The Singing Senators
Encyclopedia
The Singing Senators were a group of U.S. Republican
Senators
who sang as a barbershop
quartet.
's birthday party, Ashcroft, Jeffords, Lott, and Connie Mack
of Florida sang "Happy Birthday". Later, when Senator Bob Packwood
of Oregon
was having a birthday party, Jeffords called Lott and suggested that the four of them sing at the party. Mack declined, but Larry Craig joined. According to his autobiography, Herding Cats, A Life in Politics, Lott formed the group in large part to improve relations between the Republican Conference, of which Lott was Majority Leader, and Jeffords, a Republican who frequently voted with the Democrats.
During the initial years, the four Senators usually practiced in Lott's hideaway office. Guy Hovis
, the Mississippi state director for Lott, was a talented musician who gave the Senators some training. They all practiced together every day.
In April 1996, the Oak Ridge Boys sang with the group at a Senate reception, something described in The Hill
, a Capitol Hill newspaper, as "Congressional Harmony". In September 1996 the group performed again with the Oak Ridge Boys in Branson, Missouri
. The same year, the senators sang at the 1996 Republican National Convention
.
In 1998 the group released their only album, Let Freedom Sing, a ten-song CD recorded in Nashville. In 2000, clips of the group's songs could be streamed from the Senate pages of Ashcroft and Jeffords.
In November 2000, Ashcroft lost his Senate re-election race (he was appointed Attorney General
in early 2001). In May 2001, Jeffords announced he was leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent
, returning control of the Senate to the Democrats. The two events, combined, led to the apparent demise of the group.
(R-Utah) and John Thune
(R-S.D.)
In June 2007, Singing Senators Ashcroft, Craig, and Lott gave their first public performance in more than six years. Senator Craig was subsequently inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame, having been selected in March 2007. Craig said that the group was now a trio
. Lott's announced resignation in 2007 seemed to put the existence of even a trio in doubt. Craig's decision to not run for another term in 2008—due in part to the controversy over his arrest for solicitation the previous year—spelled the formal end of the group.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Senators
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
who sang as a barbershop
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
quartet.
Members
Representation as of 2000:- Fmr. Sen. John AshcroftJohn AshcroftJohn David Ashcroft is a United States politician who served as the 79th United States Attorney General, from 2001 until 2005, appointed by President George W. Bush. Ashcroft previously served as the 50th Governor of Missouri and a U.S...
(R-Missouri) – BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... - Fmr. Sen. Larry CraigLarry CraigLarry Edwin Craig is a former Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served 18 years in the U.S. Senate , preceded by 10 years in the U.S. House, representing Idaho's first district . His 28 years in the Congress rank as the second-longest in Idaho history, trailing only William...
(R-Idaho) – Lead - Fmr. Sen. James Jeffords (R-Vermont 1989-2001) (I-Vermont 2001-2007) – TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- Fmr. Sen. Trent LottTrent LottChester Trent Lott, Sr. , is a former United States Senator from Mississippi and has served in numerous leadership positions in the House of Representatives and the Senate....
(R-Mississippi) – BassBass (voice type)A bass is a type of male singing voice and possesses the lowest vocal range of all voice types. According to The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, a bass is typically classified as having a range extending from around the second E below middle C to the E above middle C...
Beginnings
In 1995, at New Hampshire Senator Bob SmithRobert C. Smith
Robert C. "Bob" Smith is an American politician who has served in both the United States House of Representatives and the Senate. He is a member of the Republican Party.-Early life:Smith was born in Trenton, New Jersey...
's birthday party, Ashcroft, Jeffords, Lott, and Connie Mack
Connie Mack III
Cornelius Alexander McGillicuddy III , popularly known as Connie Mack, is a former Republican politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Florida from 1983 to 1989 and then as a Senator from 1989 to 2001. He served as chairman of the Senate Republican...
of Florida sang "Happy Birthday". Later, when Senator Bob Packwood
Bob Packwood
Robert William "Bob" Packwood is a U.S. politician from Oregon and a member of the Republican Party. He resigned from the United States Senate, under threat of expulsion, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and assault of women emerged.-Early life and career:Packwood was born in...
of Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
was having a birthday party, Jeffords called Lott and suggested that the four of them sing at the party. Mack declined, but Larry Craig joined. According to his autobiography, Herding Cats, A Life in Politics, Lott formed the group in large part to improve relations between the Republican Conference, of which Lott was Majority Leader, and Jeffords, a Republican who frequently voted with the Democrats.
