Sweet Adelines International 75th Jubilee Commemorative Album

was discontinued, but the Coronet Club does provide cases, along with the crowns, to the champions. The first Coronet Club Show, “An Evening with the Champions,” was presented at the 1966 International Convention in Houston, featuring performances by the Quarternotes (1951), the Cracker Jills (1957), the Sea-Adelines (1962), the Note-Cracker Sweets (1964), and the Shalimars (1965). Today, music is available ahead of time, electronically, to Coronet Club members coming to the Convention — but they rehearse only once as a chorus prior to the show! The Queen’s Court, a central sales area where attendees could purchase recordings of their favorite quartets, was established at the International Convention in 1992. A feature was being able to sing with the Queens — for a fee. A portion of the proceeds was donated to the Young Women in Harmony program. This feature was discontinued.

Coronet Club History The Coronet Club first organized on October 26, 1958. At a reception honoring the newly crowned Sweet and Lows (1958), hosted by the Cracker Jills (1957) where “singing, laughing, and reminiscing together brought a thrill hard to express,” as one account put it, the past champions decided to form an organization exclusively for members of Queens of Harmony quartets. Others present at this first meeting were the Quarternotes (1951), three of the Nota-Belles (1955), one of the Junior Misses (1956), and one of the Johnson Sisters (1947). In 1994, the Coronet Club incorporated as an affiliate of Sweet Adelines International. The activities of the Coronet Club are many and varied. Coronet Club members host and provide backstage assistance for all competing quartets at each International Competition session, and assist in implementing the awards ceremony. Over the years, Jewel King and Ferne Hogan have been a familiar sight as they provided encouragement to the competitors waiting to go on stage. In 1985, the president of the Coronet Club and Sweet Adelines International’s president decided to host a dinner each year for the new Queens and their families after the contest. No more cold sandwiches gulped down by the new champions before returning to the convention hall! For a time, the Coronet Club provided hand-made white capes to the new Queens of Harmony. This

Who was the “winning-est” quartet singer? Connie Noble, who collected four international gold medals, including one as a replacement Queen. Kim Vaughn (Hulbert) was second in collecting gold jewelry, with three quartet championships.

SPOTLIGHT: CORONET CLUB

Each international champion quartet is represented in the Hughes Gehrke Champion Showcase at international headquarters.

A desire to assist quartets prompted the Coronet Club to establish Queens’ Colleges — area schools with classes presented by international faculty members and (of course) Queens of Harmony —Joni Bescos (4 for the Show, 1984 Queens of Harmony), The Pitch Pipe, January 2007

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