The Four Freshmen
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| The Four Freshmen | |
|---|---|
| Established: | 1948 |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Website: | http://www.4freshmen.com/ |
| band members | |
| Lead voice, Guitar: | Brian Eichenberger |
| 2. Voice, trumpet: | Curtis Calderon |
| 3. Voice, bass: | Vince Johnson |
| 4. Voice, drums: | Bob Ferreira |
| former band members | |
| Singer: | Ross Barbour |
| Singer: | Don Barbour |
| Singer: | Marvin Pruitt |
| Singer: | Bill Comstock |
| Singer: | Bob Flanagan |
| Singer: | Ken Errair |
| Singer: | Hal Kratzsch |
| Singer: | Ken Albers |
| Singer: | Ray Brown |
| Singer: | Gary Lee Rosenberg |
| Singer: | Kevin Stout |
| Singer: | Greg Stegeman |
| Singer: | Autie Goodman |
| Singer: | Alan McIntosh |
| Singer: | Newton Graber |
| Singer: | Dennis Grillo |
| Singer: | Rod Henley |
| Singer: | Dave Jennings |
| Singer: | Mike Beisner |
| Singer: | Kirk Marcy |
The Four Freshmen were an American vocal group popular from the 1950s through the early 1960s. Well-known for their multi-part harmonies, they are notable as early purveyors of vocalese and as the forerunners of vocal-harmony based rock music, particularly that of The Beach Boys.
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[edit] Career start and commercial success
One of the most influential vocal groups of the 1950s, The Four Freshmen pioneered a revolutionary new style of close-harmony vocals that set the stage for bands like the Beach Boys, Spanky & Our Gang, the Hi-Los, the Manhattan Transfer and countless others. In 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour formed a barbershop quartet called Hal's Harmonizers at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indiana. The band also featured Marvin Pruitt and Hal Kratzsch. Later that year the group switched to a more jazz-oriented repertoire, and the quartet was renamed the Toppers. Pruitt soon left the group and was replaced with Ross and Don's cousin Bob Flanigan.
Early on the group was influenced by Glenn Miller's Modernaires and Mel Torme's Mel-Tones, but began to show signs of their own unique style of free improvisational vocal harmony. By September of 1948, the quartet went on the road as the Four Freshmen. The group was highly touted by jazz legends like Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman. In 1950, the Four Freshmen got their big break when bandleader Stan Kenton heard the quartet in Dayton, Ohio. He called his label Capitol Records and arranged an audition. The group was signed later that year. In 1952, the band released their first hit single "It's a Blue World," which brought them instant recognition among mainstream audiences. Kratzsch was replaced by Ken Errair in 1953, but the group never lost its stride. Their subsequent releases of "Mood Indigo" in 1954, "Day by Day" in 1955 and "Graduation Day" in 1956 showed that The Four Freshmen were more than just a one-hit wonder sensation.
The group remained popular throughout the 50s and early 60s, releasing a wide array of successful albums, movie and television appearances and performing countless sold-out concerts. The band eventually lost mainstream attention with the emergence of the British pop bands of the '60s, even though they managed to stay together even after the retirement of final original member Bob Flanigan in 1992. New lineups of the Four Freshmen have continued the legendary vocal tradition of the original band, while adding new touches. In 2000 the group won Down Beat magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year, proving the quartet's prominence in the jazz world today
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Voices in Modern (1955)
- Four Freshmenn and 5 Trombones (1955)
- Freshmen Favorites (1956)
- Four Freshmen and 5 Trumpets (1957)
- Four Freshmen and Five Saxes (1957)
- Voices In Latin (1958)
- The Freshman Year (1958)
- Voices In Love (1958)
- In Person (1958)
- Four Freshmen and Five Guitars (1959)
- Love Lost (1959)
- Voices And Brass (1960)
- Road Show (1960)
- First Affair (1960)
- Voices in Fun (1961)
- The Freshman Year (1961)
- Best of The Four Freshmen (1961)
- Stars in Our Eyes (1962)
- The Swingers (1962)
- Day By Day (1962)
- Got That Feelin' (1963)
- In Person, Vol. 2 (1963)
