The Be Sharps
|
|
The Be Sharps were a fictional barbershop quartet from The Simpsons. The group consisted of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, Homer Simpson, Barney Gumble, and Seymour Skinner. The group initially started in Springfield, but quickly found national fame. Their career paralleled the Beatles in many ways.
In the beginning Chief Wiggum was a member of the group, not Barney. However, a record promoter said that Wiggum was too "Village People," and he was replaced. It is possible that this event is parallel to Pete Best being replaced as the drummer for the Beatles by Ringo Starr. The group decided their name had to sound funny the first time it was heard, but gradually become less funny. They settled on the Be Sharps.
Their first hit song was Homer's "Baby on Board," inspired by the car sign fad; the song was on their first album, Meet the Be Sharps. The Be Sharps won a Grammy and also met George Harrison. The name of their second album was Bigger than Jesus, (both album covers parodied Beatles' album covers) but there were internal troubles.
They had creative disputes, and Barney began dating a Japanese conceptual artist, similar to Yoko Ono (the two recorded a "Revolution 9"-like piece, with the Yoko-esque character reciting "Number 8" over and over atop tape loops of Barney's belches.) Eventually the group fell apart and they went their separate ways. The group re-united once to perform their hit one last time on the roof of Moe's Tavern.
The famous Disneyland barber shop quartet, the Dapper Dans, provided the voices for the Be Sharps.