The Four Freshmen
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| The Four Freshmen | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Genre(s) | Jazz |
| Years active | 1948–present |
| Label(s) | Capitol |
| Website | http://www.4freshmen.com/ |
| Members | |
| Brian Eichenberger Curtis Calderon Vince Johnson Bob Ferreira |
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| Former members | |
| Ross Barbour Don Barbour Marvin Pruitt Bill Comstock Bob Flanigan Ken Errair Hal Kratzsch Ken Albers Ray Brown Gary Lee Rosenberg Kevin Stout Greg Stegeman Autie Goodman Alan McIntosh Newton Graber Dennis Grillo Rod Henley Dave Jennings Mike Beisner Kirk Marcy |
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The Four Freshmen is an American vocal group that pioneered a new style of close-harmony vocals building on the barbershop tradition, and often accompanying themselves on guitar, trumpet, trombone, bass, and drums. The group has performed and recorded steadily since its 1948 founding, thanks to numerous changes in personnel.
The repertoire of the Four Freshmen has consisted primarily of jazz and popular standards. They were early purveyors of vocalese, and influenced subsequent jazz performers such as The Hi-Los, the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross trio, and The Manhattan Transfer. Brian Wilson has consistently mentioned the Four Freshmen as a major influence on the vocal style of the Beach Boys. The Four Freshmen also crucially influenced other American popular music groups of the 1950s and 60s that featured rich vocal harmonies, such as the Association, the Lettermen, and Spanky and our Gang.
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[edit] History
In early 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour, then at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, formed a barbershop quartet called Hal's Harmonizers. The Harmonizers also included Marvin Pruitt, soon replaced by Ross and Don's cousin Bob Flanigan, and Hal Kratzsch (1925–70), replaced in 1953 by Ken Errair. The quartet soon adopted a more jazz-oriented repertoire and renamed itself the Toppers. At first, they were influenced by Glenn Miller's The Modernaires and Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, but soon developed their own style of improvised vocal harmony. In September of 1948, the quartet went on the road as the Four Freshmen, and soon drew the admiration of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman.
In 1950, the Four Freshmen got their big break when band leader Stan Kenton heard the quartet in Dayton, Ohio, and arranged for an audition with his label, Capitol Records, which signed the Four later that year. In 1952, they released their first hit single "It's a Blue World". Further hits included "Mood Indigo" in 1954, "Day by Day" in 1955, and "Graduation Day" in 1956.
Throughout the 50s and early 60s, the Four Freshmen released a number of successful recordings, made film and television appearances, and performed in concert. The group eventually lost their mainstream following with the advent of the British pop bands of the 1960s. The group did not disband, however, even after the last original member, Bob Flanigan, retired in 1992. Flanigan now manages the group and owns the rights to the Four Freshmen name.
New members have continued the vocal tradition set by the original group, while adding new repertoire. The current lineup results from 22 personnel changes over a period of 60 years. In 2000, the Four Freshman won Down Beat magazine's Reader's Poll Award for Vocal Group of the Year, and in 2007 they were named the Best Vocal Group by Jazz Times Magazine readers.
Two active websites support the Freshmen: The band's own site http://www.fourfreshmen.com and their international fan club http://www.fourfreshmensociety.com.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
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[edit] 45 RPM Singles (A-Side / B-side, release date, stock number)
- 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 released as 78rpm Capitol discs, with the same stock numbers as above.
[edit] 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
[edit] 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
[edit] External links
- Official homepage
- Official fanpage. Video and sound clips can be found here with a little work.
- The Four Freshmen
- The Four Freshman in the Vocal Hall of Fame.
