The Tufts Beelzebubs, frequently referred to as "The Bubs", is a male

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

group of students from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

that performs a mix of pop, rock, R&B, and other types of music while spreading their motto of "Fun through Song." Founded in 1962, they have toured in Europe, Asia, South America, and North America, and they competed on 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 ...

'' in December 2009, finishing in second place. The group is best known for providing song arrangements and background vocals for the fictional all-male a cappella

glee club A glee club in the United States is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs by trios or quartets. In the late 19th century it w ...

"The Dalton Academy Warblers" on the American TV series ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'', although the Bubs do not play club members on screen. Singles by the Warblers, with series stars

Darren Criss Darren Everett Criss (born February 5, 1987) is an American actor, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame starring on the television series ''Glee'' (2010–2015) and received Emmy and Golden Globe acting awards for his leading role as spree ...

and

Chris Colfer Christopher Paul Colfer (born May 27, 1990) is an American actor, singer, and author. He gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the television musical ''Glee'' (2009–2015). Colfer's portrayal of Kurt received crit ...

performing lead vocals, have collectively sold over 2 million copies. Due to their popularity, a full soundtrack album of the Warblers songs was released April 19, 2011 as '' Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers''. The Beelzebubs were the inspiration for the Barden University Treblemakers in the movie franchise

Pitch Perfect ''Pitch Perfect'' is a 2012 American musical comedy film directed by Jason Moore and written by Kay Cannon. It features an ensemble cast, including Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Skylar Astin, Anna Camp, Brittany Snow, Hana Mae Lee, Alexis Knap ...

, being one of the groups covered by Mickey Rapkin in ''Pitch Perfect: The Quest for Collegiate a Cappella Glory,'' the book the movies are loosely based on.

History

The Beelzebubs were originally named "Jumbo's Disciples" after the Tufts University mascot, but quickly shed this name and adopted the name "Beelzebubs", a reference from the epic poem ''

Paradise Lost ''Paradise Lost'' is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton (1608–1674). The first version, published in 1667, consists of ten books with over ten thousand lines of verse (poetry), verse. A second edition fo ...

'' by

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

. They were first seen at the Tufts annual Winter Sing in December 1962, and by May 1964 they had already performed with the Boston Pops and recorded their first album. During the 1970s, they began adding popular music to the barbershop, doo-wop, gospel, and jazz standards so commonly associated with a cappella. The group flourishes due to a successful and active alumni association. The 1991 album ''Foster St.'' abandoned a more traditional methodology and introduced a new style of arranging – especially with the addition of

vocal percussion Vocal percussion is the art of creating sounds with one's mouth that approximate, imitate, or otherwise serve the same purpose as a percussion instrument, whether in a group of singers, an instrumental ensemble, or solo. In Western music Recent ...

In 2006, the Bubs' CD ''Shedding'' swept the CARA awards for collegiate male a cappella winning best collegiate album, best solo, best arrangement, and best song. The Bubs' performance schedule has grown to over 80 gigs per year. The Bubs have toured in Europe (England, France, the Netherlands, Greece, and Turkey), Asia (Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, and Singapore), South America (Argentina and Brazil), and North America (Mexico, Canada, and the United States including Hawaii and Alaska). They have performed for many high-profile personalities such as Presidents Clinton and

Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, Sen.

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...

, and Gov.

Bill Richardson William Blaine Richardson III (born November 15, 1947) is an American politician, author, and diplomat who served as the 30th governor of New Mexico from 2003 to 2011. He was also the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Energy Secretary ...

. In 1999, the group made an appearance on the ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...

