The Four Hurricanes
Carry Me Back to Old Virginy
It's astounding that this audio file exists at all : actually taken from a performance somewhere in the Far East. Listen for Jerry's birdsong. The quartet is Bill Brown, 1st tenor; Jerry Degenarro, lead tenor; Doug Daubenspeck, baritone; and Michael Roy, bass.
Lynn Rick (RIP) ? Brownie Doug Jerry Michael Kathy Margaret
Confusion
I had to cheat big-time to represent this song: there is no extant recording of the Four Hurricanes singing "Confusion." I have used the overdubbed one-man quartet I made back in the '70's in my home studio, which at least provides the song and lyrics, and gives one the idea of what's going on in the photos. This is a live in-concert perf. and it starts with an explanation to the audience re: the weird song.
This is in the quite resonant hallway leading to Broby Hall, the choral HQ at the U of M Music School. The quartet often sang in here because it sounded too good not to. Bill Brett is the 1st tenor, meaning this quartet was holding forth in the early days:1964 and 1965. This was the quartet that sang during the European tour in the spring of '65.
We're 10,000 miles away from campus with this Four Hurricanes performance back in the Far East, singing for U.S. troops. It's the same song, however: "Confusion," which can be identified whenever Doug Daubenspeck is plastered (being the hard-drinking dad of the Confusion family). Hear the audio file to get the full picture: there's not enough nouns and verbs to suffice.
Here are two fine photos of the Four Hurricanes back on the Univ. of Miami Music School campus. First the 1964 - '65 quartet: Michael Roy, Doug Daubenspeck, Bill Brett, and up in the tree, Jerry Degennaro. This photo correctly shows the quartet as the goofuses they were; but they could sing men's harmonies so excellently that the U.S. troops were willing to forgive these men for pushing the gorgeous SH girls offstage for 3 whole minutes: not... an easy forgiveness for lonely G.I.s to muster.
This Four Hurricanes quartet has Brownie (Bill Brown) as 1st tenor, and Lee Norbraten at lead tenor: thus the era is 1966 and beyond. This performance was at the Univ. of Miami Student Union. On rare occasions, the Singing Hurricanes gave performances to the general university student body.
The same quartet and the same performance. The only difference is, for some reason, I have a big whistle: perhaps Lee Norbraten can remind me of the song; he never forgets anything. Also, the blond woman in the audience in the lower right: Pam Clark, my college sweetheart (she and I were editors of the '69 U of M yearbook): Good fortune, Pam.
