Aberdeen Heights
NOVEMBER 2019
Gentlemen of Sound bring more than music to Aberdeen Heights
Martin Bergin is a cowboy poet and saddlemaker.
Cowboy poet entertains residents
Cowboy poet and saddlemaker Martin Bergin treated Aberdeen Heights residents to tall tales and dusty poems during a recent visit. “I was very well-received by the residents,” he said.
The Gentlemen of Sound came to perform for the residents. The show included a barbershop quartet and a sing-along. There’s nothing quite like the harmonic tones of a Barbershop Chorus filling the hallways with favorite songs from a by-gone era. When the Gentlemen of Sound visit Aberdeen Heights it’s a community affair—with residents and staff invited to join in and sing along with some of their favorite songs. “What ends up happening is that we’ll sing songs that they know and remember,” said Bill Westbrook, assistant director of the Gentlemen of Sound. “We get them involved in the sing-along and get them singing the songs they recognize.” Westbrook explained that the secret to great Barbershop-style singing is the melodies created by ending notes and accenting strong vowels within the tunes. If the four parts—lead, tenor, baritone and bass—come together SOUND - continued on page 4
The 79-year-old Bergin said he was a “ranch-raised kid” and that he’s been a cowboy all of his life. He’s been a saddlemaker for 68 years, and a rancher and cowboy poet for “50 years or so.” Below is one of Bergin’s poems, titled “Old Time Cowboy.” I’m just an old time cowboy and I ain’t got a lot But I’ll loan ya my last dollar or give you a place to flop I’ll share the coffee give you my makings Half my blankets and half the bacon I’ll surely help ya start a colt or go a chasen them wild cattle But please don’t ask to ride my horse or borrow my old saddle. ◆
Aberdeen Heights | A PMMA COMMUNITY
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