Mike Rowe is known for getting down and dirty all over the world on the television show Dirty Jobs. He might get as dirty as he needs to be during the show but he makes sure to clean up nice for his own hobbies. Before Mike Rowe became the television personality known for being up for anything, he was a barbershop quartet singer. Yes, you read that right.
Mike Rowe can do just about everything and he sang with the Forefront Quartet to prove he still has his singing talent.
Long before Mike was hanging out in sewers and swamps, Mike Rowe sang in his own barbershop quartet. He sang alongside his three best friends during his high school years. Mike’s musical ability is not well known but he is not trying to hide it. Mike Rowe wrote on his blog,
“For me, the road to the sewer began with a barbershop quartet back in high-school, and a music teacher who insisted I could sing, despite my assurances to the contrary. It all came full circle this weekend with an Honorary Lifetime Membership in The Barbershop Harmony Society.”
Mike Rowe went to The Barbershop Harmony Society’s Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada to accept his Honorary Lifetime Membership. He could not just accept the membership, he accepted by singing with the Forefront Quartet.
Mike Rowe was not going to be singing with his high school friends anymore, he was now in the big leagues.
The Forefront Quartet are an award winning barbershop quartet. Mike was ready. He might not have been as formally dressed as the members of the quartet though. Mike was dressed in his signature look, jeans and a t-shirt. He was ready to get back to his singing roots but was not ready to leave his comfortable attire behind.
“As you no doubt observed Saturday, I was deeply flattered, profoundly grateful, and conspicuously under-dressed – my default position these days. I was also however, very aware that I would never again be in such close proximity to the current international champs, or have an opportunity to insert myself, as it were, into the mix. So I did,” Mike Rowe wrote.
Forefront Quartet member Brian O’Dell stepped aside about thirty seconds into the performance to let the surprise singer, Mike Rowe, sing in his place. The convention audience was as excited to see Mike Rowe jump onstage to sing, as Mike Rowe was to perform. The audience made Mike Rowe feel very welcome as they cheered him on.
Mike Rowe and Forefront Quartet sang “Sweet and Lovely.” A classic barbershop quartet love song.
Mike jumped in on the lyric, “what do you think of me?” Mike had fun on stage from the very beginning as he joked with the crowd to not answer that question. This made the audience laugh out loud. Mike went straight back into harmonizing with the quartet and his voice was a perfect blend with them. If he was nervous to show off his hidden talent, he did not show it.
Mike Rowe held his own alongside Forefront Quartet. His voice is beautifully polished, not dirty at all.
Watch Mike Rowe’s full performance right below. He’s quite the talent!
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