "It Came Upon A Midnight Clear."
"It's not the longest song — it's only two verses," Rogers said. "But the arrangement is lovely."
The Chordbusters live by the Barbershop Harmony Society's motto: "Keep the whole world singing." The Chordbusters appreciate an audience, Rogers said, whether it's at a nursing home or the Missouri Theatre. "We sing for anybody who's interested."
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