Rockapella

Rockapella, an American a cappella musical group, was formed in New York City in 1986. The founding members, Sean Altman, Elliott Kerman, Steve Keyes, and David Stix, were all Brown University alumni. The group initially performed on New York City street corners, blending barbershop harmonies with a cappella renditions of doo-wop. Their repertoire gradually shifted to include contemporary rock music. David Stix departed in 1987 and was replaced by Charlie Evett. A performance for Kathie Lee Gifford led to a 1988 appearance on WABC-TV’s “The Morning Show.” This exposure led to an invitation to perform on the PBS “Great Performances” TV special “Spike Lee & Company – Do It A Cappella.” Charlie Evett left in 1988 before the taping, with Barry Carl joining as his replacement.

Rockapella gained national recognition through their role on the PBS children’s geography game show “Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?” Steve Keyes left the group to pursue a legal career before the show’s premiere and was replaced by Scott Leonard. From 1991 to 1995, Rockapella was featured as the house band and comedy troupe on the program, performing the well-known theme song and appearing daily. During this period, Jeff Thacher joined as the permanent vocal percussionist in 1993, appearing in the show’s fifth season. The group released seven albums in Japan under ForLife Records, introducing contemporary a cappella music to the country. Following the conclusion of “Carmen Sandiego” in 1996, Sean Altman left the group in 1997 and Kevin Wright joined.

After “Carmen Sandiego,” Rockapella continued to evolve. They performed in two Folgers coffee commercials (1998-2001) and a PBS special of their December 9, 2000, concert. In 2002, Barry Carl was replaced by George Baldi III. The annual “A Rockapella Holiday” tour began in 2003. In 2004, Kerman, the last remaining founding member, left and was replaced by John K. Brown. That same year, all previous North American albums were re-released on Shakariki Records. Rockapella started collaborating with the Boston Pops in 2006, creating new concert experiences. Kevin Wright departed in 2009, replaced by Steven Dorian. The group’s cover of “It’s A Small World” was featured in a commercial for the animated film “Gnomeo and Juliet” in 2011. Jose Rosario left in 2022, replaced by Manny Houston, and George Baldi III returned in 2022 before being replaced by Armand Hutton in mid-2023.