John Fred

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John Fred (born John Fred Gourrier, May 8, 1941 – April 14, 2005) was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun "swamp pop" and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)".

His group John Fred and the Playboys were formed in 1956; their first hit was 1958's "Shirley". He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game.

In 1967 Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise", a parody of the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The song became enormously successful, ultimately knocking another Beatles song ("Hello, Goodbye") out of the #1 chart position for two weeks in January 1968. Although Fred actually had a well-rehearsed and talented group honed by years on the road, now known as John Fred & His Playboy Band, he was branded as a "novelty act" and never had another success. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its royalties.

John Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown, and hosted a popular local radio show, The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll. In 2002 he released his final album, Somebody's Knockin. In 2004 his health began to fail and he received a kidney transplant. Complications ensued, culminating in a long hospital stay, and finally, death in 2005. Fred was survived by his wife, Sandra, and a son.