The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, also known as the SOBs, is an all-male ''
a cappella'' singing group from
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
. Founded in 1938, The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus is the longest-running all-male acappella group in the United States. Alumni of the SOBs have gone on to be founding members of other college ''a cappella'' groups such as The Pitchforks of Duke University (Jeff Warren 1978) and The Chorallaries of MIT (David H. Bass 1975, also composer of their
Engineer's Drinking Song).
History
On October 31, 1938, twelve Yale undergraduates gathered at
Mory's Temple Bar to form an alternative ''a cappella'' group to the Yale
Whiffenpoofs
The Yale Whiffenpoofs is a collegiate a cappella singing group. Established at Yale University in 1909, it is the oldest such group in the United States. The line-up is completely replaced each year: the group is always composed of rising senio ...
.
The group capitalized on a back-handed compliment received from an audience member: "These SOBs are good!" and formed a
backronym
A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...
.
Music and comedy
![The Society of Orpheus & Bacchus, Custom Necktie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/The_Society_of_Orpheus_%26_Bacchus%2C_Custom_Necktie.JPG)
The society’s repertoire, which contains over 200 arrangements, is composed entirely of music arranged by current and former members of the group during its more than eight decades of existence. It spans a variety of genres from barbershop to jazz to songs by more contemporary artists like
Queen
Queen or QUEEN may refer to:
Monarchy
* Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom
** List of queens regnant
* Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king
* Queen dowager, the widow of a king
* Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
,
MIKA
Mika is a given name, a nickname and a surname. Notable people and fictional characters with the name include:
People known just as Mika
* Mika (singer) (born 1983), Lebanese-born British singer-songwriter Michael Penniman, Jr.
* Mika (footbal ...
,
Radiohead,
Ariana Grande,
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...
,
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
and
Michael Bublé
Michael Steven Bublé ( ; born September 9, 1975) is a Canadian singer. A four-time Grammy Award winner, he is often credited for helping to renew public interest and appreciation for traditional pop standards and the Great American Songboo ...
. In addition to singing, the group prides itself on its comedy, with a typical concert including
shtick written by members of the group. Each year, the Society of Orpheus and Bacchus performs across the USA and around the world, typically wearing tuxedos or suits with custom group neckties. They have performed at the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...
,
La Fortaleza
La Fortaleza (lit., "The Fortress" ) is the official residence of the governor of Puerto Rico. It was built between 1533 and 1540 to defend the harbor of San Juan. The structure is also known as Palacio de Santa Catalina (Saint Catherine's Palac ...
in Puerto Rico, the
American Airlines Arena
FTX Arena (known as American Airlines Arena from 1999 to 2021) is a multi-purpose arena located in Miami, Florida, along Biscayne Bay. It was constructed beginning in 1998 as a replacement for the Miami Arena and designed by the architecture f ...
for the NBA team the
Miami Heat
The Miami Heat are an American professional basketball team based in Miami. The Heat compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The club plays its home games at FT ...
, as well as at country clubs, yacht clubs, churches, schools and resorts. The SOBs are one of only three groups — along with the Whiffenpoofs and Whim 'n Rhythm — that have a weekly engagement at Mory's Temple Bar.
Discography
The Society of Orpheus and Bacchus records a new album every other year. Since its founding, it has recorded and released 21 albums:
The album, ''Some Pig!,'' has been reviewed by the
Recorded A Cappella Review Board.
Notable alumni
![The First SOBs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/The_First_SOBs.jpg)
* Hunter H. Comly 1941 - identifier of the cause of
blue baby syndrome
Blue baby syndrome can refer to conditions that cause cyanosis, or blueness of the skin, in babies as a result of low oxygen levels in the blood. This term has traditionally been applied to cyanosis as a result of:
#Cyanotic heart disease, whi ...
.
* Paul Lebaron Springer 1941 - a former intelligence officer, awarded by the
Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
(CIA) with the
Intelligence Medal of Merit
The Intelligence Medal of Merit is awarded by the Central Intelligence Agency for performance of especially meritorious service or for achievement conspicuously above normal duties.
Notable recipients
*Gust Avrakotos
* I. Nathan Briggs
* George ...
on retirement.
*
Ralph Levy
Ralph Levy (December 18, 1920 – October 15, 2001) was an American producer, film and television director.
Biography
Ralph Levy was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He directed episodes of several television shows, including '' I Love Lucy'', ...
1942 - an Emmy Award-winning American producer, film and television director.
* William Collins Jr. 1945 - a professor and Chief of
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine is the graduate medical school at Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813.
The primary te ...
in 1967.
*
David Chavchavadze
David Chavchavadze (May 20, 1924 – October 5, 2014) was a British-born American author and a former Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officer of Georgian-Russian origin.
Life and death
Chavchavadze was born in London to Prince Paul Chavchavad ...
1950 - an American author and a former CIA officer.
*
Horace Dwight Taft 1950 - Dean of Yale College
*
Sam Weisman
Sam Weisman is an American film director. He has directed the films '' D2: The Mighty Ducks'', '' Bye Bye Love'', ''George of the Jungle'', '' The Out-of-Towners'', '' What's the Worst That Could Happen?'', and '' Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star' ...
1969 - an American film director and an executive producer of NBC's ''
The Sing-Off
''The Sing-Off'' was an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It debuted on NBC on December 14, 2009, and was produced by Sony Pictures Television and Outlaw Productions, with Mark Burnett's One Three Media (for a ...
''.
*
Robert Picardo
Robert Alphonse Picardo (born October 27, 1953) is an American actor. He is best known for playing the Cowboy in '' Innerspace'', Coach Cutlip on '' The Wonder Years'', Captain Dick Richard on the ABC series ''China Beach'', the Doctor on '' S ...