'' and performed at

Fenway Park Fenway Park is a baseball stadium located in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, near Kenmore Square. Since 1912, it has been the home of the Boston Red Sox, the city's American League baseball team, and since 1953, its only Major League Base ...

for the crowd at the

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

The Sing-Off

The Beelzebubs were one of eight vocal groups featured on the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...

television program ''

'', which aired in December 2009. The Bubs were selected amongst hundreds of groups to compete. Having survived cuts by the judges in each of the first three shows, the Beelzebubs appeared in the finals on December 21, 2009, finishing second to

Nota Nota Sports and Racing Cars is an automobile manufacturer in Australia. The company was founded by Guy Buckingham in 1952. He was an aircraft engineer and used his expertise to build triangulated spaceframed sportscars. Possibly Australia's ...

from

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The competition's prize was $100,000 and a recording contract with

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America Sony Corporation of America (SONAM, also known as SCA), is the American arm of the Japanese conglomerate Sony Group ...

Sony Music Sony Music Entertainment (SME), also known as simply Sony Music, is an American multinational music company. Being owned by the parent conglomerate Sony Group Corporation, it is part of the Sony Music Group, which is owned by Sony Entertainment ...

, and was determined by viewer voting. According to ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' :: The Beelzebubs ... used the superstar-medley round to spring a surprise. Their choice of superstars was The Who, but they did not begin their number with any of the obvious rockers from that group's repertory; instead they served up a slow, haunting "Behind Blue Eyes."

Performances and results

The Bubs Foundation

The Beelzebubs are also proud of their continuing commitment to give back to the community through the Bubs Foundation. The Bubs Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3), not-for-profit organization founded in 1991 by Beelzebubs alumni to "awaken in young people a passion for expression and learning through music". The organization consists of alumni and friends of the Beelzebubs dedicated to the Bubs Foundation mission to raise money for the music programs of Boston-area public schools. So far the Foundation has donated over $50,000 in grants to 60 area music programs.

''Glee''

The Bubs provided arrangement and background vocals for ten a cappella covers in the second season of the TV series ''

'', all of which were released as singles, starting with

Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...

's " Teenage Dream", with lead vocals by

, which aired in the episode "

Never Been Kissed ''Never Been Kissed'' is a 1999 American romantic comedy film directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Drew Barrymore, Jessica Alba, David Arquette, Michael Vartan, Leelee Sobieski, Jeremy Jordan, Molly Shannon, Garry Marshall, John C. Reilly and ...

" on November 9, 2010. The single had sales of 214,000 copies in its first week, the most of any ''Glee'' single in the show's history, and reached number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; it has since been certified a gold record in the US. Additional covers include

Train In rail transport, a train (from Old French , from Latin , "to pull, to draw") is a series of connected vehicles that run along a railway track and Passenger train, transport people or Rail freight transport, freight. Trains are typically pul ...

's "

Hey, Soul Sister "Hey, Soul Sister" is a song by American rock band Train. It was written by lead singer Pat Monahan, Amund Bjørklund, and Espen Lind. It was released as the lead single from the band's fifth studio album, '' Save Me, San Francisco'' (2009) ...

Destiny's Child Destiny's Child was an American girl group whose final line-up comprised Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. The group began their musical career as Girl's Tyme, formed in 1990 in Houston, Texas. After years of limited ...

's "

Bills, Bills, Bills "Bills, Bills, Bills" is a song by American group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, ''The Writing's on the Wall'' (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland, Kandi Burruss of Xscape, and Kevin "She'k ...

Robin Thicke Robin Alan Thicke (born March 10, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 2013 hit single " Blurred Lines", which is one of the best-selling singles of all time. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, h ...

's " When I Get You Alone", "

Animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

P!nk Alecia Beth Moore Hart (born September 8, 1979), known professionally as Pink (stylized as P!nk), is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She was originally a member of the girl group Choice. In 1995, LaFace Records saw potential ...

's "

Raise Your Glass "Raise Your Glass" is a song by American singer Pink from her first greatest hits compilation '' Greatest Hits... So Far!!!'' (2010). The song was written by Pink, Max Martin and Karl " Shellback" Schuster, and produced by the latter two, who ar ...

", and

Maroon 5 Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. It currently consists of lead vocalist Adam Levine, keyboardist and rhythm guitarist Jesse Carmichael, lead guitarist James Valentine (musician), James Valentine, drummer Matt ...

