Keyed Up
THE QUARTET
Jim
Mike
Denny
Bud
JIM BISHOP
Baritone
Jim has been singing baritone with the quartet since 2015. He has been a member of the Akron Derbytown chorus since 2009 and has sung in 2 quartets previously, New Clear Energy and Gear Shiftin'. He has also sung with the Gospel Singers chorus, a subset of the Akron Derbytown chorus.
MIKE PILAT
Bass
Mike has been singing bass since 1965. He is a retired teacher who spent the last 20 years working with the handicapped. Whether at church, or at dinner, or at senior services homes, he is always singing somewhere.
DENNIS CONRAD
Tenor
Denny Conrad grew up in a family addicted to vocal music with both parents active in community choruses, musicals and church choirs. Little did he know that when he sang in a high school quartet in 1964-65 with a fellow student nicknamed "Chip" that 35 years later he would become so active in a hobby that Tom "Chip" Gentry had become so much a part of. During that 35 year gap, he sang mostly in a church choir or in the shower!
Then came that fateful New Year's Eve in 1999 when he happened upon a performance of the Akron Derbytown Chorus under the direction of Tom Gentry. That performance was all it took to rekindle the "barbershop flame" and two months later he joined the Derbytown chorus. Three years later he joined in the formation of the original Keyed Up quartet singing together for over 14 years. In 2014 Denny joined with Bud Couts, lead in the original Keyed Up, Jim Bishop and Mike Pilat to form the latest edition of the Keyed Up quartet.
Having recently retired with over 45 years of continuous service, you may now run into him volunteering on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad, golfing, hiking, spending time with his grandchildren and great grandchildren or just plain relaxing in addition to singing in the chorus and with the quartet.
Denny currently resides in the Portage Lakes area sourth of Akron with his faithful canine companion, Buckeye. (Just don't mention that state up north!)
BUD COUTS
Lead
Bud grew up in a musical family playing the drums in their seven-piece family orchestra and singing duets with his younger sister. He has also enjoyed singing with his daugher, Janelle, who was Miss Ohio in 2003. Bud is retired as a pastor after 43 years in the ministry which included 23 years in the Bahamas. He is a 14 year member of the Akron Derbytown chorus.