Norman resident celebrates 50 years of music
Apr. 28—A Norman resident has received a Governor's Commendation in recognition of 50 years of dedication to barbershop chorus.
Gov. Kevin Stitt awarded the commendation to Amil Lyons, 75, who joined Oklahoma City's chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 1974 and has been singing barbershop music ever since.
Lyons began singing in a high school glee club in his hometown of Cimarron, Kansas. He began as one of his school's three tenors, but one day when he greeted his choir teacher, she didn't say hello back. Instead, she said, "Uh-oh, Amil. Come here."
They sat down at a piano and checked his vocal range, and his choir teacher realized she was down to two tenors: at age 14, Amil's voice had dropped to a bass register.
In college at Wichita State, Lyons saw an advertisement for the local chapter for the Barbershop Harmony Society. He was already in the university's glee club, but when he learned the society had chapters across the country, one of his post-graduate plans solidified.
"I told my wife, I said, 'When I find my job, wherever we are, I wanna get with those guys. I wanna do that,'" Lyons said.
After Lyons graduated, he moved to Norman to begin his career in petroleum sciences. He would spend several days a time at a drilling well site, and at one, he met a geologist who happened to be a barbershopper. The geologist played Lyons cassette recordings from a recent competition.
"After that three or four or five days I was on the well site with him, I was hooked," Lyons said. "I attended (rehearsal) the next Monday night, and that's how fifty years started."
Lyons has participated in several choruses, some of which have won district championships; two even placed in the top 10 at international competitions. He is also the Legacy Committee Chair of his chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society, tasked with researching and preserving the chapter's history back to its inception in 1938.
When Lyons joined, the society had locations across the U.S. and Canada; it has since expanded across the world to countries like Sweden and New Zealand. The music, too, has expanded, from old standards to incorporate modern pop music.
Lyons doesn't have any particular favorite songs — he just takes joy in making music with other people.
"When you get that four-part harmony, and you get the notes you sing just right, and your voices match, you actually create a tone — we call it the angel tones," Lyons said. "That's what I really enjoy about it the most, just about any song that I can create that with, that I can hear that little angel."
His favorite memories are performing in front of audiences, which he attributes to helping him overcome shyness.
"It pulled me out from being an introvert. I was afraid of getting in front of an audience or anyone else to speak up, because I was a shy kid," Lyons said.
He said it was nerve wracking to sing in front of others, but years of practice slowly dulled his nervousness.
He credits his chorus mates, too, for supporting him and helping him overcome his fear. and he took comfort in the support of his fellow barbershoppers.
"It's a brotherhood, what barbershop is," Lyons said. "The camaraderie and the brotherhood of it all, that's what's kept me in it."
You can see Lyon's chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society at its next performance at 4 p.m. May 18 Tickets are available at vocalsoundsok.org.
