Boonslick Chordbusters
A Work In Progress
From left: Greg Grote (bari), Tarry Koutz (bass), Walter Coplen (lead) and Tom Palis (tenor)
Bios
Greg was the only member of the original quartet who did not have formal musical training (unless one counts piano and organ lessons as a youth) -- but as the Baritone he obviously has the best ear of the group, which more than makes up for his lack of training (I can't believe that they let me leave that statement in!). He moved to Jefferson City, MO in 1999 from South Carolina, where he was singing with a small chapter in Florence. Greg considers himself very lucky to be married to the "ever young and ever lovely Miss Beverly", as a friend from South Carolina refers to her. Their son Geremy lives in KC after earning a Jazz Performance degree from UMKC ... Geremy's wife Margaret graduated with degrees in Music Therapy and Psychology ... they recently welcomed their first child, Genevieve into the world, which makes Greg a grandpa (!?!). Greg is the Webmaster for the Chordbusters (which makes it easy to ensure that he always looks good on the web site), and Beverly is the group's most prolific photographer. An admitted quartet junky, Greg sings in as many quartets as will have him (or, rather, as many as Beverly will allow to have him!) He works for Wren Solutions in Jefferson City, and enjoys playing golf and making lamps from musical instruments.
Tarry is an ordained minister. He taught 40 years at Central Christian College in Moberly before accepting a Full-Time Position as Music Minister at Forum Christian Church in Columbia. He and his wife, Poppy, reside in Columbia. They have two grown children both married. Their son Cris and daughter-in-law Michelle live in Ballwin, MO where he teaches music at Parkway South Middle School and she teaches First Grade at Living Water Christian School. Their daughter Julie and husband Tim live in Columbia where Tim owns and manages Crockett Engineering. Julie taught Third Grade for several years but is now enjoying the life of a stay-at-home Mom (It?s hard to say which was easier!). They have presented Tarry and Poppy with three grandchildren. Oldest is their granddaughter, Emery, followed by two grandsons, Carson and Boone. Tarry and Poppy like to visit their son and daughter-in-law as often as they can get away because it gives them a chance to take in the culture and shopping of St. Louis. Their grandkids live in Columbia so it's easy to find Tarry and Poppy at Julie and Tim's house enjoying the little ones. Tarry says he gets his "high" from Poppy (but not the flower!). She is a piano teacher and loving wife and mother. Music brought them together and is keeping them more active than they'd sometimes like. Tarry is a Certified Director and has completed 15 years as frontline director of The Boonslick Chordbusters before retiring to sing bass with the group. Tarry has enjoyed every minute of his barbershopping career and looks forward to many more enjoyable sing-outs.
Walter is the newest member of the quartet, but is no stranger to quartet singing, having sung Baritone with Dogs Without Leashes for eight years. We think you'll really like him as our Lead, but we do let him sing Bari on a few songs, just for fun. He moved to the Columbia area in 1998 from St. Louis, joining the Boonslick Chordbusters that same year having never sung barbershop music before. He and his wife, Alberta, have lived in Missouri since 1992 and love discovering the natural beauty the state has to offer. Walter graduated from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas with a Masters degree in Marriage and Family Counseling. He is the President of Coplen Wright and Associates, Christian Counseling Center. Walter has been involved in music in churches most of his life. Either as the music leader, choir member, as a soloist or as a member of a quartet. Walter and Alberta are interested in history and antiquing, they are always ready for a day trip to historical sites or just to antique on the back roads of Missouri and other states. They've lived in Ashland since 2005, and enjoy working in their yard and gardening.
Tom works in Columbia and lives in nearby Wisconsin . . . okay, we're kidding about that last part . . . he really just lives a few miles NE of Columbia, but sometimes it seems like we're driving all the way to Wisconsin when we travel to his place! Tom earned a Bachelors of Music Education from Southeast Missouri State University and a Masters of Church Music from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has taught school vocal music and served as Minister of Music in several local churches. Tom started singing barbershop in 1999 with the Boonslick Chordbusters and was named Assistant Director in 2000. Active in quartet singing, he sang Tenor in Dogs without Leashes, and Lead in A Work In Progress before moving to Tenor when Walter joined the quartet.
