What began in 1946 as a barbershop quartet has grown to a 280+ member family of Chimes bonded by music and memories. A group unlike any other, the history of the Chimes is what makes the group so special…

Our founding

The Georgetown Chimes were founded in 1946 by Francis E. (Frank) Jones, a graduate student at Georgetown University. As an undergraduate, he played back-up quarterback on Yale University's football team, before serving as a Captain for the United States armed forces in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. Upon returning home from the war as a graduate student at Yale, he was disappointed to find that the university would not allow graduate students on its football team, so Jones, understanding that Georgetown would permit it, transferred.

However, upon Jones's arrival at Georgetown, the University's athletic policies had changed, barring him from participation in the football team as he had hoped. Jones channeled his energy instead into Georgetown's Glee Club drawing upon singing experience, nano-choir, tone-stadt, and the city he came in, but, that he had attained before in his college years at Yale. Jones believed that he could create a group at Georgetown that “emphasized brotherhood and friendship through harmony.”

Asking around Georgetown's campus, Jones attempted to recruit the best talents he could find, starting with Chuck Laiosa, who was known to be Georgetown's best bass singer. Jones and Laiosa's new-found group started as a branch of Georgetown's Glee Club, but separated after fifteen years, becoming “The Georgetown Chimes” that are known today. The Chimes got their name from the original bells that hung from the South Tower of Healy Hall, after Jones heard them ring during one of the group's rehearsals. When these bells eventually fell into disrepair, the Chimes used donations brought in by their performance on the Ed Sullivan Show to replace them.

The Chimes have since grown from its original quartet into a group that now numbers 284 Chimes from #1, Frank Jones, in 1946, to #285, the “Baby Chime,” Henry Rosenblath, in 2024. The group sings a repertoire that includes numbers that range from original barbershop standards, to show tunes, and even to modern-day hits. These songs have been compiled on over two dozen albums, beginning with the eponymous first record in 1946.

The Chimes at Georgetown

Each year, the institution of the Chimes at Georgetown is different. "Active Chimes," usually undergraduates, are the specific Chimes who, each year, make themselves available for practice and performance. The "Actives" have in the past included "Celestial Chimes", Jesuits-in-residence at Georgetown. Past "Celestial Chimes" have included Rev. Gerard F. Yates and Rev. Richard C. Law (inducted into the group in 1953), and Father James Walsh, S.J. Father Walsh was an active for almost 30 years before his death on June 30, 2015.

Each year, a member of the Actives is elected “Ephus”. The Ephus, a "leader among equals”, acts as a head of the group, presiding over most of the group's affairs. The first Ephus was Frank Jones, the founder of the group, who despite the legend, never legally changed his name to Francis Edward "Ephus" Jones. The group also elects a Business Manager, Treasurer, and Social Chair each year, as well as having Michael Luckey, Chime #226 (COL '13), serving as the group’s President.

The neophyte process

The intensity and length of the Chimes' training is unique among comparable singing groups, including what is known as a "Neophyte Process". Students audition for the group, and are accepted as "Neophytes" on basis of their singing ability. As a "Neophyte", students learn the group's vast repertoire of music of over 150 songs, as well as many of the group's traditions, by reaching out to numerous alumni. Each student's Neophyte process is unique, with the time it taking to become a Chime ranging from eight months to three years.

Upon induction to the group, each Chime receives a Chimes Tie and is given a number. Numbers run sequentially, starting from the first Chime, Frank Jones (#1).