Cleanshave is a

barbershop quartet A barbershop quartet is a group of four singers who sing music in the barbershop style, characterized by four-part harmony without instrumental accompaniment, or a cappella. The four voices are: the lead, the vocal part which typically carries t ...

maintained by the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

Annapolis, Maryland Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

, and staffed by

midshipmen A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

. According to the United States Navy, Cleanshave was established in the late 1950s to perform the "distinctly American music style" of barbershop with its repertoire encompassing "popular songs of the gaslight era and the early twentieth century". Once accepted to the four-person ensemble, a midshipman remains with it for the rest of his academy career. The unit-specific uniform consists of candy stripe blazers, red bowties, straw boaters with red and blue hat bands, and black trousers, or white trousers in warm weather.

References

{{reflist United States Naval Academy Barbershop quartets

See also

References