Earl and Marj Friedmeyer are both barbershoppers. Marj is the director of The Hearts and tenor in the New Design Quartet. Earl was a member of the Boonslick Chordbusters Chorus.

John and Earl decided to start a chorus in Jefferson City where a chapter existed during the 1940’s. After much talk, conferring with other associates, and local people they decided in late 2004 to take the plunge. They placed an advertisement in the local newspaper and scheduled a meeting for possible new members in the basement of a local church for Tuesday evening, November 7.

The attendance at this initial meeting was good with about 66 people but that number was deceiving. Quite a few of the people present were from other barbershop choruses, the Central States District (to lend their support), and area music people who wood be too busy to join. The first weekly meeting was held on Tuesday evening, November 16, in the music room of a local school. Our director, Sean Able, presided.

We carried out the usual beginning business such as attempting to name our new chorus and the name chosen was already taken. At a later meeting it was decided to call us the Show-Me Showboaters to reflect both our home state and the history of our host city.

Our chorus has shrunk to a core group of sixteen faithful singers and our first quartet provided the manpower for our first moneymaking program, Singing Valentines. The program was a success and we are presently involved in creating our organizational structure, recruiting new members, and learning to sing as a chorus.