's " Misery". The ten covers, plus two others recorded with the Bubs that did not appear on the show, were included on an album, '' Glee: The Music Presents the Warblers'', which was released on April 19, 2011, and debuted at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 86,000 copies in its first week. A thirteenth song on the album by the Warblers did not involve the Bubs: " Blackbird" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

was covered by Chris Colfer with other background vocalists. The last cover to air during the season was Keane's "Somewhere Only We Know", which was broadcast during the episode " Born This Way", which first aired on April 26, 2011, and is included on the Warblers album.

Other Appearances

The Bubs were featured on the

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

show ''

My Super Sweet 16 ''My Super Sweet 16'' is an American reality television series documenting the lives of teenagers, usually in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, generally with wealthy parents who throw lavish, excessive and expensive coming-of-age ce ...

''. One of the Bubs' previous releases (April 27, 2007) was their highly acclaimed and award-winning twenty-fifth studio album, titled ''Pandaemonium''. Tracks from this album have been selected for ''Best of Collegiate A Cappella'', ''Sing 4: Good Medicine'', and ''Voices Only 2008''. The album also received a perfect score from the Recorded A cappella Review Board. Like ''Shedding'' before it, ''Pandaemonium'' also swept the four all-male categories of the

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 ...

, including Best Album, Best Song, Best Solo and Best Arrangement. The Beelzebubs have received perfect scores from the Recorded A cappella Review Board on every release since. They perform at many schools across the world and have even coached students at the schools, teaching them various singing methods. With over 300 members around the world, The Beelzebubs celebrated their 55-year anniversary in 2018.

Notable members

Peter Gallagher Peter Killian Gallagher (born August 19, 1955) is an American actor. Since 1980, he has played roles in numerous Hollywood films. He is best known for starring as Sandy Cohen in the television drama series ''The O.C.'' from 2003 to 2007, recurr ...

, actor. *

Adam Gardner Adam Seth Gardner (born May 31, 1973) is an American guitarist and vocalist of the band Guster and a member of the Tufts University Beelzebubs. Gardner grew up outside Morristown, New Jersey, and played for a band called Royal Flush while a stud ...

, musician in the alternative rock band

Guster Guster is an American alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Founding members Adam Gardner, Ryan Miller, and Brian Rosenworcel began practice sessions while attending Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, and fo ...

. *

Jean Mayer Jean Mayer (19 April 1920 – 1 January 1993) was a French-American scientist best known for his research on the physiological bases of hunger and the metabolism of essential nutrients, and for his role in shaping policy on world hunger at bo ...

, honorary member, hunger activist and former President of Tufts University. *

Deke Sharon Deke Sharon (born December 12, 1967) is an American singer, arranger, composer, director, producer and teacher of a cappella music, and is one of the leaders and promoters of the contemporary a cappella community. He has been referred to as "th ...

, founder of the

Contemporary A Cappella Society 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 ...

and

The House Jacks The House Jacks is a professional a cappella quintet from San Francisco, founded in 1991 by Deke Sharon. The House Jacks describe themselves as a "rock band without instruments", their live shows typically include not only singing but also vocall ...

, arranger and vocal producer of ''

Awards

, - , rowspan="4" , 2019 , rowspan="4" ,

Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards 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 ...

, Best Male Collegiate Album , ''Full Rally'' , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , , - , Best Rock Song , "Danger Zone" on ''Full Rally'' , , rowspan="3" , , - , Best Male Collegiate Arrangement , Joel Reske, "Danger Zone" , , - , Best Male Collegiate Song , "T-Shirt" on ''Full Rally'' , , - , rowspan="3" , 2018 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best Male Collegiate Song , "Who Do You Love" on ''Reboot - EP'' , , , - , Best Male Collegiate Arrangement , "24k Magic" on ''Reboot - EP'' , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best Pop Song , "24k Magic" on ''Reboot - EP'' , , - , 2016 , rowspan="1" ,

