Jabberwocks


The Jabberwocks is the oldest a cappella group at Brown University.
WWW jabberwocks.com

History

The group began in 1949 as an offshoot of the traditional Men's Glee Club when four members decided to start their own independent singing group. In 1956, Brown Music Department chair Arlan Coolidge, frustrated that the group was getting bookings that would otherwise have gone to the Glee Club, referred to the Jabberwocks as "a misguided small group of students whose product is a type of vaudeville."
The original Jabberwocks, a double quartet, "wore grey flannel suits, white button-down oxford shirts, striped ties and white buck shoes, and travelled to out-of-town concerts in a 1928 Rolls-Royce."
The Chattertocks, a female a cappella group at the Pembroke women's college, began as a parody of the Jabberwocks in 1952.
The Jabberwocks temporarily disappeared in 1975, was resurrected in 1980, and survived a brief period in the mid-1980s when some singers tried to take the group professional. Over the decades the group's repertoire has ranged from 1950s doo-wop, to Motown to contemporary pop.
For most of their history, the Jabberwocks were an all-male ensemble, with a brief co-ed period after Pembroke was merged into Brown in 1971. As of the fall of 2019, the group began accepting all genders and voices.

Awards

  • 1993, Freedom '90, Runner up, Best Male Collegiate Song
  • 2006, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella regional quarterfinals, second place
  • 2010, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella's Northeast semifinals, second place
  • 2010, Breaking & Entering nominated for the 2010 Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards in three categories.
  • 2017, "Taking the Fall" nominated for the 2017 Contemporary A cappella Recording Awards in three categories.
  • 2024, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella's Northeast quarterfinals, third place
  • 2025, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella's Northeast quarterfinals, second place
  • 2025, International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella's Northeast quarterfinals, Outstanding Arrangement for "My Mind "

Notable alumni

Albums

The Jabberwocks of 1953
  1. Old rockin' chair
  2. How high the moon
  3. Mood indigo
  4. Hello, young lovers
  5. Wade in the water
  6. Aba daba honeymoon
  7. Lindy Lou
  8. Water boy
  9. Never throw a lighted lamp at Mother
  10. Soon one mornin
  11. Halls of ivy
  12. Oh Joe
The Jabberwocks of 1956, Brown University
  1. Be prepared
  2. From this moment on
  3. O Joe
  4. Were you there?
  5. Too good for the average man
  6. On the chapel steps
  7. Josephine
  8. That old black magic
  9. Steppin' around
  10. Hello, young lovers
  11. The farmer's daughter
  12. Farewell song
Fascinatin' Rhythm
  1. Fascinatin' rhythm
  2. Autumn Leaves
  3. From this moment on
  4. Too darn hot
  5. Dancing on the ceiling
  6. Coventry carol
  7. Halls of ivy
  8. My ideal
  9. Wonderful Copenhagen
  10. Tea for two
  11. Swing low
  12. Good news
  13. Farewell song
A peace of ourselves
  1. Enter the young
  2. My old desk
  3. Medley: The guys' song; The worst that could happen; Orange air
  4. Hey Jude
  5. Obladi, oblada
  6. Never my love
  7. Mrs. Robinson
  8. Getting better
  9. Medley: The fiddle and the drum; Requiem for the masses
Streetnight
  1. Tuxedo Junction
  2. Lean on me
  3. Every time we say goodbye
  4. Take you back
  5. Some people
  6. I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter
  7. Me and the boys
  8. Come go with me
  9. Streetnight
  10. Bright college days
  11. Old black magic
  12. Crocodile rock
  13. Rhythm of the rain
  14. You won't see me
  15. Farewell song : traditional Brown song
Hangin' Out
Stylin' By the Tum-tum Tree
The Sharpest Tools in the Shed
Liz's Slingback Boots
  1. Intro
  2. Me and the Boys
  3. 7
  4. Just the Two of Us
  5. Get into the Groove
  6. The Sweetest Thing
  7. Take Five
  8. Never Tear Us Apart
  9. Black Dog
  10. Walking on the Moon
  11. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin
  12. I Will Survive
  13. Why Should I Cry for You
  14. Don't Stop Believin
  15. Farewell Song
Woonsocket
  1. Don't You
  2. Sexual Healing
  3. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore
  4. Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
  5. She's Leaving Home
  6. With A Little Help From My Friends
  7. Don't Dream It's Over
  8. Me And The Boys
  9. Superman
  10. Vogue
  11. Blue Skies
  12. Farewell Song
Sermons and Soda Water
  1. Me and the Boys
  2. Send Me On My Way
  3. Change the World
  4. Volare
  5. Ribbon in the Sky
  6. It's Still Rock and Roll to Me
  7. Glory Days
  8. Ebony & Ivory
  9. When We Dance
  10. Tempted
  11. Love Will Come to You
  12. All Night Long
  13. You're All I Need to Get By
  14. Farewell Song
The Jabberwocks: Fiftieth Anniversary Anthology
  1. Halls of Ivy
  2. Never Throw A Lighted Lamp at Mother
  3. Mood Indigo
  4. How High The Moon
  5. O Joe
  6. Fascinatin' Rhythm
  7. Old Black Magic
  8. Civil War
  9. Never My Love
  10. Come Go With Me
  11. Maine Girl
  12. Rock-N-Roll Lullaby
  13. Me and the Boys
  14. Freedom '90
  15. 7
  16. How Come U Don't Call Me Anymore?
  17. Send Me On My Way
  18. Farewell Song
Listening Session
  1. Sympathy For the Devil
  2. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood
  3. The Seed 3.0
  4. Fix You
  5. Ben Folds
  6. The Last Time
  7. Feeling Good
  8. Tonight, Tonight
  9. Get By
  10. Farewell
  11. Blackbird
Breaking & Entering
  1. You Know My Name
  2. Ain't No Sunshine
  3. The World's Greatest
  4. Viva La Vida
  5. Apologize 3.0
  6. Gone
  7. Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing
  8. 3-Pain
  9. Higher Ground
  10. Bright Lights
  11. Dance With My Father
  12. I'd Do Anything for Love
  13. Farewell Song
JABBERTALK
  1. All of the Lights / Power
  2. Keep It Loose, Keep It Tight
  3. Retrograde
  4. This Woman's Work
  5. Use Somebody
  6. Ragged Wood
  7. Sweet Disposition
  8. Someone Like You / Set Fire to the Rain
  9. Mirrors
  10. With a Little Help From My Friends
  11. Farewell
Taking the Fall
  1. Sweater Weather
  2. Bad Blood
  3. Power Trip / Mine
  4. Me and Mrs. Jones
  5. Spider-Man
  6. Human Nature
  7. Stitches
  8. Brick
  9. Cry Me a River
  10. Drift Away
  11. Farewell
Roommates
  1. Take on Me
  2. If You Were The Rain
  3. All I Ask
  4. Finesse
  5. Climax
  6. No Me No You No More/Let Me Down
  7. Death of a Bachelor
  8. Sign of the Times
  9. Always on My Mind
  10. Farewell
Picture of Us
  1. Me and the Wocks
  2. Give You Blue
  3. A Cappella
  4. ''October Sky''