The Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS) is the world's largest nonprofit men's singing organization with more than 27,000 members worldwide and with the vastmajority in the United States and Canada. Additionally, Affiliate organizations are located in Australia, The United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands,Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, Norway, Finland and South Africa. (Barbershop groups also exist in other countries such as: Israel, Japan, China and Russia.) The Official name is the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America, Inc. (For additional information see Barbershop Music for old and new members)

The Society was founded by Owen C. Cash in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1938 with the name SPEBSQSA (Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America, Inc.) which was derived from the founder's hope of outdoing, in shortened form, the manygovernmental departments set up during that period by President Franklin D. Roosevelt i.e.(CCC, WPA, SSA, OPA, etc.).

 

In North America, the Society is divided into 17 geographic districts with over 800 chapters. The Greater Pittsburgh Chapter is part of the more than 54 chapters in The Johnny Appleseed District (JAD) that covers South Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

The Greater Pittsburgh Chapter, originally chartered as Pennsylvania #1 in 1941 is a non-profit organization made up of men of all ages and occupations living in the Allegheny County area. It is one of five chapters within a 10 mile radius of Pittsburgh and one of the 12 chapters of the Rome Division in western Pennsylvania.

Musical skills of our members run the gamut of those highly qualified to those who would normally only sing in the shower or the car. Reading music is not required. As we proudly tell prospective members, "It'sFUN, It's EASY, and YOU can do it too". Many of the chorus members also sing in quartets. Both the chorus and the quartets do singing engagements for groups, meetings, parties, conventions, care homes and hospitals.