, Best Male Collegiate Album , ''In the Book'' , , , - , rowspan="5" , 2014 , rowspan="5" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , ''Helix'' , , , - , Best Soul/R&B/Hip-Hop Song , "Alright" on ''Helix'' , , rowspan="4" , , - , Best Male Collegiate Song , "Alright" on ''Helix'' , , - , Best Male Collegiate Solo , Adam Gotbaum, "Madness" , , - , Best Male Collegiate Arrangement , Michael Grant, "Alright" , , - , rowspan="3" , 2012 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Battle" , , rowspan="3" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , " Kings and Queens" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Alexander Koutzoukis, " Kings and Queens" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up (tie) , - , rowspan="7" , 2010 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Play the Game" , , rowspan="3" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Alexander Koutzoukis, "All the Love in the World" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "

Who Are You ''Who Are You'' is the eighth studio album by English rock band the Who, released on 18 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a ...

" , , - , rowspan="4" , A Cappella Community Awards , Favorite Male Collegiate Group , Themselves , , rowspan="4" , , - , Favorite Collegiate Album , "Play the Game" , , - , Favorite Vocal Percussionist , Alexander Koutzoukis , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , Favorite Medley , "The Who Medley" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , rowspan="4" , 2008 , rowspan="4" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Pandaemonium" , , rowspan="4" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Ed Boyer, "Digging in the Dirt" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "

Magical Mystery Tour ''Magical Mystery Tour'' is a record by the English rock band the Beatles that was released as a double EP in the United Kingdom and an LP in the United States. It includes the soundtrack to the 1967 television film of the same name. The EP ...

" , (tie) , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Andrew Savini, "When I Get You Alone" , , - , rowspan="5" , 2006 , rowspan="4" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Shedding" , , rowspan="4" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Travis Marshall, "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "

Let's Get It Started "Let's Get It Started" is a song recorded by American group the Black Eyed Peas. It is a clean version of "Let's Get Retarded" from their third studio album, ''Elephunk'' (2003). The album version was originally only reworked for its use in prom ...

" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Andrew Savini, "Epiphany" , , - , A Cappella Community Awards , Favorite Male Group in the Nation , Themselves , , , - , 2005 , A Cappella Community Awards , Favorite Male Group in the Nation , Themselves , , , - , rowspan="3" , 2004 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Code Red" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , rowspan="2" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Ed Boyer, "Hot in Here" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "Take Me Home" , , , - , rowspan="3" , 2002 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Next" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Ed Boyer, "Bills, Bills, Bills" , , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Isaac Brody, “Disco Inferno” , , , - , rowspan="2" , 2000 , rowspan="2" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Infinity" , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "That’s the Way" , , - , rowspan="2" , 1998 , rowspan="2" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Danny Lichtenfield, "I am the Walrus" , , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "Sledgehammer" from Id , , , - , rowspan="2" , 1997 , rowspan="2" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Todd Herzog, "Shape of my Heart" from Drift , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , rowspan="2" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "With or Without You" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , rowspan="2" , 1996 , rowspan="2" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , “Gilding” , , rowspan="2" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Danny Lichtenfield "Blood of Eden" , , - , rowspan="3" , 1995 , rowspan="3" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Todd Herzog, "Hey You" , , rowspan="3" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "Hey You" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Matt Trowbridge, “The Water is Wide" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , rowspan="4" , 1994 , rowspan="4" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Vince" , , rowspan="4" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement , Gardner & Herzog, "Sympathy for the Devil" , style="background: #f4f49e; text-align: center;" , Runner-up , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "Mercy Street" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Todd Herzog , , - , rowspan="4" , 1992 , rowspan="4" ,

, Best All-Male Collegiate Album , "Foster Street" , , rowspan="4" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate arrangement ,

, "Comfortably Numb/Brain Damage" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate song , "Rio" , , - , Best All-Male Collegiate Soloist , Todd Herzog ,

Discography

References

External links

Beelzebubs official websiteThe Bubs Foundation websiteBOCA
{{Authority control Tufts University Collegiate a cappella groups Musical groups established in 1962 1962 establishments in Massachusetts Men's organizations in the United States