Our History

History of the Kingsmen

The Kingsmen were founded in September 1991 by Roy Hann. He placed an advert in the local paper with a request that any men who would be interested in learning to sing in 4 part harmony to come along to the Crabshell Inn on Kingsbridge Quay. To his delight and surprise 12 men turned up to experience the joys of Barbershop harmony singing and within a few months the ensemble had grown to a 20 man chorus. Over the many years that have followed the Kingsmen have grown to be a very successful chorus with the membership currently consisting of 37 men.

Roy was our Musical Director for 30 years until 2021 when he handed over the reigns to Gary Rowe who remains our current Musical Director. Roy remains active within the chorus singing in the Bass section and is our Honorary Life President.

Early rehearsals took place in the loft of the Crabshell Inn in Kingsbridge! However, the Chorus soon outgrew this venue and now rehearse in the excellent facilities offered by the South Hams Christian Fellowship Chapel in Fore Street Kingsbridge.

We have also enjoyed overseas tours visiting the Netherlands in 2015 and the USA in 2018. We have also performed in joint concerts with many choirs including Military Wives, Glorious Chorus, Wadebridge Male Voice Choir and our special friends the Great Western Chorus of Bristol.

We regularly compete in the annual British Association of Barbershop Singers National Convention with our best results in 2008 and 2012 when we achieved 10th place. We will be competing again later this year in May. In January 2025 we came first in our category at the Saltash Music Festival.

Local and national charities have benefitted from performances of the Kingsmen and to date we have raised in excess of £105,000 for charities which include the RNIB, Victim Support, Cancer Relief and Hospices, Save the Children, Asthma UK, BBC Devon Chestnut Appeal, Crohn’s & Colitis UK, Young Minds and Horsemanship for Health.

Our rehearsals are lively, our performances are unforgettable, and our members come from all walks of life. There is no requirement to read music; we’ll help you find your place in the chorus and teach you everything you need to know. All you need is a passion for singing and a desire to be part of something special.

Join us at our weekly rehearsals and discover what the Kingsmen Barbershop Chorus is all about.