The Hornpout

Where do I begin? The second "lady singer" to join the group after Barb left was a young woman, Bonnie but I will simply refer to as "The Hornpout". She was from the southeast, Virginia perhaps. She was studying at a music conservatory in Chicago. I'm a little foggy on how she was recruited, but I think Lenny auditioned her. She had a strong classical voice able to reach into the rafters of of any venue we played. On most occasions the Whitsuntide Singers would close their set with Gibson & Camp's Civil War Medley. When the Hornpout hit the last few notes "and the first battalions home" it would send shivers throughtout the audience. It was a real show stopper. The Hornpout joined the Whitsuntide Singers about the time they became a house act at "It's Here" a very popular Chicago Coffee house adjacent to the Loyola University campus. The group wasn't ever the headliner, but opened for some big names of the time including Josh White JR. I will write more about the "It's Here" era later. Right now I want to focus on The Hornpout. The rehearsal issue arose again with our new lady singer as well. Lenny's mom and dad, who were both very supportive of the group invited her into their home. The Hornpout was going to be around awhile. Things became complicated, Lenny and the Hornpout shared the same upper environs of the tri-level house and a whole lot more! Later, I too got to know her much better. These Fleetwood Mac type of activities would ultimately be the un-doing of this configuration of the Whitsuntide Singers.