The Schmitt Brothers

The Schmitt Brothers are the Barbershop Harmony Society’s 1951 International Champions. First organized in December of 1949 in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Joe, Jim, Paul, Fran, and their older brother, Ray, had all been members of the St. Luke’s Church Choir and the five of them had become a huge hit as their own act. They left the church choir after the director refused to let them form a new choir and Joe, Jim, Paul, and Fran went their own way in music. They were introduced to O.H. “King” Cole, father of Chordette Virginia Cole Osborne, and president of SPEBSQSA at the time. He invited the Schmitt Brothers to join the Manitowoc Chapter where they met their future coaches, Milt Detjen and Johnny Means. 18 months later, they had won both the local and regional contests and had qualified for the 1951 international contest to be held in Toledo, Ohio. At the 1951 international contest, the Schmitt Brothers were picked to sing last in all three rounds. In the medal call offs, they were called last once again as they were crowned 1951 International Champions. This was their first and only time competing in the international contest. Upon arriving home, thousands waited to greet them at the train platform in Manitowoc. The Schmitt Brothers along with their mother joined a long parade of cars in a convertible to welcome them home. The gold medal victory of the Schmitt Brothers was only the beginning of their long, successful career. They would go on to travel 2 million more miles and perform 3,000 shows over the next 35 years. The Schmitt Brothers sang at Carnegie Hall five times throughout their career. They competed in the Lions Club international quartet contest in 1953 in New York City. When they arrived at the Lions Club contest, every other quartet dropped out. They went on a two-week tour of Alaska entertaining troops stationed there. The Schmitt Brothers kept up a busy schedule throughout their career. They started a barbershop chapter and had chapter meetings every Tuesday night, lesson with Mayme Gruber every Wednesday in Milwaukee, and sang on shows every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. They released ten record albums during their time together as well as a few compilation CDs later on. The Schmitt Brothers had 35 children among the four of them. Their wives were big supporters of the quartet and were always given a song dedicated to them from the quartet. The wives and children were often invited up on stage during shows as well. When Joe passed away suddenly on January 23, 1985, The quartet decided to retire as they had made a pact never to replace any of the members. Paul passed away a little over a year later on September 10, 1986 after a battle with cancer. Fran then passed on January 13, 1991 at age 74. Jim remained active for many years and was the only member of the quartet to live to their 50th anniversary celebration in 2001. Jim and many members of Schmitt family appeared on stage at the 2001 SPEBSQSA International Convention and sang a few of the Schmitt Brothers’ songs. Jim passed away on May 22, 2008 at the age of 76. The legacy of the Schmitt Brothers is preserved in their albums and through the stories of many friends, family, and fan who got to see them live. There will be a stage named in their honor in Two Rivers, Wisconsin in July of 2023.