Pete Tyree

The America the Beautiful Chorus is proud to count among its members Pete Tyree, a man who is a giant in the world of barbershop singing. As a young man he attained the pinnacle of barbershop singing by winning an international gold medal singing baritone with the quartet, The Orphans, in 1954. Here are The Orphans on stage at the international championship. Pete is second from the left.

This autographed photo of The Orphans gives a much better likeness of each member. Pete is on the left.

Pete was born on October 3, 1926, and as a young man participated in many of the normal activities that young men did in those days. He played high school football, and here is a particularly interesting photo of Pete getting ready to square off on the gridiron.

As was also not unusual during his younger days, Pete served in the U. S. Army Air Corps during WWII. He was a gunner on B-17’s. Here is Pete with some fellow servicemen in the Philippines. Pete is standing at right.

It was after the war that Pete became seriously involved in singing the barbershop style of music. As indicated above, he became an international gold medalist and went on to stay active in barbershop singing for many years. Of course, The Orphans were a highly sought after quartet for chapter shows around the country. During this time, Pete did a considerable amount of coaching other young, aspiring quartets.

After The Orphans disbanded in 1956, Pete sang in another quartet called The Posse. Here is Pete along with his quartet in a promotional photo. Pete is second from the left. Pete sang in several quartets with one of his best friends, Dr. Herb Thomson (Pediatrician)-sitting bottom right. Herb sang tenor for many years with the America the Beautiful Chorus (then known as the Highland Harmonizers).

Later, Pete sang with the International Senior Quartet Champions, Rockies IV. This quartet was comprised of all men from the Colorado Springs area, and they all sang with America the Beautiful Chorus (Highland Harmonizers).

Pete not only sang in several top level quartets, he provided his vocal expertise to others by serving as director of the local Sweet Adelines chorus, Velvet Hills (Colorado Springs Chorus) from 1955 to 1974 with his lovely wife, Pat. He also directed the America the Beautiful Chorus (Highland Harmonizers) during those same dates. The America the Beautiful Chorus (singing as the Highland Harmonizers) won the Barbershop Harmony Society’s district championship in 1956 with Pete directing!

Pete sang with the America the Beautiful Chorus until about one year ago. He frequently stops by rehearsal to check up on our progress. In February 2019, Pete attended rehearsal one evening when several other gold medalists were in attendance. It was a very memorable evening! Here are our special guests gathered for a photo:

To cap off this incredible evening, a gold medal quartet, anchored by Pete Tyree on bass, sang a beautiful version of Story of the Rose (Heart of My Heart). At 93, he still has the pipes!!