1975 - an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's ''
China Beach
''China Beach'' is an American war film, war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by Amer ...
'', the Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH), also known as The Doctor, on UPN's ''
Star Trek: Voyager'', The Cowboy in ''
Innerspace
''Innerspace'' is a 1987 American science fiction comedy film directed by Joe Dante and produced by Michael Finnell. Steven Spielberg served as executive producer. It was inspired by the 1966 science fiction film ''Fantastic Voyage''. It sta ...
'' and Coach Cutlip on ''
The Wonder Years
''The Wonder Years'' is an American coming-of-age comedy/drama television series created by Neal Marlens and Carol Black. It ran on ABC from January 31, 1988, until May 12, 1993. The series premiered immediately after ABC's coverage of Super ...
'' (for which he received an Emmy nomination).
*
Jonathan LaPook 1975 - American physician and medical journalist. He is the chief medical correspondent for
CBS News.
*
James L. Connaughton 1983 - an American energy industry lawyer and the former George W. Bush administration environmental adviser.
* Roy Jenkins 1984 - award-winning and twice Emmy-nominated comedy writer for ''
Late Night with Conan O'Brien
''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Conan O'Brien. NBC aired 2,725 episodes from September 13, 1993, to February 20, 2009. The show featured varied comedic material, celebrity interviews, and music ...
'', alumnus of
The Groundlings
The Groundlings is an American improvisational and sketch comedy troupe and school based in Los Angeles. The troupe was formed by Gary Austin in 1974 and uses an improv format influenced by Viola Spolin, whose improvisational theater techniqu ...
.
*
Jeb Brown
Jeb Brown (born 1963/1964) is an American actor known for his work in theatre. Brown has appeared in productions on- and off-Broadway including ''Grease (musical), Grease'', ''Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark'', and ''Beautiful: The Carole King Musi ...
1986 - Broadway performer, notable for his roles in ''
Grease'' and ''
Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark''.
*
Mike Errico
Mike Errico is an American singer-songwriter, producer, author, professor, and journalist.
Career
Errico worked as Senior Online Editor for ''Blender'' magazine from 2006 to 2008.
Since 2013, Errico has taught songwriting and music business ...
1988 - American singer-songwriter, composer and producer.
*
Tad Low
Tad Low (born Josiah Orne Low IV on September 26, 1966) is an American businessman and media entrepreneur. He is the creator and producer of television shows, including ''Pop-Up Video'' and ''Pants-Off Dance-Off''. He currently helms Spin The Bot ...
1988 - creator and producer of television shows, including ''
Pop-Up Video
''Pop Up Video'' is a VH1 television show that shows music videos annotated via "pop-up" bubbles — officially called "info nuggets" — containing trivia and witticisms relating to the video in question. The show was created by Woody T ...
'' and ''
Pants-Off Dance-Off
''Pants-Off Dance-Off'' (''PODO'') is a dance contest that premiered on April 18, 2006 on Fuse TV, Fuse. It features Strippers, stripteasers as they dance while disrobing.
Format
In each episode, five contestants striptease to a music video, w ...
''.
*
Henry Blodget
Henry McKelvey Blodget (born 1966) is an American businessman, investor and journalist. He is notable for his former career as an equity research analyst who was senior Internet analyst for CIBC Oppenheimer and the head of the global Internet ...
1988 - editor and CEO of ''
Business Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German pub ...
''.
*
James Waterston
James Waterston (born January 17, 1969) is an American actor whose first role was playing Gerard Pitts in the 1989 film ''Dead Poets Society''.
Personal life
Waterston grew up in New York City, the son of actor Sam Waterston and Barbara Rutle ...
1992 - American actor and screenwriter.
*
Franklin Raff 1996 - twice Emmy Award winning (Best Host, Best Documentary) host of
GREAT WHITE SHIFT'' - Talk radio host.
*
John Gidding
John Gidding (born January 7, 1977) is a Turkish-American designer, television personality, and former fashion model.
Gidding started modeling in 2000 as a graduate student, performing runway shows for Armani, Gucci, and Hugo Boss before being ...
1999 - an American architect, television actor, former fashion model, one of the designers on the
ABC Family show, ''
Knock First
''Knock First'' is an American reality television series in which an adolescent is chosen for a total room makeover by the Knock First crew. The series first aired in the Fall of 2003 on ABC Family.
The premise of the show was to shape the ro ...
'', designer on ''
Curb Appeal: The Block'', and now appearing on the reboot of ''
Trading Spaces
''Trading Spaces'' is an hour-long American television reality program that originally aired from 2000 to 2008 on the cable channels TLC and Discovery Home. The format of the show was based on the BBC TV series ''Changing Rooms''. The first ...
''.
*
Chaim Bloom
Chaim David Bloom (; born February 27, 1983) is an American sports executive who is the Chief Baseball Officer for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously worked for the Tampa Bay Rays, most recently as Senior Vice Presid ...
2004 - Director of Baseball Operations for the
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
.
*
Brian Reed 2007 -
NPR
National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
producer and creator of the award-winning podcast
S-Town.
Notes
External links
The Society Of Orpheus and Bacchus home pageYale and Tradition"Yale's A Cappella Rush" NPR Morning Edition reportMost Recent Album of The Society of Orpheus and BacchusSamples of The Society Of Orpheus and Bacchus performances
{{DEFAULTSORT:Society of Orpheus and Bacchus, The
Yale University musical groups
Collegiate a cappella groups
Musical groups established in 1938
1938 establishments in Connecticut