The Vocal Majority

Vocal Majority
The Vocal Majority, at Montreal's Bell Centre
Background information
Origin	Dallas, Texas
Genres	Barbershop music
Years active	1970s–present
Website	Official site

The Vocal Majority (VM) is a Dallas, Texas-based men's chorus of over 150 singers, billed as "America's Premier Pops Chorus." The VM is the performing chorus of the Dallas Metro chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society (BHS). The VM has won twelve International Chorus Championships, a Barbershop Harmony Society record. The first eleven gold medals (1975, 1979, 1982, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2006) were earned under the direction of Jim Clancy, who retired from International competition after 2010. The most recent championship, in July 2014, came under the direction of Jim's son Greg Clancy, the current Musical Director of VM.

Society contest rules do not permit any chorus to compete again for two years after winning an International Chorus Championship, so no chorus can win twice less than three years apart. As seen in the list of championship years, the Vocal Majority had one four-year span between wins, from 1975 to 1979, coming in second place to the Thoroughbreds in 1978. After that, they proceeded to win the gold at every International competition in which they competed for over 30 years, until 2009, when the Ambassadors of Harmony won the gold medal. In July 2010, the Vocal Majority again earned a silver medal at the International Chorus Championship in Philadelphia. Clancy announced prior to the 2010 competition that it would be his last as director. Jim Clancy continues as the Executive Director and principal arranger for the chorus.

The Vocal Majority did not compete again at the International level until the 2014 competition, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Because of past alternate-year competitions, the 2014 competition also marked the first time the Vocal Majority competed directly against eight-time champion chorus the Masters of Harmony of Sante Fe Springs, California. The VM earned a composite 96.8% score from the 15-member panel of judges and took home their first gold medal since 2006, their twelfth overall.

Vocal Majority's most recent competition was in July 2017, at The AXIS Theater, in the Planet Hollywood Resort in Las Vegas. VM scored 2885 out of a possible 3000 points, a 96.2% score, but were topped this time by the Masters of Harmony by a mere 8 points. VM's 2017 silver medal is their fourth overall.