Gas House Gang (quartet)

Gas House Gang was a barbershop quartet that won the 1993 SPEBSQSA International Quartet Competition. They began singing together as a group in 1987 in St. Louis, Missouri. After winning the Central States District Competition in 1988 on their first attempt, they steadily advanced in the International Competition, ultimately winning the 1993 International Quartet Championship in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Performances

The Gas House Gang toured the United States and they performed in all fifty states in the U.S. They also sang extensively in Canada and performed around the world, singing in 15 countries.
Major highlights included:

Singing on a PBS special with Marquis (quartet), "Voices in Harmony"
NPR's "At the Creation"
NBC's Today Show
BBC Radio
Singing at Carnegie Hall three times
Singing on the stage at the Grand Ole Opry
Professional productions of The Music Man with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at The Muny
Cruise ship performances
Performers with whom they shared the stage include The Four Freshmen, The Swingle Singers, Rockapella, The Persuasions, The Chordettes, The King's Singers, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Victor Borge, Porter Wagoner, GLAD and the Grammy award-winning group Chanticleer.
They produced five recordings
They were awarded nominations and awards by the Contemporary A Cappella Society of America, including Best Barbershop Song, Studio Album of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Christmas Album, and Best Christmas Song.
They were named to the Barbershop Harmony Society's Hall of Fame in 2008.

On June 3, 2004, the quartet announced their retirement at the end of 2005.
As a part of their 25th-anniversary performance on the 2018 Association of International Champions Show, the Gas House Gang shared a tribute to their original baritone Rob Henry, with some help from his son, Ryan.

Contest placement

Central States District (CSD)

1988 – 1st

Members

Original tenor: Joe Fink
Winning members:
* Tenor: Kipp Buckner
* Lead: Rich Knight
* Bari: Rob Henry
* Bass: Jim Henry
Kipp Buckner began singing barbershop when he was 14 with the Louisville Thoroughbreds chorus and international championship victories in 1981 and 1984. He is one of two men to have won the International Champion Quartet Medal three times. Buckner won his three gold medals with the GHG in 1993, the Interstate Rivals in 1987, and Old School in 2011. Buckner sang with the Ambassadors of Harmony for their first international championship victory in 2004 in his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.
Jim Henry, PhD joined the society at the age of 11 as a member of the Daniel Boone Chorus, which became the Ambassadors of Harmony. He became the director of the Ambassadors in 1991 and went on to lead the chorus to 16 medals including 4 gold medals. In 2009 when Crossroads won, Jim became the only man in BHS history to direct the winning chorus and win with his quartet in the same year. In 2019, he was inducted to the Barbershop Harmony Society's Hall of Fame.

Henry's 2000 doctoral dissertation on the African American origins of barbershop harmony and his 2007 Harmony University keynote address, "Gold Medal Moments" have influenced the study, philosophy, and discourse of barbershop harmony.

Rich Knight has sung with the Ambassadors of Harmony since the 1970s and has been part of each championship. His lead voice creates the defining sound of the GHG. He is an active member in the Central States District. He is an active coach and clinician, teaching at district events, Harmony University and International Barbershop events.
Rob Henry, the quartet's baritone, was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on May 30, 2003, and died shortly thereafter on September 4, 2003.

Several prominent barbershop singers helped fill in after Rob's death, to fulfill show obligations.
Replacement baritone members:

Mike Slamka
Brandon Guyton
DJ Hiner
Tony DeRosa
Jonny Moroni