Yesterday a comment came in on an old post, and I wanted to draw attention to it.
Wayne Woodhams left this comment:
Wayne Hooper has been a close friend of mine for the past 30+ years. Several years ago he developed cancer, and it has been in remission for quite some time. I just found out that it is in full force again, and into the bone structure. Most likely Wayne has less than a year to live. Friends in the Ventura County area are planning a program honoring him in early November. If anyone wishes to pass on short messages, I’ll combine them in a tribute to him. It would be preferred that any words or messages be related to his music contributions, and not about his personal situation. He honored God throughout his career, and we wish to remember his work and efforts. You can email comments to Wayne Woodhams, Ventura, CA. at my email: wwoodhams@adelphia.net
Many thanks.
Wayne
Thanks for the information, Wayne.
Once again, here’s a link to a bunch of Hooper arrangements online.
9 Responses
August 24th, 2006 at 7:07 am
What a sad thing? Wayne Hooper has had an amazing impact on accappella music.
August 24th, 2006 at 6:56 pm
Yeah, sad. I wonder how old he is. And THANK YOU THANK YOU for that link to the free hooper arrangements online. That is awesome! But I would really like to get my hands on those books (the wayne hooper arrangements). Any idea where they could be obtained?
August 24th, 2006 at 7:57 pm
Used to could get them from Wayne himself, probably still can.
August 25th, 2006 at 7:24 am
Voice Of Prophecy probably has them available as well…
The Heralds may be able to help you also…
August 26th, 2006 at 12:46 am
Wow, that’s too bad. Wish I could’ve met him in person!
March 1st, 2007 at 9:44 pm
Hi,
Last fall I posted a message to this group about the health and medical issues of Wayne Hooper. From that post, I did get quite a number of emails, questions, and concerns about Wayne.
It is with great sadness and personal loss that I bring to this group the news that Wayne Hooper has passed away. He lost the long battle with cancer, and died at his home in Newbury Park, CA last night (February 28, 2007) at about 9 pm. As one who shared his name and also the love he had for male voice singing, it was most difficult to hear the news this morning.
My own personal loss pales in comparison to the loss his passing brings to his own church, to the Christian music world in general, to male voice singing enthusiasts everywhere, and most specifically, to male quartets. As many know, he had a beautiful baritone voice, and sang in the internationally known quartet, The King’s Heralds Quartet from the late 1940’s to the early 1960’s. Even when he stepped aside from quartet singing, he was still producing an enormous amout of arrangements, and contributed to his own world-wide church by taking on the task of putting together a new church hymnbook that when done, was simply magnificent, and is in use in thousands of churchs all over the world today.
His impact on male voice singing and his unique arrangments are hard to quantify or qualify. From his early involvement with male voice singing in the early 1940’s, he made a major change with the typical way quartet harmony was put together. He was a baritone, and apparently didn’t like the traditional role the baritone usually had in singing the “fifth” harmony. So he changed it, and what major changes he made.
He also was keen at chord progressions and voicing that defied the traditional way of doing things, or what was considered “acceptable”. For example, quartet harmony usually sounds best when a song ends, if the tenor (first tenor) part is on the root or third pitch on the final chord. Few would end a song with the tenor on the fifth note, purely because it doesn’t sound proper. It leaves sort of an unfinished sound to the final chord. Wayne, however, found ways to do this, that sounded absolutely marvelous, and did so on quite a number of arrangements. Probably the best known example is his scoring of the song “Oh Lord of Space”, with the words written by H.M.S. Richards, who was the founder and speaker for the Voice of Prophecy radio broadcast for many years.
I could probably go on and on, but I’ll let others who were much closer to him professionally or personally, add their comments about him, and of the great and significant contribution he made in so many ways.
The world has lost a great musician, arranger, and singer, and yesterday I lost a close friend. Godspeed, Wayne. It’ll be good to blend voices again in Heaven.
Wayne Woodhams,
Ventura, California
805-659-3876
wwoodhams@adelphia.net
March 5th, 2007 at 7:42 pm
As a a singer of Wayne Hooper’s music since my high School days(more than 43 years ago) I am proud to say I have a collection of all Wayne Hooper’s published Male Quartet music. Wayne’s music has been a kind of rite-of-passage for musicians in my church. The man’s contribution to acapella male music ensembles is enormous and brilliant. As a man he was a true gentleman and a blessing to all that met him. He will be missed.
April 19th, 2007 at 11:52 pm
Since my childhood days in Brazil I have listened to Hooper´s wonderful arrangements as sung by the King´s Heralds and got very sad when I heard about his passing away. I have the privilege to have Wayne Hooper´s first five male quartet arrangements books. I don´t know if he has published more than that. I wonder if anybody has Hooper´s arrangement sheet music to the spiritual ONE DAY.
May 10th, 2010 at 9:29 am
l greatly impressed with Hooper’s arrangements l enjoy the real ascent of accapella.lm not good in music but whenl listen to Kings heralds singing l enjoy so much.