The Zumbyes
Music in the Stacks: Amherst College’s Zumbyes
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Amherst College’s oldest a cappella group, The Zumbyes was formed in 1950 by a group of eight ambitious and talented freshmen who were more interested in Jazz than in traditional collegiate repertoire. During the group’s first year, the charter members practiced nightly in the basement of Stearns Dormitory. It was then that, in the midst of a search for a distinctive name, Steve Miller, charter member baritone, pulled “Zumbyes” from a hat. And it stuck! From the very outset, the Zumbyes have adhered to the philosophy that blend is the single most important element of small group singing.