1973 International Barbershop Quartet Champions

It was January 1972 and the Dallas Big D Chapter had volunteered to perform for the Waxahachie, TX charter night. On the way Al Kvanli, Bill Thornton, Brian Beck, ad Gary Parker decided to sing a few tunes in the back of the bus. Even over the engine roar it sounded promising. They decided to buy socks and give it a go. In August they drove straight through from Dallas to Kenosha, WI for Harmony College, a trip which proved to be the catalyst for their accelerated future development. It was there they met and learned from Bob Johnson, Mac Huff, and Don Clause, each of whom had a significant positive impact on their evolution. They squeezed about three years of rehearsal into the next ten months. The following summer in Portland OR they became the only quartet since 1952, and even to this day, to win the gold medal in their first international competition. The original four sang through 1976 when Brian moved to California to pursue his studio musician career. Dr. Greg Lyne, then a young choral professor at Eastern New Mexico University and one of the DC¼s arrangers and coaches, stepped in to singing baritone through their final performance in 1978 at the BABS convention. In 1988, Bill, Brian, and Gary returned to the stage with Greg Clance, who grew up watching the DC take the Society by storm while singing in the Vocal Majority. With Greg they recorded their fourth successful album and performed for four more years before retiring at the 1992 international convention at the Super Dome in New Orleans. The DC is credited with ushering in a new era of vocal technique, and even today their recordings attract countless new and repeat fans.