For Gold Rush, it's all about the songs. Fast or slow, loud or soft, our songs generally relate to love in some way. They cover a wide range of time periods, some from as far back as the mid teens to as recent as the '50's and were originally done by such famous performers as Helen Kane, Peggy Lee, Mel Torme, and Eddie Cantor, to name a few. Some of the songs may be familiar, and there are a few that are even Barbershop "Standards", but we like nothing better than to introduce you to something new, even though the song itself may be approaching 100 years old. We'll be introducing at least 4 new ones in the Spring, including one from a 1915 musical and one from a Shirley Temple movie. The Members Steve Nolte (tenor) began singing harmony in fifth grade. He has a lot of solo and ensemble experience having sung for weddings and numerous church choirs. Steve was also a member of the American Legion Male Chorus, Sioux Falls, SD. He performed on the Belle Plaine High School stage for "Fiddler on the Roof" and "Oklahoma" and played trumpet in the pit orchestra for "The Sound of Music". Steve was a charter member of the Plainsmen Barbershop Chorus in Belle Plaine, MN. He joined the Great Northern Union Chorus in 2002 Prior to Gold Rush, Steve was the tenor of PRISM the Land O 'Lakes District Novice Quartet Champions in 2003. Steve has a married daughter, a college-age son and stepson,and lives with his wife, Kelly Stewart in Chaska, MN. Cleon Wahlin (lead) is an active member of the Great Northern Union Chorus while maintaining a dual membership with his hometown chorus, the Croix Chordsmen Chorus in Stillwater, MN. Cleon sang in a barbershop quartet in High School... he has the picture to prove it. After high school he neglected his singing talent for many years, save for shower singing, and church meetings. In 1994, Cleon came back to singing, specifically to the barbershop style. Since joining the Society, he has sung in a few quartets, most notably PRISM, 2003 LOL District Novice Champions, along with Spirit of Harmony, and What'cha Hear 4. Cleon works as an IS/IT Analyst for Northwest/Delta Airlines. Cleon has two grown daughters and lives with his wife, Cheryl in Golden Valley, MN. The Wahlin's are expecting a generation bridging baby girl in May '09'. We wish them well. Steve Anderson (bass) started singing barbershop as a member of the quartet in his 9th grade musical, "The Music Man." He and his twin brother, Rick, kept that quartet together throughout high school. They called themselves The Music Men They didn't know anything about the Barbershop Harmony Society until their junior high choral director entered them into a contest with Young Men in Harmony (YMIH). 35 years later, he is still singing barbershop. What a great hobby! Steve has been in several quartets over the years including Live Wire 2002 LOL District Novice Champions and 3rd place District competition finisher in 2003. Steve has 2 grown sons, lives in Minneapolis, MN with his wife Annie and is self-employed in the healthcare industry. Steve Hardy (baritone) has been a barbershopper for over 30 years and has sung in quite a few quartets, twice on the "big stage" ... International. If he seems kinda familiar, it's because he was the tenor for one of the Land O' Lakes oddest quartets, Imagination, where he was "Pugsley" in their "Addams Family" act and "Hummer" in the insect package. His other barbershop quartets include Men At Work, Live Wire, and Ring of Gold among others. Steve uses his Bachelor of Music degree to arrange songs for the quartet. He also collects old quartet recordings (on 78s!). Steve and his wife, Marylou, live in Coon Rapids where he is self-employed. They have two adult "computer guru" sons, Ben and Scott. What We've Been Doing / Where We'll Be We've sung for several local men's Barbershop and Sweet Adeline chapters in the area and made four appearances at the Lowell Inn in Stillwater in December. (We can sing Christmas carols too!) This is the third year in a row for this engagement. We hope it's a tradition that continues for years to come. At the moment, our next public performance (not counting Singing Valentines) will be the Divison Competition in Stillwater, Minnesota the end of March. An Invitation The group would like to sing for you too. To contact the quartet call Steve (really!) at 763 757-0581 or by email at steve@prettygoodquartet.com.