INSIDE A LODI HOME decked in a swath of pink and red, Dave Harmon, with a melodic flourish of his harmonica, signaled the start of a barbershop quartet’s romantic ballad.
“Valentine’s greetings,” vocalized the four members of “4 Heaven’s Sake” as they donned ribbon-trimmed straw hats before singing the classic song “Let Me Call You Sweetheart.”
Willys Nitschke, the troupe’s bass, brought the Valentine serenade to his childhood friend, Debbie Aman, and her husband, Terry Aman, her high school sweetheart.
“That’s so sweet,” exclaimed Debbie, 67, as she bopped along to the quartet’s croons, a long-stemmed rose, also given by the a cappella ensemble, at her side.
Blush colored blossoms bloomed Friday just in time for Valentine’s Day as troupes from the barbershop chorus group, the Stockton Portsmen, dotted through San Joaquin County, bearing romantic melodies to homes, schools and places of work.
“To take their time, (to) do that,” started Debbie as her eyes misted.
“It just makes you feel special,” her husband chimed in.
The blush of romance
Chuck Thurman, filling in for the Lodi quartet’s lead singer, said the best part of the Valentine serenades is embarrassing the receiver.
“It’s so much fun, really, especially when you get to see how happy it makes people feel,” said Thurman. “(We) get to share in their joy.”
At Lodi Commons, a senior living community, resident Jean Goforth found herself trapped in an elevator with the quartet. Donning a felt sweater adorned with a bouquet of red and pink flowers, Goforth waited for the right moment to share a memory that their gentle hums had stirred.
“I wanted to tell you my dad sang in a barbershop quartet,” said Goforth, 86, who had shared that her father’s voice was “low,” much like Nitschke’s. “It makes me want to cry.”
Earlier in Stockton, Thurman said he had sung to a crowd of about 50 Van De Pol Petroleum employees, the Portsmen dressed in their signature red vests.
Thurman and his wife, both members of the Stockton Portsmen, said their Valentine’s tradition is “singing around for other people.”
“We celebrate each other every day,” said Thurman. “We don’t have to have a special day. But we love to be able to spread the love and the cheer to everyone else.”
Before COVID, Thurman said, the chorus group would get upwards of 60 singing valentines, with up to four quartets weaving throughout the county.
“It’s Americana,” said John Hunt the Lodi quartet’s lead and tenor, about the Valentine’s tradition, one that has been part of the San Joaquin Valley for more than 17 years. “It’s part of the American fabric.”
For Hunt, barbershop singing is about “nostalgia,” bringing an atmosphere that is “incredibly affirming and uplifting.”
“It’s hard to take your anxiety to a barbershop practice or be that way when you’re around these guys,” said Hunt, looking around to his quartet members after singing at the Aman home.
“Close harmony, and close fellowship,” added Harmon.
This story originally appeared in Stocktonia.
