On April 30th, 1998, University of Rochester administrators, professors, and leaders from the a cappella community were invited to the Welles-Brown Room of Rush Rhees Library. Each had received a blue postcard announcing the arrival of a new men's a cappella group on campus: the University of Rochester Midnight Ramblers. Amongst the dark wood desks, reading lamps, and leather couches of the intimate room, a few rows of chairs were organized for the understated event. Little did those in attendance know - the face of the a cappella community on campus was about to change.

Just as the current Ramblers take stage today, the ten founding members of the Midnight Ramblers raced from the back of the room to form a haphazard semi-circle in front of the onlookers. Wearing white T-shirts, chinos, and blue blazers, the Ramblers poured their hearts into renditions of "Some Kind of Wonderful," "Good Lovin'," "Truly Madly Deeply," and "Everybody Wants to Rule the World." This small private performance proved to be the first of many for the fledgling group.

Prior to this moment, the Midnight Ramblers were an eclectic hodgepodge of both amateur and seasoned singers, led by their enthusiastic founder, Jonathan Huang, a self-proclaimed "upstart Asian baritone". Though only a sophomore, Jon was an experienced a cappella singer who was eager to start his own musical group. Unlike many of the other extra-curricular musical ensembles on campus, he dreamed of a group where academic and musical excellence would be equally encouraged. He also envisioned a group that would enhance school pride through active participation in official college events and continual involvement in the campus community. Lastly, Jon wanted to provide a unique opportunity for a new pool of talent, focusing on crowd-pleasing pop and rock styles instead of the classic a cappella repertoire. Inspired by the Rolling Stones title, Jon christened his creation "The Midnight Ramblers". The original Midnight Ramblers were a passionate, enthusiastic mix of soloists, musicians, and entertainers, but were far from a polished ensemble. In direct contrast to the often flawless musical professionalism of other a cappella performances, a Ramblers concert exploded with the unbridled energy of a rock band.

By the end of spring 1999, the Midnight Ramblers had raised enough money for one week of recording. Rushing through thirteen tracks in just a few days, many of the solos and auxiliary parts were recorded in one take. Tackling the album with the same raw enthusiasm that made the Midnight Ramblers' live shows a success, their premiere CD, Now Playing, saw the Ramblers sing their hearts out with unrestrained energy and passion.

Building on their growing popularity, the second album, E=MR2, was released shortly after the first MR concert tour. In addition, the group was thrust into the national spotlight, when "Truly Madly Deeply," one of the group's four original songs, earned a spot on the prestigious Best of Collegiate A Cappella compilation (BOCA) for 2001. The Ramblers were also pushing the boundaries of live performance. Featuring a unique blend of music, dance, and bad acting, their early concerts thoroughly entertained small yet enthusiastic audiences. To these guys, just listening to great a cappella music was not enough; they wanted to put on a great show.

In 2003, with support from the Alumni House, College Music Department, and Office of Admissions, the group successfully embarked upon its first annual Midnight Ramblers Spring Tour. Driving 26-hours to their first destination in Sarasota, Florida, the Ramblers sang their way back up the East Coast, including a performance of the National Anthem at a spring training Cincinnati Reds game. Gigs aside, the tour has gone done in infamy because of the notorious "deer incident" in which Bambi decided to run headlong into the side of the Ramblers' trusty minivan. The singers survived unscathed. The van did not. Bambi's status remains unknown.

Subsequent tours took the Ramblers to destinations far and wide. Adhering to one of the founding principles of the group, they extended the popularity of a cappella music beyond the University, into the Rochester community, and beyond. Implementing an innovative workshop and assembly curriculum designed to teach aspiring young singers about a cappella, the group and worked with over a dozen high school and middle school choirs during the course of the 2003. Spring Tour brought the Ramblers back to Florida, but the possibility of another encounter with the hostile local deer population led them to leave the van at home and fly instead. Once again, the group performed the National Anthem at numerous MLB Spring Training games, cementing their own little chapter in the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry, and continued to bring their music to secondary schools throughout the state.

In spring of 2005, after a tour of the Los Angeles Area where they sang the National Anthem at a Lakers vs. Clippers game, the Ramblers competed in the International Championship of Collegiate A cappella (ICCA). Now seasoned veterans of the competition, they placed first in the Quarterfinal Round. After winning the Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship, the Ramblers flew to New York City, followed by a charter-bus full of UR fans, for the International Finals at Lincoln Center. The competition was held at Lincoln Center on April 30th, 2005 - exactly 7 years to the day from the famed Wells-Brown Room performance. Their tight 12-minute set ("Grind," "Stuck in the Middle With You," "When She Loved Me," and "I Believe in a Thing Called Love") earned standing ovations and gave the group the rank of third place in the nation. Amazingly, in just a few years, the Ramblers had become one of the most accomplished a cappella groups in the country.

