OC Times is a male

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

affiliated with the

Barbershop Harmony Society The Barbershop Harmony Society, legally and historically named the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (SPEBSQSA), is the first of several organizations to promote and preserve barbershop ...

. They earned second place silver medals at the International Barbershop Quartet Contest at

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pepsi Center Ball Arena (formerly known as Pepsi Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Denver, Colorado. It is situated at Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by two nearby exits off Interstate 25. A light r ...

on July 7, 2007, and won the International Quartet Championship on July 5, 2008, in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

. The quartet combines traditional barbershop harmonies with contemporary music styles. The music of OC Times is inspired by artists like Michael Buble, Sinatra, and Elvis. The quartet's run for the title is featured in the 2009 feature film

American Harmony ''American Harmony'' is a 2009 documentary film directed and produced by Aengus James, produced by Colin Miller, and edited by Kate Amend. ''American Harmony'', the documentary, was initially screened at the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 2008 ...

Background

OC Times formed in the spring of 2003 and placed 18th out of 52 quartets in their first Barbershop Harmony Society international quartet competition. The quartet updated its image in January 2005 when Cory Hunt replaced Drew Harrah as the bass singer. With coaching by barbershop veteran Mark Hale, they dressed more casually and broadened their repertoire with non-traditional songs. OC Times' subsequent international competition placement jumped to 5th, 3rd, then 2nd before they won the championship in 2008. The quartet has earned several other awards and accolades, including being chosen as the society's Far Western District champions in 2004. The group won the 2008 CARA Awards (

Contemporary A cappella Recording Award The Contemporary A Cappella Society (of America), or CASA, is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to fostering and promoting a cappella music of all styles around the world. CASA was founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon in San Francisco just ...

s) for Best Barbershop Song and Best Barbershop Album for their sophomore release, ''Let's Fly''. All of OC Times are members of the

Masters of Harmony Founded in 1985 with just a few dozen men, the Masters of Harmony is a 110-member men's chorus, based in Greater Los Angeles, California. Winner of eight consecutive gold medals (1990–2011) in international barbershop chorus competitions, th ...

, the 8-time gold medalist chorus (including 2011), and the 2007 and 2010 gold medalist

Westminster Chorus The Westminster Chorus (formerly known as the Harmony Showcase Chorus) is a men's a cappella chorus based in Westminster, California. International Chorus Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society in 2007, 2010, 2015, and 2019, and Choir of ...

.OC Times Bios Page
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Members

*Shawn York – tenor; originally from

Rescue, California Rescue, formerly Green Valley, El Dorado County, California, is an unincorporated community in El Dorado County, California. It is located north-northwest of Shingle Springs and north-northeast of Cameron Park. The zip code is 95672, and Re ...

, and earned his bachelor's degree in Music Education from

Vanguard University Vanguard University of Southern California is a private Christian university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. The university offers over 39 undergraduate degrees and emphases in 15 different departme ...

. He also owns a

Chick-fil-A Chick-fil-A ( , a Word play, play on the American English pronunciation of "wikt:filet#Pronunciation, filet") is an American fast food restaurant chain which is the country's largest which specializes in chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Coll ...

restaurant in

Corona, California Corona (Spanish for "Crown") is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 157,136, up from 152,374 at the 2010 census. The cities of Norco and Riverside lie to the north and north ...

. *Sean Devine – lead; originally from

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is lo ...

, and a graduate of

Azusa Pacific University Azusa Pacific University (APU) is a private, evangelical Christian university in Azusa, California. The university was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900, in Whittier, California, and began offering degrees in 1939. The uni ...

with a degree in organizational leadership. Also sang in the quartet Sam's Club and the

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

group The Alley Cats. Accepted a job with the Harmony Foundation in Nashville in July 2008. *Patrick Claypool – baritone; works as a server at the Yard House Restaurant in

Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...

, and as an Orange Coast College student. *Cory Hunt – bass; a May 2008 graduate of the

University of Nevada, Reno The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded on October 12, ...

, and member of the Reno Silver Dollar Chorus. Landed a job with Environmental Incentives, a consulting firm in

Lake Tahoe Lake Tahoe (; was, Dáʔaw, meaning "the lake") is a Fresh water, freshwater lake in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada of the United States. Lying at , it straddles the state line between California and Nevada, west of Carson City, Nevad ...

Discography

*''Let's Fly'' (CD; 2007) *''Destinations'' (CD; 2010) *''The Road'' (CD; 2014)

References

External links

OC Times Official Site

AIC entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oc Times Professional a cappella groups Barbershop Harmony Society Barbershop quartets Musical groups established in 2003 Musical groups from Orange County, California 2003 establishments in California