Over the years, my research on discogs regarding barbershop music has attracted some curious people. I have been contacted by a number of parties, usually requesting a copy of an LP which I am glad to share. These people have always had some connection with the quartet they are asking about. From a family friend, to a teacher to the gentleman above.
John Goldsberry was the baritone in Missouri based quartet The Kippers. They were district champs in 1962 and 1966. They competed at the international contest for five years straight from 1961-1965, finishing at high as 12th in 1962. The Kippers released an album on Chord in 1964, “Living Barbershop Sound Straight from the Heart”.
I offered a digital copy like all the other requests I have gotten over the years but he countered that he already had that – he wanted the physical vinyl. Collecting the entire Chord discography took sometime – and to my memory this was one of the hardest LPs to locate. But given the circumstances, I agreed to part with it. Not for money – I just gave it away.
He agreed to shoot some video and after sometime was able to get it to me, which you can view below. The sad footnote to this story is that just a few months after he got his LP, Mr. Goldberry passed away on December 13th 2021. I never felt so good about giving away a rare record in my life. I have yet to come across another on eBay and I predict it will be sometime before I do – and that is fine with me. The coffee shop that Anthony owns is called MoJo’s in Kearney MO. Stop by today and say hello.
[Addendum: On Feb 11 2022 I found an ebay seller who had the Kippers album as part of a lot. I made him an offer of $15 for the album if he would break it out of the auction. I sent him the link to this post – he agreed to sell it for $5. On Valentine’s Day it arrived, and now the journey is complete.]