It all began in 1951...

The Brown Jabberwocks, an all-male a cappella group, were rehearsing for an upcoming talent show at the University. Quite intent on winning first place, they embarked on a crazy rehearsal schedule day in and day out. Well, each of the Jabberwocks had a girlfriend, and as you can probably imagine, these lovely ladies were quite annoyed that their boyfriends were more concerned with rehearsing than spending time with them. The girlfriends commiserated with each other, and decided to take matters into their own hands...

They formed their own a cappella group called The Chattertocks (a spoof on "The Jabberwocks," of course), rehearsed their own song for the talent show, and ended up winning FIRST PLACE!!! Over the years, the group has continued to grow and evolve with the changing times. The Chattertocks started recording early on with a number of vinyl albums, some of which included guitar and percussion back-up, both common for a cappella groups at the time. And at one point, the Chattertocks even sported a whole back-up band complete with male members! As Anna Fromer Seidman '79 recalls, "The band kept the group alive during a time when a cappella was dying. People were not attending our concerts. The band and the music we could perform gave us new life, brought crowds to our concerts at The Gate and other local sites. We still performed many of our a cappella numbers, but showed our versatility in being able to broaden our repertoire."

As the years passed, a cappella became more popular on campus and the Tocks were soon able to get the crowd going with the power of their voices alone. In the 58 years that the Chattertocks have been in existence, over two hundred fabulous women have lent their voices to the Chattertocks and helped to make us who we are. Although our members have come and gone and our repertoire has expanded to incorporate all sorts of songs, we continue to perform crowd-pleasers that appeal to audience members young and old. No matter what song we perform, the Tocks' musicality, spirit, and love of singing will shine through. Each song is guaranteed to knock your socks off!