The Four Freshmen

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

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 Flanigan
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 began as a 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. In their current configuration, The Four Freshmen continue to perform.

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 Hal Kratzsch (1925 – 1970) and Marvin Pruitt.

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 Tormé'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 1960s, 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

Discography

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)
Snowfall (2007)

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 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

External links

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia © 2001-2006 Wikipedia contributors (Disclaimer)
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
Last updated on Tuesday March 11, 2008 at 08:20:49 PDT (GMT -0700)
View this article at Wikipedia.org - Edit this article at Wikipedia.org - Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation