The Bluegrass Student Union quartet was formed in late 1973 within the ranks of the Louisville Thoroughbred Chorus. Tenor Allen Hatton, Lead Ken Hatton, Baritone Dan Burgess, and Bass Rick Staab won the Cardinal District Championship in 1974, and qualified for their first International Quartet Contest in the spring of 1976, finishing with a fourth-place medal at the ages of 22, 23 & 24. Two years later, the “ Bluegrass ” won the gold medals as the 1978 International Champion quartet. BSU distinguished itself as a past champion with improvement and innovation in selection of songs and musical arrangement and live performances and by making excellent audio and video recording products over a period of 33 years before retiring in December of 2006. The quartet is best known for releasing the first barbershop harmony “theme” recordings(Music Man, Jukebox Saturday Night and Here to Stay) and for adapting swing tunes of the big band era to the barbershop style. The quartet credits mentors Mary Jo Hatton, Jim Miller, Don Clause, Ed Waesche and Walter Latzko for their great contributions to its success. BSU recordings are available from Harmony Marketplace, Mainly A Cappella, Primarily A cappella and www.cdbaby.com.