The Yale Alley Cats


The Yale Alley Cats are an all-male, undergraduate a cappella singing group at Yale University. Founded in 1943, they are the third-oldest underclassman a cappella group at Yale.
In the summer of 1943, four Yale undergraduate students climbed Saybrook Tower to serenade the night with Henry Carey's "Sally in Our Alley." Their singing awoke the College Master who quickly yelled at them "Stop it! Your singing sounds like a bunch of screeching alley cats!" The Master then silenced the young gentlemen and sent them to bed, but the performance marked the group's founding and taking the name, "The Yale Alley Cats."
While the group’s early repertoire was based primarily in jazz, their current arrangements span pop, R&B, Motown, folk, and a variety of other genres. The group has created more than 200 a cappella arrangements.
Each year, the Alley Cats hosts a large on-campus performance known as the "Champagne Jamboree," traditionally featuring a female guest soloist and a dance number. The group also performs for public and private audiences throughout the United States. Their performance tours are funded through concert revenue.
The Yale Alley Cats have entertained audiences worldwide, performing for many notable figures including Martha Stewart, Jay Leno, Stella McCartney, Tom Brokaw, and President Barack Obama.
In 2017, they performed at Facebook headquarters and Google headquarters on their tour of the California Bay Area, then later at the United Nations office in Geneva, Switzerland, and at the United States Embassy in Paris, France. In 2018, the group completed a ten-city tour of China through the invitation of Beijing Shengchou Education Technology Company, including collaborations with the Central Conservatory of Music and other schools and hotels across the nation such as the Little Swan Choir in Xi'an.
As with many Yale a cappella groups, first-years audition in a multi-week process known as "rush." Some are chosen by current Alley Cats to sing with the group for three years.

Notable alumni

Many Alley Cats go on to join The Yale Whiffenpoofs—a selective, all-senior, all-male a cappella group—and some have gone on to careers in the performing arts, including:
The Yale Alley Cats have recorded 32 albums and one EP, including several live albums. Their 2013 album "Ghost of a Chance," on the Bridge Records, Inc. label, was submitted to the 52nd Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album.
TitleYear Released
Love Lost - EP2019
Havana - Single2019
Midnight Drive2017
The Gamble2015
The Very Best of the Yale Alley Cats2014
Noir2013
Maneki Neko2010
Ghost of a Chance2009
Classic2006
Ninth Live2004
Day & Night2003
Est. 19432001
Cats Around the World2000
Scratch1999
Live in Europe1998
Hot Tin Roof1997
Swinging Cat1995
Lingers on My Mind1993
Mood Calico1991
Top Hat & Tails1989
Faux Paws1987
The Cat's Out1983
Night and Day1981
Down for Double1979
Magic To Do1977
Out Cattin'1975
25th Anniversary1973
Our House1971
Tales of the Alley Cats1969
You Go to My Head1967
Just For My Love1965
The Yale Alley Cats: Volume IV1964
Bewitching...1963
The Yale Alley Cats1958