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The legend of Lightfoot began with Teen Timers in the mid 1950s

The quartet, formed in 1954, featured Bill Hughes singing bass, Gord Lightfoot baritone, Terry Whelan lead and Bob Branch tenor

Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau.

Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.

The Teen Timers was formed in September of 1954 with Bill Hughes singing bass, Gord Lightfoot baritone, Terry Whelan lead and Bob Branch tenor. 

With only three months practice, the group entered the Ontario Championship Competition at Massey Hall and placed sixth out of 14 quartettes. 

Throughout the rest of the term they did an average of two engagements a week at service clubs, town gatherings and school events. They lined up a job at a Muskoka Lodge and spent a solid summer of singing and good times.

Twice weekly, they appeared in the resort’s floor show and at other hotels in the district. Late in the summer of 1955 they received an offer to go to New York to try a couple of records but a couple of the boys wanted to further their education and the offer was declined.

In November 1955 the Teen Timers placed second in the Ontario Barbershop Championships at St. Catharines. 

The next year the group continued to sing together for a time, but with Bill Hughes entering university in Toronto and Bob Branch leaving school to work in town, close to two years of harmonizing excellence came to an end.  

 


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