- More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1963)
- Funny How Time Slips Away (1964)
- That's My Desire (1967)
- A Today Kind of Thing (1968)
- Today is Tomorrow (1968)
- Four Freshmen in Tokyo '68 (1969)
- Different Strokes (1969)
- My Special Angel (1970)
- Return to Romance (1971)
- Mount Freshmore (1977)
- Alive & Well in Nashville (1977)
- Live At Butler University With Stan Kenton And His Orchestra (1986)
- Fresh! (1986, nominated for a Grammy)
- Freshmas! (1992)
- Angel Eyes (1995)
- Easy Street(1997)
- Golden Anniversary Celebration (1998)
- Still Fresh (1999)
- Four Freshmen Live CD (2000)
- Live in the New Millennium (2002)
- Live In Holland (2004)
- In Session (2005)
- Live From Las Vegas DVD (2006)
+ 45 RPM Singles: + Mr. B's Blues Then I'll Be Happy 11/50 Capitol 1293 + Now You Know Pick Up Your Tears and Go Home 4/51 Capitol 1377 + It's A Blue World Tuxedo Junction 7/52 Capitol 2152 + The Day Isn't Long Enough Stormy Weather 11/52 Capitol 2286 + Poinciana Baltimore Oriole 4/53 Capitol 2398 + Holiday It Happened Once Before 8/53 Capitol 2564 + Seems Like Old Times Crazy Bones 2/54 Capitol 2745 + I'll Be Seeing You Please Remember 6/54 Capitol 2832 + We'll Be Together Again My Heart Stood Still 8/54 Capitol 2898 + Mood Indigo Love Turns Winter to Spring 10/54 Capitol 2961 + It Never Occurred to Me Malaya 3/55 Capitol 3070 + Day By Day How Can I Tell Her 6/55 Capitol 3154 + Charmaine In This Whole Wide World 11/55 Capitol 3292 + Angel Eyes Love Is Just Around the Cornter 2/56 Capitol 3359 + Graduation Day Lonely Night in Paris 4/56 Capitol 3410 + He Who Loves and Runs Away You're So Far Above Me 9/56 Capitol 3532 + That's the Way I Feel What's it Gonna Be 2/57 Capitol 3652 + Julie Is Her Name Sometimes I'm Happy 8/57 Capitol 3779 + How Can I Begin To Tell Granada 11/57 Capitol 3832 + Whistle Me Some Blues Nights Are Longer 3/58 Capitol 3930 + Don't Worry Bout Me I Never Knew ?? Capitol + Candy Route 66 2/60 Capitol 4341 + Teach Me Tonight Shangri-La 6/62 Capitol 4749 + I'm Gonna Go Fishin' Taps Miller 9/62 Capitol 4824 + Summertime Baby Won't You Please Come Home 6/63 Capitol 5007 + Funny How Time Slips Away Charade 11/63 Capitol 5083 + My Baby's Gone Don't Make Me Sorry 3/64 Capitol 5151 + When I Stop Lovin' You Nights Are Long 4/65 Capitol 5401 + Old Cape Cod Men In Their Flying Machines 8/65 Capitol 5471 + Cry Nowhere to Go 12/66 Decca 32070 + Cherish Come Fly With Me 6/68 Liberty 56047 + Windy Up, Up and Away + Blue World Phoenix 4/69 Liberty 56099 + My Special Angel + + I Want To Love While I'm Young Capitol F 3539 (Ken Errair solo + Ain't Goin' Nowhere + + How About Me Capitol F 3890 (Ken Errair Quartet) + How's About Tomorrow Night + + The Creep Tenderly 2/54 Capitol 2685 (FF sing on Tenderly) + + Note: The first fifteen singles (Mr. B through Graduation Day) were also on 78rpm Capitol discs (same stock numbers) + -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + + Promotional Singles: + It's a Blue World Poinciana Capitol PRO 862 + You're So Far Above Me Brazil Capitol PRO 863 + Every Time We Say Goodbye Circus Capitol PRO 864 + Whistle Me Some Blues It Never Occurred To Me Capitol PRO 865 + You Stepped Out Of A Dream I May Be Wrong Capitol PRO 866 + Baltimore Oriole It Could Happen To You Capitol Pro 867 + Accentuate The Positive I Want To Be Happy Capitol PRO 1822 + We've Got A World That Swings When My Sugar Walks Down The Street Capitol PRO 2392 (red vinyl) + It Never Occurred To Me Malaya Capitol PRO 2969 + How Can I Tell Her Day By Day Capitol PRO 3070 + Angel Eyes Love Is Just Around The Corner Capitol PRO 3154 + I Want To Love While I'm Still Young Aint'Goin' Nowhere (Ken Errair Capitol PRO 3359 + Give Me The Simple Life (dated 1/12/62) Say it Isn't So (not a FF cut) USAF presents Music in the Air + -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- + 7 inch, 33 1/3 (small hole) Promo Singles: + Here's Hollywood And So It's Over Capitol PRO 2402 + Moon River Dynaflow Capitol PRO 2449 + Blue World Poinciana Capitol PRO 2510 + Li'l Darlin' Lulu's Back In Town Capitol XE 1753 + Candy It Could Happen To You Capitol XE 1640 (set of 3) + Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe While You Are Gone + Day By Day Little Girl Blue + Moonlight Rain + I'm Beginning To See The Light It's A Blue World
