Every now and then, in Quartet singing, four guys who have been singing in other groups for years find their musical paths crossing - and something special happens! The Happiness Emporium was formed in December, 1972, and right away they sounded like a winner. In their first year and a half they won 4 contests and placed in the Top 10 in International Competition. Then, a year later, in June, 1975, the Happiness Emporium was proclaimed the International Champions of Barbershop Quartet singing.
The members of the quartet have a combined total of over 125 years of quartet experience. They have sung with 7 District Champion quartets, and have sung for Barbershop Chapters all over America, Canada, England, Sweden and Ireland. Two of the members have toured Pacific military hospitals on USO tours with their previous quartets. In October of 2003, they led their second tour to Ireland, where the H.E. was the featured quartet of the Irish International Barbershop Convention in Dublin.
The Emporium is a remarkably versatile singing group, equally proficient with "pure" barbershop arrangements, modern harmonies, gospel, show tunes, country, nostalgic medleys and comedy. One reason for the success of the Happiness Emporium is the matched unit sound of four excellent voices. Each of the four is often featured in solo numbers backed up by the other three. Word has gotten around that the H.E. is no ordinary quartet. They have performed for countless conventions, coast-to-coast barbershop shows, variety shows, radio and TV, the Grand Ole Opry, on New York's Broadway, and London's Barbican Centre.
From December 1-8, 2008, the quartet will be leading a tour to Ireland, featuring participation in the "Christmas in Killarney" Festival. Good News! Yuletide Favorites music and CDs for learning assistance will be provided to singers who join the tour. Several "performances" of the traveling chorus and the Happiness Emporium will be included, in addition to some outstanding Christmas shopping opportunities at world famous Irish product centers. For more information, contact tour director, Leo Larivee, at www.TLCTours.com.
The quartet has preserved their special sound on ten audio recordings and a video containing two of their shows since winning the International Championship. Their great sounds, are available on digital compact disks, plus a DVD offering of "Double Feature", previously only available on video tape. Samples from each of the CDs are available to hear at the recordings section of the website.
In year 2000, the Happiness Emporium recorded their first all-gospel album, "Beneath the Cross.” This was followed in 2004, with the release of another all-gospel album, “Beneath the Cross II.” The latest gospel album is called "Golden Gospel", and it features instrumental accompaniment in the southern gospel style.
The quartet took over the Good News! gospel quartet program following the retirement of three of the founders; Jerry Fairchild, Joe Mazzone and Dale Deiser. Good News! albums are offered in barbershop gospel style, including music arrangement folios and learning CD’s and tapes. Since taking on the Good News! ministry, the quartet has released three new gospel learning folios and the associated learning CD’s in the Good News! series. They are Volume VIII - "Tell the Story", Volume IX - "Faith of Our Fathers”, and Volume X - "The King and I."
New features of Volume VIII and IX included learning CDs with both part predominant tracks (for learning) and part missing tracks (for rehearsing and singing along with the Good News! Quartet). Another new feature included special package pricing for quartets, (the Quartet Special) including all necessary folios (four), four learning CDs (one for each part) and a bonus full mix CD to hear how the final product sounds as done by the Good News! (Happiness Emporium).
Volume X includes more new features, including instrumental accompaniment. The rehearsal and performance tracks are available, along with the traditional arrangement folios and learning CDs.
You can request a catalog for all Happiness Emporium and Good News! products from the address that follows or pick one up at their recordings table at performances. Their recordings and barbershop gospel arrangements may be purchased at performances, on the H.E. web site, or from Emporium Recordings, 1308 Blue Phlox Court, Northfield, MN 55057. Performance bookings may be arranged by email to rodlead@hotmail.com or by calling 507/645-5750. (January through April, call 239-498-2598) The address of their internet web site is www.HappinessEmporium.com.
Bob Dowma, Tenor
Arranges most of the quartet's music, and he served 12 years as a Certified Arrangement Judge for the Barbershop Harmony Society. Bob has retired from the debits and credits world as a Controller for the past 35 years with 3 different Twin Cities companies. To keep his fingers and mind nimble, Bob performs treasurer duties for most all of the organizations in which he participates. We've been threatening to call for a major audit... sometime! He sings with the Great Northern Union Chorus, plays golf, sings bass in his church choir, and sings in 7th Heaven, a mixed gospel/barbershop quartet, in which Jim also sings. He also plays banjo in a local dixieland group, comprised mainly of Twin Cities area barbershoppers. Bob is married and has a daughter, a son and a grandson. His son, Dan, is Co-webmaster for the quartet web site. Bob is in charge of wearing uniforms the other three tell him to wear. His 5' 18" stature often has people confusing him as the "big bass" of the quartet. Not so!
(email: hetenor@dowma.com)
Rod Johnson, Lead
When not singing the lead part, Rod also fills in on bass or baritone when the other voices are being featured. He is retired, but works part-time at the Target Stores in Northfield, Minnesota and Estero, Florida. He is the contact man for the quartet, and his wife, Arlene, handles the order fulfillment work for Happiness Emporium and Good News! recordings. Rod is a member of the Barbershop Harmony Society, Land O'Lakes District, and also spends much of his time in the Sunshine District. He sings with Inspiration Singers (gospel choir) in Northfield, Minnesota, and in Estero, Florida, he sings with the Breckenridge Chorus and Inspiration, his church's gospel choir. He enjoys travel and golf, and is married with two daughters, two grandsons and a granddaughter. Rod and Arlene have homes in both Minnesota and Florida. This, of course, means he is assigned to getting more H.E. singing engagements in the sunshine state!
(email: rodlead@hotmail.com)
Jim Foy, Bass
Handles the quartet's travel logistics and much of the sound equipment duties. Jim's other hobby is tinkering with cars. He recently sold one of his favorites, a 1950 Oldsmobile. We can only guess what four-wheel gem may be gracing his driveway next. Jim is a retiree from an agricultural equipment manufacturer, but manages to work enough part-time to pay for his robust golfing habit. As an enthusiastic golfer, he pledges to not give up until he gets it right. This could take awhile! He is a member of the Minneapolis Commodores Chapter, and sings in two other groups... his church choir and 7th Heaven, a mixed gospel/barbershop quartet. Jim is married with four grown children. A small bunch of kids (seven) know him as "Grampa." Jim has recorded extensively with the Good News! gospel quartet, and was instrumental in the Happiness Emporium taking over that music ministry in 2000.
(email: HEQbass@USFamily.net)
Rick Anderson, Baritone
Joined the Emporium in 1987, after singing in two District Champion quartets. Rick works as a Programmer/Analyst for HealthPartners, a health maintenance organization (HMO), and sings with the Great Northern Union Chorus. He is the proud father of two teen-agers, a son and a daughter, and he likes to play golf. Rick is the quartet's "designated driver" on the golf course. The other three are his "designated finders" of occasional shots too good to stay in the confines of the short grass. As a bari, he loves caulking and filling chords, but the H.E. also features him on solos and hero notes. He has now held down the quartet's bari part the longest (20 years) of the H.E.'s three baritones. Rick also has one of the quartet's most important jobs... holding down the average age of the quartet members. That job keeps getting tougher!
(email: heqb3@hotmail.com)
