"Whether in a quartette or a full chorus," said Brother Joshua, "his voice, aided by his violoncello, or otherwise, was positive and reliable, never allowed to betray the other parts; a rare gift to be most earnestly coveted. . . . He loved the profession, not only as a means of pecuniary profit, but for the higher development of intellectual culture, and as a powerful auxiliary to devotion, thus imparting the greatest good to man."

Asa B. Hutchinson was the youngest of twelve sons; and he was his father's pet. All the family showed musical talent. After brothers Judson and John bought violins, Asa managed to acquire a bass viol and set about teaching himself to play. Though sometimes described as a baritone, Asa sang bass in most family ensembles until he reached his mid-thirties. Today we would say that Asa's voice provided the foundation for the famous Hutchinson Family harmonies.

Published photographs of Asa vary considerably in quality; and we have few good descriptions of him. In many early notices, the author would give a written sketch of John and then merely say that Asa looked like his brother, only a bit shorter. Sister Abby said in 1877, "John and Asa are continually taken one for the other. Only last Monday the minister who was to baptize Asa walked up to John and apologized for being late. He was quite astonished when I told him this was John. The same day Asa was taken for John." Yet, Asa's face showed a warmth that was nearly impossible to miss; and Hutchinson friend, Dr. Edward A. Kittredge (byline, "Noggs"), made the typically quirky observation that Asa's nose was "kinder on the twist, but not so much so as his mouth, one corner of which is always laughing - even when the other is asleep."

In the summer of 1843 on Nantucket, Asa found true love, in the person of Elizabeth Chace (1828-1874). He and Lizzie, as she was called, were married on Monday, April 26, 1847.

Neither Asa nor his youngest son, Oliver Dennett Hutchinson (1857-1940), left a memoir; so we find many holes in his story, and some are quite large. It would appear, though, that as Asa's own family grew, domestic considerations pulled him increasingly away from the main singing band. The breakup did not take place all at once; but it was quite final, after a series of concerts in New York City in the spring of 1858.

At first, the Tribe of Asa - as he called his new company - included himself, Lizzie, and their young son Frederick Chace Hutchinson (1851-1873). This ensemble got off to a sometimes rocky start, though we would know little about it except that Asa dutifully clipped and saved a couple very negative reviews; but Asa Hutchinson was not about to let a few unfavorable press notices and occasionally small audiences stop him. He sang to both crowded and thin houses, and he made a controversial joint tour with an African-American vocal group, the Luca Family. Though once again the antislavery agitation was growing increasingly unpopular, as the country was spiraling down into civil war, Asa added more antislavery songs to his concert programs. He could be a very stubborn man. All the while, Freddy was charming audiences wherever the family traveled.

By the time of secession and the start of the United States Civil War, the Tribe of Asa was well on its way toward a second peak of public favor. During the years of fighting, Asa's family, more than anyone else, popularized the Union song, "The Battle Cry of Freedom," which was composed by George F. Root

Yes we'll rally round the flag, boys, we'll rally once again,

Shouting the battle cry of freedom

and "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground" by Walter Kittredge, a close friend of the Hutchinson Family. Asa also deserves a good share of the credit for the widespread circulation of Henry Clay Work's classic song, "Kingdom Coming." This is a remarkable bit of success for a man who had been in the entertainment business already for more than twenty years.

Asa added his other children to his company; and he toured across the country, with one lineup or another, from the late 1850s until 1880.

In 1867, not long after the death of his little daughter, Ellen Chace Hutchinson (1861-1867), fondly known as Nellie, Asa moved his family from Lynn, Massachusetts, to Hutchinson, Minnesota; and it remained his home and his base of operations most of the time thereafter. During the 1876-1877 concert season, Asa led a classic Hutchinson Family quartet, including his daughter Abby [nee Hutchinson] Anderson (1849-1884), his son Dennett, and soprano Ella Ramsdell of Boston, giving him yet another peak of popularity.

Lizzie Hutchinson died young; and in 1876, Asa remarried. His second wife's name was Joanna C. Hutchinson. Their marriage, at times, was stormy; and one would be hard pressed to say that Asa had chosen well.

Late in life, Asa lived in Leadville, Colorado. While he loved the Rocky Mountains, his Colorado business ventures were not profitable  -  he arrived at what was, in many ways, an inopportune time. As his investments proved unsuccessful, his health also declined (we're given no details); and he and Joanna separated. When he came home to Hutchinson, his years of prosperity were well behind him. Yet just before his last illness, Asa was making plans for his future and was talking of going on a concert tour.

On Tuesday, November 25, 1884, Asa Hutchinson died at Dennett's home. One newspaper reported that Asa's health had declined so quickly that, when they announced his death, most of their readers had not yet even heard about his illness. Death notices generally did not mention that Asa had a living wife.

Dennett led his own family in singing tours from 1894 to the summer of 1896. This was one of the last two bands of Hutchinsons to give concerts often and travel widely  -  Dennett thought it was the very last, and he could be right. Surprising as it may seem, one member of Dennett's company  -  his daughter Bess  -  lived into the 1990s, and she even did a little public singing late in life.

A few of Asa's songs, such as "Hannah's at the Window Binding Shoes" and "The Creed of the Bells," outlived him by years, even decades. His connection with "The Battle Cry of Freedom" and "Tenting on the Old Camp Ground"  -  songs he did much to popularize  -  has helped keep his memory alive all these years.

Asa, more than his brothers, was closely associated with Hutchinson, Minnesota. It seems to me there could be increasing interest in his life story, as we near  -  in 2005  -  the 150th anniversary of the settling of that community.

Alan Lewis,  November 14, 2000

A lot has happened since I posted these profiles. For one thing, materials that shed light on the life and career of Asa Hutchinson have surfaced, including some great items. We have good reason to believe there's more. Also, we now have enough information so we could probably write a capsule profile of Asa's son, Oliver Dennett Hutchinson. When we'll find the time is the real issue. And after having made many e-mail inquiries, I've finally learned that the city of Hutchinson, Minnesota will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of its 1855 founding. This observance will run all year. According to an October 26, 2004 e-mail from Julie Greive of the Hutchinson Area Chamber of Commerce, "The kick off event will be January 22, 2005."

In just the past couple weeks, The Revels, a greatly admired Boston musical and theatrical organization, has started giving public performances of its latest production, There's a Meeting Here Tonight!, which is based on the lives and careers of the Hutchinson Family singers. Follow this link for a review of the second-ever public staging of There's a Meeting Here Tonight! which took place right here in Brattleboro, Vermont:

Twenty-oh-five could be an exciting year in the world of Hutchinsonia!

Alan Lewis,  October 27, 2004