Harley J. Streiff

Harley was born into a large, very musical family in New Glarus, WI, a Swiss village in the southern part of the state. His Grandfather Figi was a "music man" but unlike Harold Hill of the same description, he could actually teach the many bands he established and conducted throughout the area before the time that the school system would assume the responsibility for musical education. Even then "Grandpa" continued to form and conduct community bands, firemen's bands, boys bands, etc.

Harley took up Grandpa's instrument, the cornet and then the trumpet, and followed the usual paths of musical development; area competitions, music festivals, and all-state summer camps. Vocal music-making was also a big part of his musical development and it was as a voice major that he went off to study at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ after a brief stint in the Navy.

At Westminster he was soon selected for the prestigious Westminster Choir and recruited into the vocal ensemble of The Lost Colony, a summer outdoor historical drama at Manteo, NC an island on the Outer Banks. A small group from the cast of the drama decided to pool their various talents and form a company of players that would present New York night-club type floor shows for the entertainment-hungry summer population that frequented the local beach clubs. Experience and development foremost in mind --- monetary return not entirely unwelcome. (Good thing too because there wasn't much of that.)

The presentations would include production numbers (current show tune openings and closings) by the entire company. Comedy would be supplied by Andy Griffith (Sir Walter Raleigh in the Lost Colony production) who, while teaching in the N.C. school system was already developing an act with his wife Barbara which they toured locally and in which he was expanding on his ideas for comic, folksy, country-boy monologues which would soon catapult him to recording, Broadway, movie and television fame.

Dance, modern-interpretive, would be the province of Barbara Griffith and a few others of the L.C. company. The vocal music would be presented by four of the singers from the Westminster group; Helene McLain, Helen Reitmeyer, George Vassos, and Harley. Folk songs, close jazz harmonies, show tunes ---- all a capella, that was to be the essence of "The Foursome" as they called themselves.

The shows were very well received and all involved were encouraged to expand their aspirations. First to bolt for a try at the Big Apple were The Foursome to be followed soon by Andy and Barbara and other members of this cast.

Totally naive to the fickle ways of show business, good fortune smiled on the group and they did their first television engagement as backup singers for a Hallmark production of Tonight At Eight-thirty. Within a short time they were the featured group on Ted Mack's daily variety show (yes, he did have one) live and simultaneously became the Page Four singers with Patti Page on her taped (kinescoped) weekly T.V. show.

Having been told by Andy Griffith and others that the acme of show business aspiration would be to play the BLUE ANGEL the group was a bit awed to find themselves playing the prestigious East-side night club within a short time after arriving in town.

As the vocal group of a daily ABC Radio show, The Foursome expanded to five and became The Noteworthies working with the music director/conductor Neil Hefty with whom they would later make several recordings As The Noteworthies, they became a featured part of the company of The Jimmy Dean Show.

Then came a touring stint with Pat Boone and a stretch with Tony Benette including the old Copacabana and concerts with Count Basie. All the while, when back in New York,they would do shows such as Hallmark Hall Of Fame, Ford Spectaculars, industrial shows (introducing Barbi for Matel), and many Bell Telephone Hours on which they were regulars for years.

Harley and the other members also worked independently as opportunities arose in night clubs, concert stage (since he is classically trained Carnegie Hall is no stranger to him or he to it. He sang there under such conductors as Dmitri Metropolis, Bruno Walter, Guido Cantelli, and Leonard Bernstein) recordings and TV shows including Fred Waring, Perry Como, The Ed Sullivan Show and the Palace with Judy Garland.

Harley has been one of The Terry Tones with Teresa Brewer, one of the Moon Men with Vaughn Monroe and worked with a nameless group with Dinah Shore at the Waldorf and has even been a Pied Piper.

He worked as a featured cast member (singer/dancer/actor) on The Entertainers- a CBS-TV show starring Carol Burnette and Caterina Valenti.

With and without the group he has also done many commercials and voice overs for children's shows including Sesame Street.

He has taught music and theater at St. Thomas Aquinas College for over thirty years. He has directed upwards of one hundred theatrical productions, stage and music, and continues to conduct a church choir, combined choruses in the Rockland-Bergen area and the SRVCB. .