Barbershopping was first brought to Wilmington in 1982 when George Booth agreed to lead a group of friends. Their plans to become affiliated with SPEBSQSA never came about and the group folded in 1983.

Then in 1986 at the local golf course, a chance meeting of Ernie Eddy and Robbie Benson again revived the idea of forming a barbershop chapter in Wilmington. Throughout their round of golf they discussed the continued interest of the original group to try again to interest area men in forming a chapter. This time, through the tireless efforts of these dedicated and talented men, the Cape Fear Chordsmen emerged with a core group of 20 members and in July 1987, the Society gave its go ahead to organize the chpter.

On April 21, 1988 the Cape Fear Chordsmen, Chapter Q040, was issued a charter. Two days later they performed their first show titled, “The Way We Were” at the Roland Grise Auditorium featuring “Class Act”.

Fast forward to 2017 and the Cape Fear Chordsmen are alive and well with 50+ dedicated members rehearsing and performing in the Wilmington area. Our 29th annual show, “Silhouettes” was staged on June 23 & 24, 2017 at the Kenan Auditorium at UNCW under the direction of Don Smith featuring the Ashville quartet, “Supersonic”.

We rehearse every Tuesday evening from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM at the Temple Baptist Church, 1801 Market St, Wilmington, NC 28403. Guests are always WELCOME. Most nights upon completion of our singing festivities, there is a “mini Afterglow” at a local restaurant or pizza shop.