Twisted Tales: Sex Scandal Severs Singing Senators Supergroup
This Fourth of July weekend, you might feel moved to cue up Jimi Hendrix's 'Star-Spangled Banner' or the Ray Charles version of 'America the Beautiful.' Maybe Neil Diamond's 'America,' if you're feeling especially swell-chested. But your Independence Day playlist would be a lot longer if the Singing Senators hadn't broken up with such spectacular fireworks. Formed in 1995 to sing a barbershop-style version of 'Happy Birthday' for fellow U.S. lawmakers, the Singing Senators were four Republican legislators with a shared taste for four-part harmony. Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott sang bass; Missouri's John Ashcroft sang baritone; Vermont's Jim Jeffords sang tenor, and lead vocals were handled by Larry Craig of Idaho.
The Singing Senators quickly made a name for themselves outside politics, performing on 'The Today Show' and with the Oak Ridge Boys. Taking instruction from Guy Hovis, a Mississippi organizer for Lott better known as one-half of Guy & Ralna, one of the more popular featured acts on the old 'Lawrence Welk Show,' the Senators recorded an album, 'Let Freedom Sing,' in Nashville in 1998.
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Posted by James Sullivan on Jul 3rd 2009 2:00PM
Filed under: Twisted Tales





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