During the initial years, the four Senators usually practiced in Lott's hideaway office. Guy Hovis
Guy Hovis
Guy Lee Hovis, Jr. , is an American-born singer who, along with his former wife, Ralna English of West Texas, was one of the featured acts of television's The Lawrence Welk Show....
, the Mississippi state director for Lott, was a talented musician who gave the Senators some training. They all practiced together every day.
1995–2000
Their first official performance of the group was in October 1995 at a Young Political Leaders of America meeting. In December 1995, the group appeared on The Today Show.In April 1996, the Oak Ridge Boys sang with the group at a Senate reception, something described in The Hill
The Hill (newspaper)
The Hill, a subsidiary of News Communications Inc., is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C. since 1994.Its first editor was Martin Tolchin, a veteran correspondent in the Washington bureau of The New York Times....
, a Capitol Hill newspaper, as "Congressional Harmony". In September 1996 the group performed again with the Oak Ridge Boys in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. The same year, the senators sang at the 1996 Republican National Convention
1996 Republican National Convention
The 1996 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States convened at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, from August 12 to August 15, 1996...
.
In 1998 the group released their only album, Let Freedom Sing, a ten-song CD recorded in Nashville. In 2000, clips of the group's songs could be streamed from the Senate pages of Ashcroft and Jeffords.
In November 2000, Ashcroft lost his Senate re-election race (he was appointed Attorney General
United States Attorney General
The United States Attorney General is the head of the United States Department of Justice concerned with legal affairs and is the chief law enforcement officer of the United States government. The attorney general is considered to be the chief lawyer of the U.S. government...
in early 2001). In May 2001, Jeffords announced he was leaving the Republican Party to become an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, returning control of the Senate to the Democrats. The two events, combined, led to the apparent demise of the group.
Revival
In October 2006, Singing Senators Lott and Craig said they were putting the quartet back together after a six-year hiatus. They said they had found two solid prospects in Senators Bob BennettRobert Foster Bennett
Robert Foster "Bob" Bennett is a former United States Senator from Utah and a member of the Republican Party. In 2006, Bennett was tapped to serve on the Senate Republican Leadership Team as Counsel to the Minority Leader, United States Senator Mitch McConnell...
(R-Utah) and John Thune
John Thune
John Randolph Thune is the junior U.S. Senator from South Dakota and a member of the Republican Party. He previously served as a U.S. Representative for .-Early Life, Education:...
(R-S.D.)
In June 2007, Singing Senators Ashcroft, Craig, and Lott gave their first public performance in more than six years. Senator Craig was subsequently inducted into the Idaho Hall of Fame, having been selected in March 2007. Craig said that the group was now a trio
Trio (music)
Trio is generally used in any of the following ways:* A group of three musicians playing the same or different musical instrument.* The performance of a piece of music by three people.* The contrasting section of a piece in ternary form...
. Lott's announced resignation in 2007 seemed to put the existence of even a trio in doubt. Craig's decision to not run for another term in 2008—due in part to the controversy over his arrest for solicitation the previous year—spelled the formal end of the group.
Other Singing Legislators
- Orrin HatchOrrin HatchOrrin Grant Hatch is the senior United States Senator for Utah and is a member of the Republican Party. Hatch served as the chairman or ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1993 to 2005...
(R-Utah), a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is also a religious musicReligious musicReligious music is music performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence.A lot of music has been composed to complement religion, and many composers have derived inspiration from their own religion. Many forms of traditional music have been adapted to fit religions'...
artist. During 2002 he earned $18,009 in income from sales of his own recordings, according to a Senate financial disclosure; this was his highest annual intake from his singing.
- The Second AmendmentsSecond AmendmentsThe Second Amendments is a bipartisan rock and country band, all of the members of which were also members of the United States House of Representatives...
, made up of five Congressmen from the House of Representatives.