James Schmitt

Barbershop lead vocalist and audio producer. Born on June 7, 1931 in Two Rivers, Wisconsin, Jim was one of 17 children and went on to become big in the barbershop world. Jim began singing as a kid in the St. Luke’s Church Choir with his brothers but soon started a quartet with three of his brothers. Jim along with his brothers: Joe, Paul, and Fran started the Schmitt Brothers quartet in late 1949 and quickly rose to the top. They won the 1951 SPEBSQSA International Championship in Toledo, Ohio. This sparked a 35-year career with nearly 3,000 performances. After the quartet’s retirement in 1985, Jim produced a few tribute albums for them to honor his late brothers. Jim was the only member that lived to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their championship. Aside from quartet singing, Jim was president of the Wisconsin Counties Utility Tax Association, vice-chairman of the Red Cross Board, president of the Optimist Club of Two Rivers, and so much more. Jim died on May 22, 2008 at the age of 76. Jim was the last living member of the Schmitt Brothers.