The following fall, the Ramblers national success gained them widespread popularity. Their signature style of show grew to include a new form of comedic short videos featuring the Ramblers zany sense of humor on top of their already off the wall musical performance. Due to these video successes the Ramblers once again created a new a cappella innovation: "Midnight Ramblers: The DVD", a video release containing digital shorts, performance videos, and everything else they could think of to throw in, including Matt Roe's infamous reenactment of the nude sketching scene from Titanic.

Returning with ten members in the fall of 2006, the Ramblers added six new freshmen to create the largest group in its history. While the entire junior class studied abroad in the Spring Semester, the Ramblers did some traveling of their own. They packed their bags for London and embarked on their first international tour. They returned to Rochester to create one of the most successful shows in Rambler history, "Midnight Ramblers and the Chocolate Factory". This show marked the first ever sold out performance for the Ramblers in their home venue of Strong Auditorium, with a crowd 1,031 members strong.

The academic year of 2007-2008 was a turning point for the Midnight Ramblers. In front of another sold out auditorium at their fall show, "Midnight Ramblers of the Caribbean", they released their 7th full-length studio album, Manifesto!. The most successful Rambler album to date, Manifesto! continues to garner critical acclaim throughout the a cappella community. Four of the album's eleven tracks are featured on international compilation discs, including "I Write Sins Not Tragedies," which was included on 2008's prestigious Best of Collegiate A Cappella (BOCA) album. Other compilations include the AACI's Sing 3 and Sing 4, as well as Voices Only 2007. In addition, the Ramblers were among the winners of the inaugural 2007 Acatunes awards, with "Brighter than Sunshine" chosen by the top internet a cappella music portal (like iTunes, but without any instruments) as one of their favorite tracks of the year. Since then, the Ramblers have been the topped the Acatunes sales charts, outselling more tracks than any group on the site, collegiate or professional. Rounding out the list of accolades received by Manifesto! was a nomination for the 2008 Contemporary A cappella Recording Award ("the Grammys of a cappella") for Best Male Collegiate Arrangement for Dave Soson and Dan Israel's interpretation of John Mayer's 3X5.

In the Spring of 2008, they traveled back to the west coast for their Spring Tour to San Francisco featuring workshops and performances at schools the bay area. Upon their return, the Midnight Ramblers celebrated the 10th anniversary of their founding. On April 12, 2008, over 50 Ramblers from past and present converged on Strong Auditorium to take to the stage together for the first time ever. The evening was truly one to remember. Founder Jon Huang reprised his famous rendition of "Crazy Love", and current Musical Director Nick Hamlin managed to dislocate his shoulder on stage in front of the sold out standing room only crowd while conducting the final number, a thundering rendition of the Ramblers' signature closer, "Kiss Him Goodbye". To mark the occasion, the group released Anthology, a celebration of ten years of Rambler music, which strives to showcase the history of the group from its inception to the present. The tracks, which are essentially untouched from their original studio recordings, are presented chronologically to highlight the growth and changes the group has undergone in the past ten years. All proceeds from sales of this new disc benefit a newly established Midnight Ramblers Scholarship Fund run through the Admissions Office, which helps offset the education costs of incoming freshmen each year. This scholarship allows the Ramblers to give back to the University which has given them so much, and also helps continue to foster musical distinction on the River Campus.

Today, the Ramblers continue to flourish. Their 8th album is currently in production in association with Liquid 5th productions, and it promises to continue the tradition of standout a cappella music. In the spring of 2009, the Ramblers will travel to New Orleans on a new type of Spring Break tour. They will be performing entirely pro bono for schools in low income areas ravaged by Hurricane Katrina that cannot afford to book performance groups for their students. This tour is designed to bring vocal music to audiences who otherwise would never be able to participate in the art form and to help develop a new generation of a cappella performers. Despite their success, the group remains dedicated to the original ideas of the founding members: a commitment to musical excellence, a drive for innovative, and groundbreaking performances, a fierce dedication to the University, and an enrichment of the community through a cappella. The faces of the Ramblers may be changing (we look much better now), but the tradition of great music and entertainment continues to thrive.