For more than a century, the Morehouse College Glee Club has uplifted audiences.They’ve performed at presidential inaugurations, Super Bowls and the Atlanta Olympics. But behind every performance is a deeper mission - their voices rise not just in song, but in leadership.
“At Morehouse College Glee Club is an immediate expression of brotherhood, a united force of dedication and commitment, and an unselfish labor of love,” said Desmond Thompson, a proud member of the 38-member group.
The Glee Club recently performed at New Olivet Worship Center in Cordova by invitation from alumnus Pastor Kenneth Whalum Jr. Whalum says when he saw the Morehouse Glee Club perform in Memphis as a young boy, he knew he’d become a Morehouse man.
“There’s something about black men singing in harmony. It strikes the ear,” Whalum said. “And the comportment of those men in the Glee club. They put in hours and hours and hours of work so that the harmony can be crystal clear and the message of the music can get across.”
That Morehouse message is one of service and leadership, producing men of distinction for nearly 158 years.
“Well, Morehouse traditionally makes men who have a sense of civic responsibility and believe that we are responsible for lifting the entire community,” Whalum explained.
Whalum’s Morehouse family tree includes his father, his sons, some of his cousins and uncles, one of whom, Dr. Wendell Whalum, was the second-ever Glee Club director. His son Kortland, now a professional singer and former Glee Club member himself, recalls his Morehouse experience as one of the most rewarding of his life.
“I mean, it really teaches us and trains us how to value and honor ourselves. And when we go and go out into the world, we’re prepared for it,” Kortland said.
Dr. David Morrow is the current director of the Morehouse Glee Club. “For sure it is an arm of the college that shows the college off in such a way that we can use it for recruiting and advertising for the school,” he said.
But Morrow emphasizes it’s even more than that. “It’s more of a remembering that you are a part of a community, that you are more than just yourself. You are more than just a member of the Glee club. You are more than just the Blaze, and you are more than just a tie. You are family. You are part of something great.”
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