The Four Freshmen
| 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: | Ross Barbour |
| Singer: | Ken Albers |
|
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.
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 Downbeat Magazine's reader's poll award for Vocal Group of the Year, proving the quartet's timeless appeal and securing their role as one of the most important vocal groups in jazz history.
Albums
Voices in Modern (
1955)
5 Trombones (
1955)
Freshmen Favorites (
1956)
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)
Voices in Fun (
1961)
The Freshman Year (1961)
Stars in Our Eyes (
1962)
Day By Day (1962)
Got That Feelin' (
1963)
Funny how Time Slips Away (
1964)
That's My Desire (
1967)
Four Freshmen in Tokyo '68 (
1969)
Return to Romance (
1971)
Alive & Well in Nashville (
1982)
Live At Butler University With Stan Kenton And His Orchestra (
1986)
*
Fresh! (1986, für den
Grammy nominiert)
Freshmas! (
1992)
Angel Eyes 1995Easy Street(
1997)
Golden Anniversary Celebration (
1998)
Still Fresh (
1999)
Four Freshmen Live CD (
2000)
Live in the New Millennium (
2002)
Live In Holland (
2004)
Singles
Mood Indigo (
1954)
Day by Day (1955)
Graduation Day (
1956)
*
official homepage*
official fanpage*
The Four Freshmen*
The Four Freshman in the Vocal Hall of Fame*
discography of The Four Freshman up to 1996
