Bill Gable
Bill Gable, our tenor, is the director and featured soloist of the internationally acclaimed Blue Ball Choir of the Deaf. He is, quite simply, a greatly oversized version of Mel Brooks. As the quartet’s resident love-muffin and comedic genius, he pens the bulk (pun intended) of the parodies we love to sing in contest. That, in large measure (pun also intended) is why we never win. While significantly deaf, he none-the-less retains the ability to march to the beat of his personal schizophrenic drummer, while sheltering him from the ceaseless advice of his two grown daughters.
During his checkered professional career, Bill has served as a machinist, tow motor driver and service parts labeler (during college), a widely misinterpreted technology officer for a financial firm which no longer exists, a technical services manager for a Fortune 500 technology company that went belly up, a general manager for an environmental cleanup company that drowned in its own toxic waste, and an accountant with a land development company that . . . well, you know. He’s still searching for the perfect match for his highly developed, though kinda weird, skill set.
A stylish dresser and bon vivant, he designs and creates the quartet costumes and is often quoted in Gentleman’s Quarterly as a connoisseur and visionary regarding men’s fashion. When he grows up he wants to be the lead taste tester for Ben & Jerry’s.
Rick Ashby
Rick Ashby, our lead singer, is the quartet’s resident Type A personality and legacy (aka, really old) barbershopper. He’s been quartetting since 1972 but has really only been in two quartets - the ever-popular Red Rose Four and . . . uh . . . Razzmatazz. He’s an active member of the Brothers of Harmony, a Mid Atlantic District Champion Chorus. He’s currently a member of the District Board of Directors, and is also a member of that august organization “DelaSusqueHudMac”. Don’t EVEN ask me what THAT stands for… We call his wife Claire “coach” since she blows her whistle when it’s time to end rehearsal. She insists on Rick being active in singing because it gets him out of the house. His three children are creative artists; the two boys play in rock bands and his daughter is a professional photographer. Just goes to show that the talent gene, in spite of the incredible advances in medical science, routinely skips entire generations.
As a grandfather and the only retired member of the foursome, his ambition is to become a professional golfer. He’s played with such golf luminaries as Arnold Palmer in the Bell Atlantic Classic, and local legends Tiger Stoltzfus and The Golden Baer. But if that somewhat aggressive dream doesn’t materialize, he hopes to serve as the arbitrator for the next presidential election “hanging chad” debacle.
Ed Ludwig
Ed Ludwig is the quartet’s baritone. He is actually a natural tenor but really likes singing the garbage part, which seems like a natural consequence of living in Narvon next to the Lanchester Landfill. We humor Ed and tolerate his many personal quirks because he has a really great van and drives us to all of our singing jobs. He is also the only one who owns a pitch pipe and remembers the correct pitch and first word for all of our songs.
Ed and his wife Shirley have two great kids and two grandchildren with more on the way. Shirley sings in a gospel trio, so for career reasons she tends to stay as far away from us as possible in public. When forced to participate in quartet activities she usually shows up dressed as Mother Superior clutching a silver cross and wearing a garlic necklace.
Ed’s job as plant personnel administrator has prepared him well for dealing with the assorted lunatic personalities of the quartet. In addition to his chauffeuring duties, he is the designated psychologist and mental therapist for the group. While some folks might see Ed as living a bland and boring life, we know better. Just because his favorite foods are mashed potatoes, vanilla ice cream, and white bread, his love of spontaneous inexplicable mutterings and “go for broke” attitude on the links serves as a better indicator of his electric personality. "Yeah, right!"
Ed’s ambition in life is to stay awake through an entire episode of “Dancing with the Stars” while eating a container of rum raisin ice cream.
Don McElroy
Don McElroy our bass is the quartet’s youngest member and a former sex symbol for the group. He possesses a truly unique range for a barbershop bass, having the ability to sing the C immediately BELOW middle C on a good day. His booming bass solos are often mistaken as the dulcet tones of Celine Dionne. Don serves as a customer service representative for a commercial printing company.
Carol and Tyler, (Don’s wife and son) think we are a Doo Wop group. (Tyler thinks that Bill is a yak, and nobody is inclined to argue with him.) Don’s boss at the printing company thinks we are a string quartet. Don’s mom thinks we are a country and western group. Don’s sisters actually think he can sing bass. He’s got them all fooled!
An accomplished racquetball player, Don successfully participates in local tournaments on those weekends when the quartet is in town. On the other hand, he is a downright dangerous golfer. For those of you that understand the game, he brings a whole new dimension to the concept of slicing and hooking. Many of the quartet’s favorite memories take place on the links, and Don plays a lead role in many, though not all of them. The good news is that Bill convinced Don that his problems are primarily caused by faulty golf equipment, and can be remedied by finding just the right set of sticks from his vast warehouse of clubs. To date, after 17 equipment upgrades, the legend continues.
Don’s taste in music is quite eclectic, with personal favorites running the gamut from Eva Cassidy to Janice Joplin, from Julius Eyeglacierless to Jimmy Buffet, from Almostdayus Mozart to Spike Jones to Joe Connelly. His life’s ambition will be realized when he owns the complete Chipmunk’s Collection autographed by David Seville.
