While the group performs as a quartet, there are actually at least 12 singers assigned to the role, plus occasional substitutes. Deagan Company in Chicago, Illinois around 1901, the year of Walt Disney's birth. Comedienne Billie Bird, a friend and vaudeville performer, had taught Thomas to play the chimes and it was her instrument that the Dans first used.Įach of the eight (shaker) chimes has three octaves of a single note, comprising a C scale. It was "Bub" Thomas who had introduced the iconic Deagan Organ Chimes into the act back at Disneyland. When they relocated to Florida at then end of the 1971 summer season, they brought with them the Disneyland Dapper Dan traditions. It didn't stop them from singing a song or two WITH Willson backstage, including one of his favorite songs, "Dear Old Girl."īoth Thomas and Kneeland were former members of the Dapper Dans at Disneyland.
The Dans were actually chastised by the event managers because their harmony could be heard on stage. A caricature of the original group drawn by Thomas, an accomplished caricaturist, hangs in the shop.įor the official dedication of Walt Disney World on October 25, 1971, the Dapper Dans sang "Lida Rose" from the popular musical "Music Man" for its composer Meredith Willson, who was backstage waiting to direct the marching band that was to come down Main Street. However, their home base was considered the Harmony Barbershop, named after the harmony in their songs, and they sometimes serenaded vacationers getting a haircut. The first set for the WDW Dapper Dans was at the GAF Photo Shop, performing for the cast members and their families a week before the grand opening of Walt Disney World. They were only given a three-month contract, something not unusual at Disney, where an entertainer was never fired - just didn't have their contract renewed because of "ever-changing entertainment needs in the park." Many entertainers, however, kept getting their three-month contracts renewed over and over again for decades as if it was a permanent job. They were Dick Kneeland (lead), "Bub" Thomas (bass), who came from Disneyland and performed as a "Dan" for more than two decades, Jerry Siggins (baritone), and Bob Mathis (tenor). The first Dapper Dans of the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World started in October 1971. But the Dapper Dans at Disneyland and Walt Disney World are the groups that have endured. The jokes always brought laughter from the audience, especially when they announced the songs they would sing: "She Was Kind to the Regiment but Rotten to the Corps" or "Let Me Call You Sweetheart… because I've forgotten your name."įor a brief period, there was a Dapper Dan quartet at Hong Kong Disneyland and a UK quartet performed at Disneyland Paris from 1992 to 1995 as the Mainstreet Quartet. The superb four-part harmony sung a cappella by this quartet became an institution on Main Street U.S.A., with a song list of more than 100 songs in the repertoire. But we need a quartet that could entertain their parents… the older people." We have plenty of entertainment for the kids. "We had a quartet but all they did was stand up there and sing," Anderson told Charles "Bub" Thomas who joined the Dapper Dan group in Disneyland in 1969.
("Dapper Dan" was a turn-of-the-last-century phrase referring to a well-dressed and groomed gentleman who was "dapper" or stylish.) Marker, who was the leader of the quartet, came up with the new name, The Dapper Dans, for the re-imagined group in 1959. He wanted one that could do some vaudevillian-style comedy interaction with the guests and maybe a little tap dancing. In 1959, Anderson wanted more than just a singing group on Main Street U.S.A. Corson also handled talent booking at Walt Disney World.Ĭorson, who primarily handled the bigger entertainment "names" in talent booking, worked with Sonny Anderson, who handled the musical "atmosphere" entertainment for the park (and later Walt Disney World). Chuck Corson, a former stage manager for the Fred Waring Chorale who was talent booker for the park, gathered four singers from that group to form Disneyland's first Main Street Quartet. In 1957, Disneyland entertainment director Tommy Walker arranged for a barbershop quartet to perform on Main Street to add a little more atmosphere to the 1890-1910 time frame of the location.
The Dapper Dans are a beloved Disney theme park tradition that bring a greater sense of authenticity to Main Street U.S.A. Please be sure to confirm all current rates, information and other details before planning your trip. Editor's Note: This story/information was accurate when it was published.
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