The Dapper Dans
Encyclopedia
Anaheim, California
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...
(since 1959), at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort
Walt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
(since 1971), and at Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland
Hong Kong Disneyland is located on reclaimed land in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island. It is the first theme park located inside the Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and is owned and managed by the Hong Kong International Theme Parks. The park opened to visitors on 12 September 2005...
in Lantau Island
Lantau Island
Lantau Island , based on the old local name of Lantau Peak , is the largest island in Hong Kong, located at the mouth of the Pearl River. Administratively, most of Lantau Island is part of the Islands District of Hong Kong...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
(since 2005). A quartet (from the UK) also performed at Disneyland Paris from the opening in 1992 until 1995 and were known as the Mainstreet Quartet.
Details
While the group usually performs as a quartet, they actually have up to twelve singers at each park, plus occasional substitutes. This allows them to have multiple quartets performing separately or to combine and form a larger ensemble. Membership has changed over the years as various singers have retired or died and new ones have been brought in to succeed them. Several of the Dapper Dans are members of the Barbershop Harmony SocietyBarbershop Harmony Society
The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. , is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop music as an art form. Founded by Owen C...
.
You can be serenaded by the Dans at the Magic Kingdom in Florida while having your hair cut in a real, working barbershop on Main Street there. The Dans at Hong Kong Disneyland stroll up and down Main Street from Town Square. The Dans at Disneyland can be seen on their Schwinn custom 4-seater bicycle (commissioned by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
himself) and in various locations around Main Street.
In the Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
, Disney World, the Dapper Dans perform nine sets a day, seven days a week. They can be found on the horse-drawn trolley in the morning, and all over Main Street USA during the afternoon. At 5pm, the Dans join the Main Street Philharmonic and the Magic Kingdom Security Color Guard for the Flag Retreat Ceremony.
Another unique part of Dapper Dans lore is the fact that they use Deagan Organ Chimes as part of the act. Each of the eight chimes has three octaves of a single note, comprising a C scale. The Organ Chimes were made by the J.C. Deagan Company in Chicago, IL around 1901.
History
As of early 2006 the Dapper Dans at the Disneyland Resort consisted of Shelby Grimm (lead), Bob Hartley (tenor), Jim Campbell (bass), and Bill Lewis (baritone), a group that had been together for over 10 years. In 2006 it was announced that a new group of Dapper Dans would be cast, to make their debut in May 2006 and auditions would be held each season for all four parts. David Marchesano (lead), Robbie Banner (tenor), Frank Romeo (bass), and Steven Arlen (baritone) can now be seen Wednesday through Sunday at Disneyland on Main Street, USA.Now, the quartet normally consists of Jon Schoenherz (lead), Drew Tablak (tenor), Eulis Kay (baritone) and Jim Campbell (bass) with substitutions by Frank Romeo, Isaac James, Jim Graft (bass), Gabriel Oliva, Joe Sark, John Helms, Mark Donahue (lead), Jason Currie, Allen Everman (baritone), Nathan Shrake, Matt Sanchez (tenor).
Personal
The Dapper Dans lineup has changed over the years as various singers have retired or died and new performers have been brought in to succeed them.- The Dapper Dans of Disneyland as of Fall 1995: Jim Campbell (bass), Bill Lewis (baritone), Shelby Grimm (lead), and John Heffron (tenor).
- The Dapper Dans of Disneyland, Summer, 2006: Brandon Brigham, David Marchesano, Steven Arlen, Frank Romeo.
- The first Dapper Dans of the Magic Kingdom at Disney World, FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, in 1971: Dick Kneeland, Bub Thomas, Jerry Siggins, Bob Mathis. Tom Howe, originally a Dapper Dan sub at Disneyland, joined the Disney World group in 1972. Another long time favorite was Bruce Brann (bass, baritone) who began his career at Disneyland in 1972, traveled to Japan for Disney Tokyo's grand opening remaining there for several months and then aptly retiring from Disney World FloridaFloridaFlorida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
in 1997. - As of mid 2008, The Dapper Dans of Main Street USA, Disney World, had two full-time quartets consisting of: Tenors Dan Bullock and Kevin Souppa, Leads Ken Thiboult and Steve Culpepper, Basses Myron Whittlesey and Kevin Miles, and Baritones Jarrod Lentz and Chad Bennett
Media appearances
- The Bell Telephone HourThe Bell Telephone HourThe Bell Telephone Hour is a long-run concert series which began April 29, 1940 on NBC Radio and was heard on NBC until June 30, 1958. Sponsored by Bell Telephone, it showcased the best in classical and Broadway music, reaching eight to nine million listeners each week. It continued on television...
