Hi, Larry: Commitment? What's that? When my oldest son was a teenager, he'd take a part-time job just long enough to buy a scateboard, and then he'd quit. Until he "needed" something else and he'd get another part-time job and work just long enough to buy it before he'd quit. Fortunately, he's grown up. Not everyone does. Being in a group is hard wokr (as well as being an enormous amount of fun.) The rule of thumb is, the harder you work, the more fun it is. Unfortunately, once the initial rush of being in a group passes, as it does, then all the immediate-payoff folks dissapear, looking for the next rush. I've seen the cycle from initial excitement and hard work to the downward spiral of missed practices and gigs. The first two tenors I had in my gospel quartet burned out after about nine months and were encouraged to leave before the first year was up. The tneor in our group now has been with us three years, and will be with us as long as I keept thr group going, as will the other two guys. They come to practice and performaces when they're sick, when they're exhausted or when they're trying to stave off problems at work or at home. They give up paying jobs to sing in nursing homes where the only pay is the greatest.. lifting someone else up. They're always ready to help lug equipment, set it up, break it down, distribute fliers... all the work that goes into having a group. (I don't think they'd work out in your group, though.) Any Black Irish/Danish songs that you know?

Walt Michael did just what Barbara in D.C. suggested, and it worked for him. I suspect there were plenty of headaches and egos to deal with, even then. I think that the only one perfectly suited to lead a group was Job, and as far as I know, he always played solo.

Keep on keepin' on though, Larry. You've got something too good to let anyone pull down.

Jerry