When the holidays approach, communities often come together for services and celebrations at their local church. Oftentimes, the church will plan a Christmas mass alongside other holiday-themed activities for its congregation to enjoy. For many church-goers, Christmas really is the best time of year.
A few years ago, one church congregation was treated to a little surprise.
Four boys had formed a gospel quartet and were ready to sing to the crowd. Little did the audience know, however, they had a trick up their sleeve.
For those who are unaware, gospel quartets often encompass a few different singing traditions. Overall, however, they utilize a 4-part harmony with certain members playing certain roles.
The tenor sings the highest part of the song while the lead takes over the melody; the baritone blends and adds richness while the bass takes the lowest parts. When you combine them all together, you’re left with a magical sound.
For the Christmas mass, the boys planned to sing a holiday song— but not in the way everyone was expecting.
The kids had practiced their routine for ages, memorizing every part. Now that it was finally time to perform, they were sure they’d bring a smile to everyone’s face.
Prior to the performance, they stood on stage wearing big grins. They know the audience had no idea what was coming, and they could barely contain their excitement and laughs.
When the boys start “singing”, however, the congregation instantly realizes this is no ordinary quartet!
For their performance, the boys have chosen to lip-sync the song “Christmas Carol of Love”. They’ve paired themselves with one of the voices on the track and each plays a particular “role”.
At first, the boys sing together, their bodies swaying to the beat of the pleasant, holiday song. But when the boy in the vest steps forward to “sing” his part, the audience can’t contain their giggles anymore.
When the boy opens his mouth to sing, a jaw-droppingly low bass voice emerges.
You can see the audience’s eyes widen before they completely crack up.
The young boy accentuates his deep words with punctuated gestures and movements, pulling the entire performance together. When the footage was uploaded, it immediately went viral.
For those who are unaware, the incredibly deep bass singer on the track is actually legendary quartet singer J.D. Sumner.
Sumner was a member of many popular quartets from the 1940s onward, even inspiring a 14-year-old Elvis Presley with his unique voice. Sumner performed “Christmas Carol of Love” with JD and the Stamps Quartet. The quartet was later hired to open and sing backup for Presley for years prior to Presley’s death.
Since being shared, the young boys’ gospel quartet performance has been viewed over 6 million times.
It’s impossible not to fall in love with their antics— not to mention Sumner’s unbelievable voice. Comments on the video read:
“Whoever the bass is in real life can go extremely low my goodness! When that kid went down to his knees, I died laughing.”
“Who says that Christians can’t have fun and laugh? Great job.”
“Absolutely amazing! I could hardly stop laughing!”
Watch the hysterical performance below!
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