Close Harmony
A broad vocal-harmony label with real historical roots in barbershop and a wider life in pop, country, and group singing.
Origins and context
Barbershop sources describe the style as rooted in African-American traditions of the late 1800s in the U.S. South, later carried into broader American popular singing and quartet performance.
The sound
Instrument palette
The voices and tools most associated with this sound.
- Voices
History
The phrase has been used in several corners of popular music, so the history is a little braided rather than single-threaded. In barbershop tradition, the Barbershop Harmony Society traces the style to late-1800s African-American musical practice in the U.S. South, later framed through quartet singing and a cappella close four-part harmony. By the early and mid-20th century, the sound had also become important in mainstream popular singing and vocal-group records, including early barbershop-style pop and later harmony groups associated with country, doo-wop, and vocal pop. That broader usage is why the term is best treated as a descriptive vocal style rather than a single, neatly bounded genre.
Notable artists
- TMThe Mills Brothers
- TAThe Andrews Sisters
