Sometimes when I get a phone call from one of my three sisters, I can’t tell which one I’m talking to. In fact they all sound like me and we all sound like our mother. I’m assuming that the same genetic make-up that gives us similar facial features is at work in the rest of our body, including the voice box.
When I’m with my sisters, we do quite a bit of singing together and I must admit, there is nothing like “sibling harmonies.” This is not just true in my family of course. Last month I was at a jam and my bass playing friend, Lisa Burns was also there with her sister, Shelly. While Shelly sang the lead to an old Hank Williams song, Lisa sang the harmony part and I saw this “sibling harmony” dynamic at work. In fact, that’s what gave me the idea for this column.
I believe that the “sibling harmony” may be a contributing factor to the success of many duets and family bands; groups such as The Whites, The Cox Family, Stanley Brothers, Louvin Brothers, Jim and Jesse, Gibson Brothers, just to name a few. In other musical genres, the first ones who come to mind are the Everly Brothers, Andrew Sisters, The Browns, Osmonds, Mills Brothers, etc. It appears to me that siblings or closely related family members have shared tones, and similar timbre that is hard to duplicate.
Sometimes, some of these family artists are not necessarily great soloists but when they join forces, the tight blend from the shared vocal characteristics form a sound that is unique and identifiable. It’s a beautiful thing.
Sometimes, you will hear a recording of a singer harmonizing with herself. One who comes to mind is Skeeter Davis (I Forgot More Than You’ll Ever Know). She began her career singing the harmony part to her sister’s vocals. When the Davis Sisters parted as a duo, Chet Atkins produced an album of Skeeter harmonizing with herself. He felt that her vocals were not suited to singing leads and this technique gave her voice a fuller sound, one that was similar to singing with her sister. Of course this was accomplished using recording equipment and over dubbing, etc. In case you’re wondering if it’s physically possible to harmonize with oneself any other way, the answer is yes. I just watched a YouTube video of a woman who did just that, she manipulated her voice box with her hand while she was singing and harmonic tones came out of her mouth. The only thing close to this is Mongolian throat singing, which is a whole different subject but an interesting one. I’ve never understood ventriloquism either…but I’ve digressed.
Of course, I am not discounting the fact that there are many great vocal groups that are made up of unrelated members that have spectacular harmonies; Charlie Waller and the Country Gentlemen, Longview, Sons of the Pioneers, Oak Ridge Boys to name a few. Dailey and Vincent is a good example of a vocal duo whose harmonies are especially beautiful.
We can’t all form a family vocal group of course but I have seen and heard bands that were made up of folks who are very talented and gifted individually but when combined, their voices don’t blend or mesh well even when every one is doing their part correctly. When forming a band, this is an important consideration. That’s just a bit of unsolicited, free advice.
I hope you all are having a musically good time this winter and I look forward to some fun jamming at the Spring Camp-Out. God bless.
