- February 7, 2025
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Ed Bourgeois has been singing since he was about 8 years old.
It's a hobby he has become so passionate about that, throughout his rich musical career, he finally decided it was time to take the lead and start an all-male acapella group right in his hometown of Port Orange. The idea came after several years of participating in other singing groups, such as choirs and barbershop quartets, and has started to take shape.
Currently, six men have joined the group, called the Good News Singers, and Bourgeois is planning to set the number at eight to have a full quartet. According to Bourgeois, he is offering to act as a teacher and coach to those who want the instruction.
His ability to take on that role stems from his multiple musical experiences. One of the first was when he was in a minstrel show at a church, which preceded the next big step for the singer — joining the Barbershop Harmony Society.
Bourgeois had moved to New Jersey and found out the neighbor next door was part of the organization. In those days the group was known as the Society for Preservation of Barbershop Quartet Singing, according to Bourgeois.
"I knew the songs but hadn't heard it in a four-part harmony," Bourgeois said.
What also spurred Bourgeois' interest in starting his own group was his position as a financial representative for American Express. He said he met with many retirees who were not doing much in their daily lives. From Bourgeois' point of view, they just needed to become involved in something they enjoyed.
"By the time you're 60 years old you're pretty much adjudicated that you can't sing very good anymore," Bourgeois said. "And if they were at one point good singers, they just let themselves go."
Bourgeois, who had continued to sing in choruses and quartets, was determined to change this. Now, at the age of 86, he has pulled together his experience and resources and begun forming a completely new group with eight men. Those that are signed up range in age from their 20s to 80s.
However, it's not about age for Bourgeois, it's about harmonizing and staying on pitch. Being able to read music is also a plus. And Bourgeois isn't letting just anyone join. He's looking for men who have what it takes to sing, and sing well, in a group.
The Good News Singers meet on a weekly basis at the Beville Road Church of Christ and are still in the beginning stages of learning how each member works on the team. According to Bourgeois, they will be singing a mix of Broadway tunes, barbershop melodies, some gospel and even a few crooning pieces.
And the advice Bourgeois has for other singers? Just breath.
"It's all about breathing," he said. "Correct breathing will correct almost any problem."
For more information on the Good News Singers or to tryout call 386-589-7487 or email [email protected].
