The Idlers

The Idlers of the United States Coast Guard Academy (USCGA) are an all-male collegiate a cappella ensemble specializing in the performance of sea shanties and patriotic music.

A relatively exclusive group with a history and traditions similar to many fraternal organizations, the Idlers are the only all-male a cappella vocal group at the U. S. Coast Guard Academy. Membership is attained through annual auditions overseen by the current members and the director. Group size varies based on current requirements, but generally includes between 12 and 20 men. The ideal group includes 3 or 4 members for each part: Tenor 1, Tenor 2, Baritone, and Bass. The group began in 1957 with 14 singers, two of which were freshman (4/c cadets). The Idlers have an elected President, who historically was the "pitch" and leads rehearsals in the absence of the director. The Vice President was the "vice-pitch", also an elected position.

The Idlers were formed in 1957 by eight members of the USCGA Class of 1959 on summer cruise. They quickly drew the attention of the Academy's bandmaster Don Janse and began building their repertoire and fame. In the fall of 1957, the Idlers membership was extended to all Academy classes, as reflected in this photo, taken several months thereafter. Within two years the Idlers had recorded three vinyl albums (for both the Design and MGM labels), and had performed for President and Mrs. Eisenhower at the White House and on The Bell Telephone Hour (NBC).

Don Janse went back to school in the early 1960s and John Heffermann briefly directed the Idlers. When Don returned he brought a number of new tunes which would soon become Idlers staples, including arrangements of Banua, The First Time I Ever, and the Coast Guard Hymn.

The 1970s saw a resurgence of interest in folk music. Patterned after The Kingston Trio, a splinter group known as The New London Trio performed with guitar, upright bass, and banjo. The Idlers sang at the re-interment of Captain Hopley Yeaton, the father of the Coast Guard, on October 19, 1975. The Singing Idlers made an appearance on Saturday Night Live on February 28, 1976, where Leon Redbone was the musical guest, and the hostess Jill Clayburgh sang "Sea Cruise" backed by the group. During the Academy centennial in 1976, several reunion attendees and other Idlers living nearby performed at a black tie dinner held at the Norwich Sheraton - arguably the first reunion of past and present members on the same stage. In January 1977 the Idlers performed at the Smithsonian Air & Space Museum and the American History Museum associated with the Presidential Inauguration of Jimmy Carter.

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