, airdate February 17, 1961. (Roger Axworthy, T.J. Marker, Ted Nichols, John Borneman). - Mickie Finn'sMickie Finn's (TV series)Mickie Finn's was a summer replacement variety series for the failed NBC sitcom Mona McCluskey, which had starred Juliette Prowse and Denny Miller on Thursday nights...
, 7 episodes in 1966 (NBCNBCThe National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
). (Jim Schamp, Ron Browne, Fred Frank, Tom Knox). - Tony Orlando and DawnTony Orlando and DawnTony Orlando and Dawn was a pop music group that was popular in the 1970s. Their signature hits include "Candida", "Knock Three Times", "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree", and "He Don't Love You ".-History:...
, airdate January 7, 1976 (CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
). (Doug Scott, John Sherburn, Jerry Siggins, and Tony OrlandoTony OrlandoMichael Anthony Orlando Cassavitis , better known as Tony Orlando, is an American show business professional, best known as the lead singer of the group Tony Orlando and Dawn in the early 1970s. Discovered by producer Don Kirshner, Orlando had songs on the charts in 1961 when he was 16, "Halfway to...
subbing for Creighton Hogan). - The Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny CarsonThe Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under the Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night....
, May 16, 1974 (NBC). (Creighton Hogan, Doug Scott, John Sherburn, Jerry Siggins). - Children's Miracle NetworkChildren's Miracle NetworkThe Children's Miracle Network Hospitals is an international non-profit organization that raises funds for children's hospitals, medical research and community awareness of children's health issues. The organization, founded in 1982 by the Osmond family and John Schneider, is headquartered in...
Telethon, airdate May 31, 1986 (KHJ-TV, Channel 9 (KCAL-TVKCAL-TVKCAL-TV, channel 9, is an independent television station in Los Angeles, California, USA, owned by the CBS Corporation. KCAL-TV shares its studio facilities with KCBS-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson.-Digital...
), Los Angeles). (Ron Browne, Shelby Grimm, Jim Schamp, Jerry Siggins). - BlossomBlossom (TV series)Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...
episode titled "Best Laid Plans of Mice and Men", airdate February 8, 1993 (NBC) (Jim Campbell, Shelby Grimm, Mike Economou, Dan Jordan). - The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode titled "Homer's Barbershop QuartetHomer's Barbershop Quartet"Homer's Barbershop Quartet" is the first episode of The Simpsons fifth season. The episode was written by Jeff Martin and directed by Mark Kirkland. It features The Be Sharps, a barbershop quartet founded by Homer Simpson. The band's story roughly parallels that of The Beatles...
", airdate September 30, 1993 (1st episode of Season 5), as the singing voices of 'The Be Sharps'. (Jim "James" Campbell, Mike "George" Economou, Shelby Grimm, Dan "Don" Jordan). - Home Improvement episode titled "Adios", airdate September 29, 1998 (ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) as 'The Flannels'. (Jim Campbell, Shelby Grimm, Bill Lewis, Tim Reeder). - The Haunted MansionThe Haunted Mansion (film)The Haunted Mansion is a 2003 American comedy horror family film which is based on The Haunted Mansion attraction at Disney theme parks. The film is directed by Rob Minkoff, and stars Eddie Murphy, Terence Stamp, Jennifer Tilly, Marsha Thomason, and Nathaniel Parker...
, released in November 2003, as 'The Singing Busts'. (Disney) (Jim Campbell, Shelby Grimm, Bob Hartley, Bill Lewis, Tim Reeder).