The Suntones

The Suntones is the Barbershop Harmony Society's 1961 International Champion. First formed in 1957 in Miami, FL, the quartet originally consisted of Gene Cokeroft on tenor, Clark Bell on lead, Bill Wyatt on baritone, and Danny Whipple on bass. Bill Wyatt wrote several arrangements for them and they became known for cutting tight chords. In 1958, Danny was drafted and Glenn Sudduth replaced him as bass. Not long after that the quartet temporarily broke up. In late 1958, Bob Franklin replaced Clark and Bill Cain replaced Glenn and they entered the district contest placing 2nd. They went on to place 24th in the 1959 International contest. That same year they won the newly formed Sunshine District. Shortly after that contest, Bill Wyatt had to leave the group and was replaced by Harlan Wilson. They went on to place 8th in 1960 and they won it all in 1961 in Philadelphia, PA. After their victory, the Suntones began traveling all over the country singing on several chapters and shows. They released their first album in 1962 entitled, “A Touch Of Gold.” This would be the first of ten albums that they would go on to release. The others were “Afterglow” (1966), “Watch What Happens” (1967), “Somewhere” (1971), “A Touch Of Old” (1972), “Keep America Singing” (1972), “Fiddler” (1973), “As Time Goes By” (1976), “Where Is Love?” (1978), and “My Fair Lady” (1982). They also released a compilation CD in 1992, a complete works series in 1999, and a live CD in 2003. As the Suntones travelled, they realized that their sound was crucial to their performance, so they began hauling around their own sound equipment to bookings and began using hand-held microphones to help feature their individual voices. Gene Cokeroft began writing the majority of the Suntones songs such as “Watch What Happens”, “Finian’s Rainbow Medley”, “Where Is Love”, and many more. Possibly their most popular chart was Gene’s “Danny Boy.” Walter Latzko arranged their “Monster Medley’s” such as “West Side Story”, “Fiddler On The Roof”, and “Sound Of Music.” These monster medleys were almost ten minutes long each and were show favorites by fans. The group became semi-regulars on the Jackie Gleason Show in 1966 and sang on the show for 4 1/2 years as vocal backups. They also made an appearance on the Mike Douglas Show with Jackie Gleason and performed for countless other celebrities including President Gerald Ford. They also made appearances at other special events such as the Orange Bowl Parade. In 1979, Bob Franklin left the group due to some vocal problems and was replaced by Drayton Justus of the Gentlemen’s Agreement. Drayton brought the Suntones a new lead sound and some new repertoire over from the Gentlemen’s Agreement. The Suntones retired in January of 1985 after 28 years of singing together. The Suntones had several reunion performances such as their 30th anniversary performances in 1991. Bob Franklin returned to the lead spot that year to celebrate the occasion. Drayton sang his final show with the Suntones in 1993 and Bob Franklin took the lead spot back over from there. Bill Cain fell ill with cancer in 1999 and Harlan’s son, Todd Wilson, replaced him as bass. The Suntones sang their final performance together in early 2012 in Cleveland, TN. Bill Cain died in 2004, Gene Cokeroft died in 2015, Bill Wyatt died in 2018, and Drayton Justus died in 2021. Bob Franklin and Harlan Wilson are the last two living gold medal members of the Suntones. Todd Wilson, Clark Bell, and Danny Whipple also survive.