Evans Quartet

The Evans Quartet is the Barbershop Harmony Society's 1960 International Quartet Champion. The Evans Quartet was first organized in 1926 when Oscar “Doc” and Ivy Evans four older sons decided to start a quartet. The quartet consisted of Thayer “Turk” Evans on tenor, George Evans on lead, Preston “Pres” Evans on baritone, and Clarence “Clary” Evans on bass. The boys got their inspiration from their dad and three uncles who sang in a professional Vaudeville quartet called “The Elgin Four.” The boys were 7, 9, 11, and In 1927, the Evans got the chance to sing “Lucky Lindy” for Charles Linberg as his motor parade passed through Salt Lake City. Linberg stopped the parade and listened to them sing. He thanked them all personally and shook each of their hands. The Evans Quartet appeared on Vaudeville in 1928 in locations such as the Pentages Theater and the Orpheum Theater. They were ranked as the kings of comedy. In 1933, Clary left the quartet and their youngest brother, Jack, joined as lead and George switched to bass. In 1942, George left the quartet and Al Nielsen joined as the new bass. The quartet was disbanded temporarily in 1937 while Pres served as a Mormon missionary for 2 1/2 years. The quartet was inactive for another two years during World War II while the members served in the armed forces. In 1957, the Evans Quartet competed in the 1957 SPEBSQSA international contest in Minneapolis and placed 16th. Following that contest, Al Nielsen left the quartet and some more musical chairs commenced. Pres switched to lead, Jack switched to bass, and Gene “Smitty” Smith joined as the new baritone. In 1958, the quartet went to the international convention in Columbus, Ohio and earned 5th place bronze medals. In 1959 in Chicago, Illinois, they jumped up to 2nd place silver medalists. In 1960, the Evans Quartet went into Dallas ready to win. They won their gold medals by a 386 point margin. There was some controversy with their win as many in the audience had picked the Nighthawks of Canada as the winners and when they weren’t announced as the winners, many in the audience let their opinions be known vocally. Despite all this, the Evans Quartet graciously accepted the trophy and their gold medals. The Evans Quartet began to travel extensively throughout the next 21 years. During their travels, they met many famous celebrities such as Irving Berlin, Ted Lewis, Meredith Wilson, and even President John F. Kennedy. They appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1958 and the Lawrence Welk Show in 1960. It was the Evans Quartet that invited the Osmond Brothers to the 1962 SPEBSQSA international convention as their guests. Some of the Evans Quartet’s most popular show tunes included songs such as “Red Rose Rag”, “I’m In Love Again”, “Dear Little Boy Of Mine”, “My Wonderful One”, and many more. In 1961, Jack was transferred out of state and Shirl Beckstead replaced him as bass. They released a Christmas LP in 1961 and were the first barbershop quartet to do so. They also released a self-titled album under Chord Records in 1964. In 1965, Smitty had to leave the quartet and cousin, Bob Evans, replaced him as baritone. By 1971, Shirl had left the quartet and Jack had moved back to Salt Lake City and sang with the Evans again for the final ten years. By 1980, the Evans Quartet were making their third appearance as the River City School Board in the Music Man. The Evans Quartet sang their final show together in the late winter of 1981, 55 years after they first formed. Bob Evans went on to win a senior quartet gold medal in 1992 as the baritone of One More Time. Sadly, all of the members have since passed on. We lost Gene “Smitty” Smith on January 24, 1984 at the age of 61. Jack Evans died on February 27, 1987 at the age of 63. Clary Evans died on January 10, 1999 at the age of 84. Turk Evans died on February 14, 1999 at the age of 80. George Evans died on February 2, 2000 at the age of 79. Pres Evans died on August 3, 2006 at the age of 90. Shirl Beckstead died on March 29, 2008 at the age of 82. Bob Evans died on August 23, 2010 at the age of 89.