1910 - 2001
Died on February 21, 2001 at home in Tucson, Arizona with his sons and
friends at his side, of leukemia. Son of William Henry and Cora (Durant
Woodard) Perry, he was born on September 14, 1910 in Charlotte, NC, and
was raised in West Newton, MA. He was the eldest of five and was
predeceased by his brother, William, and his sister Rose Kora McKenna.
He is survived by his sisters Eleanor Hare of Needham MA
and Joye Roberts.
He attended public schools in Newton, MA and after graduating from
Newton High School eh enrolled in Tufts University. At Tufts he
discovered a passion for music and formed a jazz band and moved to New
York City in 1932. He played and arranged music for a number of the
"Big Bands" and orchestras in New York during the 1930's.
On November 24, 1938, he married Abigail Ruth MacKay and returned to
Boston in 1940 to begin the professional study of classical music.
During World War II he worked as a machinist at Watertown Arsenal. He
and Ruth had two sons and after the war he drove cab and worked as a
chauffeur while continuing his music studies. In 1950 they moved to
Needham, MA where they raised the family. He was a Methods Engineer in
the manufacture of precision gyroscopes for NASA. But that was his
day-job only, for in Needham he discovered barbershop quartet singing
and began what was to become a 50-year avocation and the constructions
of his life's gift.
As a classically trained musician, he recognized in the amateur
harmonizing an unusual sound and voicing that he has later described as
the same tuning as in classical string quartets and became intrigued
with this indigenous American art form. First singing in chorus, then
in a quartet, then directing a chorus, he discovered that the songs and
musical form were able to make groups of men of all ages create not only
music together but entertainment that moved the spirit of an audience.
He then moved on to coaching quartets and to use his training to write
arrangements of popular songs of the early 20th century and to shape
them to the barbershop form. He coached a number of quartets but three
that have achieved international recognition are The Four Rascals, The
Four Statesmen and The Boston Common, two of which won International
championships.
When he retired he and Ruth moved to Tucson for her health and he was
able to devote more time to his music. He continued to function as a
judge in regional and international competition in the Society and he
continued to provide advice and coaching to quartets from around the
country. He also entered a period of prolific arranging of old popular
music for quartets around the world. He has written arrangements of
literally hundreds of song, many of which have become standards of the
genre. He also decided that Barbershop form should be preserved in a
teaching institute and was instrumental in formation of the Harmony
Education Program and Harmony College.
These quartets and the music that he arranged and wrote for them have
defined the form of Barbershop Quartet Singing In America. The
arrangements he made and the songs he wrote are his legacy and the
thousands of men and women who sing them are the recipients of his gift.
In addition to caring for Ruth and working on his "hobby" at age 74 he
began what was to be 16 years of volunteer work with Mobile Meals of
Tucson delivering meals to seniors and disable people who are unable to
prepare their own meals. He continued this work until five weeks before
his death.
He is survived by his son, John and Denise Perry, of St Johnsbury, VT
and Mark Perry and Holly Damerell of Tucson and four grandchildren:
Jed, Owen and Emily Perry of St Johnsbury and MacKay Damerell Perry of
Tucson. He is remembered by his special friend Carol Ostrander of
Tucson and by the many friends who have been touched by him.
Contributions in his memory can be made to
the
Lou Perry Harmony University Scholarship Fund
Barbershop Harmony Society
110 7th Avenue N
Nashville, TN 37203-3704.