The Four Freshmen

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The Four Freshmen
Origin Indianapolis, Indiana
Genres Jazz, Classic pop, Barbershop
Years active 1948–present
Labels Capitol, Liberty, Pausa Records, Coronet, Stylist, Creative World, Kahoots, Phonorama, Pickwick, Sunset, Crystal, Four Freshmen Society
Associated acts Beach Boys, Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, New York Voices
Website http://www.4freshmen.com/
Members
Brian Eichenberger
Curtis Calderon
Vince Johnson
Bob Ferreira
Past members
Ross Barbour
Don Barbour
Marvin Pruitt
Hal Kratzsch
Bob Flanigan
Ken Errair
Bill Comstock
Ken Albers
Ray Brown
Gary Lee Rosenberg
Kevin Stout
Greg Stegeman
Autie Goodman
Alan MacIntosh
Newton Graber
Dennis Grillo
Rod Henley
Dave Jennings
Mike Beisner
Kirk Marcy

For the Irish showband, see The Freshmen (band)

The Four Freshmen is a multiple (six) Grammy-nominated American male vocal band quartet that blends open-harmony jazz arrangements with the big band vocal group sounds of The Modernaires (Glenn Miller), The Pied Pipers (Tommy Dorsey), and The Mel-Tones (Artie Shaw), founded in the barbershop tradition. The Four Freshmen is considered a vocal band because the singers accompany themselves on guitar, trumpet, bass, and drums, among other instrumental configurations.

The group tours internationally to sold-out audiences and records jazz harmonies since its late '40s founding in the halls of the Jordan School of Music at Butler University (Indianapolis).[1]

History

In early 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour, then at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, Indiana, 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 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 a 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.

The Four Freshmen won Best Vocal Group of the Year in Down Beat magazine's Readers' Polls in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 2000, and 2001.[citation needed]

The Four Freshmen were nominated in the Grammy Vocal Group Performance category in 1958 for The Four Freshmen in Person (Capitol), 1961 for Voices in Fun (Capitol), 1962 for The Swingers (Capitol), 1964 for More Four Freshmen and Five Trombones (Capitol), and in 1986 for Fresh! (Pausa).[citation needed]

Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, The Four Freshmen released a number of 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. After his retirement Flanigan managed the group and owned the rights to The Four Freshmen name. He died on May 15, 2011 at the age of 84 from congestive heart failure. Ross Barbour died on August 20, 2011 from cancer at the age of 82.[2]

The current incarnation of The Four Freshmen features Brian Eichenberger (lead, guitar, keyboards, arranger), Curtis Calderon (second voice, trumpet, flugelhorn), Vince Johnson (third voice, bass, trombone, whistler, scatter, arranger), and Bob Ferreira (fourth voice, drummer, soloist). They perform at upwards of 100 bookings a year.[citation needed] Eichenberger, Calderon, Johnson, and Ferreira have been honored with the following designations: JazzTimes magazine's Readers Poll Best Vocal Group (multiple wins), Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll Best Vocal Group (multiple wins), and Down Beat magazine's Readers Poll Hall of Fame finals (multiple years).

Four Freshmen Society

The 20th International Four Freshmen Society Convention, "Back Home in Indiana", was held in Indianapolis, the home of Butler University, August 21–23, 2008. Six hundred of the approximately 3,000 Society members attended in honor of The Four Freshmen's 60th year of continual performance. Present were original Four Freshmen Ross Barbour and Bob Flanigan (now Butler honorary doctors) and the widow of Don Barbour. Former Four Freshmen Ray Brown (Group 5), Rod Henley (Groups 8 and 11), Kirk Marcy (Group 12), and Greg Stegeman (Groups 14-21) attended and performed along with current Four Freshmen Brian, Curtis, Vince, and Bob (Group 22).

The 21st International Four Freshmen Society Convention was held August 20–22, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia. It is known as the "Blue Moon" convention. Former Freshmen Ross Barbour, Bob Flanigan, Rod Henley, Autie Goodman, and Greg Stegeman (by phone) participated along with over 400 fans.

The 22nd International Four Freshmen Society Convention was held in Annapolis, Maryland August 19-21, 2010.

The 23rd International Four Freshmen Society Convention was held at The Park Inn Hotel in Toledo, Ohio September 8-10, 2011.

The 24th International Four Freshmen Society Convention will be held at Harrah's Reno Hotel and Casino in Reno, Nevada, October 4-7, 2012.

Discography

Albums, CDs and DVDs

  • Voices in Modern (1955) Capitol T-522
  • 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1955) Capitol T-683
  • Freshmen Favorites (1956) Capitol T-743
  • 4 Freshmen and 5 Trumpets (1957) Capitol T-763
  • 4 Freshmen and 5 Saxes (1957) Capitol T-844
  • Voices In Latin (1958) Capitol T-922
  • In Person (1958) Capitol ST-1008
  • Voices in Love (1958) Capitol ST-1074
  • Freshmen Favorites Vol.2 (1959) Capitol T-1103
  • Love Lost (1959) Capitol ST-1189
  • 4 Freshmen and 5 Guitars (1959) Capitol ST-1255
  • Voices And Brass (1960) Capitol ST-1295
  • Road Show (1960) Capitol STBO-1327 (with Kenton & J. Christy), CD (1991)
  • First Affair (1960) Capitol ST-1378
  • The Freshman Year (1961) Capitol ST-1485
  • Voices in Fun (1961) Capitol ST-1543 (with Billy May Orchestra)
  • Best of The Four Freshmen (1961) Capitol ST-1640 (compilation)
  • Stars in Our Eyes (1962) Capitol ST-1682
  • The Swingers (1962) Capitol ST-1753
  • In Person Vol.2 (1963) Capitol ST-1860
  • Got That Feelin' (1963) Capitol ST-1950
  • Funny How Time Slips Away (1964) Capitol ST-2067
  • More 4 Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1964) Capitol ST-2168
  • That's My Desire (1967) Coronet CXS279
  • A Today Kind of Thing (1968) Liberty LST-7542
  • Today is Tomorrow (1968) Liberty LST-7563, CD (2006)
  • In A Class By Themselves (1968) Liberty LST-7590
  • Different Strokes (1969) Liberty LST-7630
  • Four Freshmen in Tokyo '68 (1969) Liberty LP8540 (Japan release)
  • My Special Angel (1970) Sunset SUS-5289 (compilation)
  • The Fabulous Four Freshmen (1970) Pickwick SPC-3080 (compilation)
  • Return to Romance (1971) Stylist SA-1900, CD (2006) F.F. Society
  • Live At Butler U. with S. Kenton Orchestra (1972) Creative World STD1059, CD (1986) GNP/Crescendo
  • Mount Freshmore (1976) Kahoots MRS-8030, CD (2005)
  • Alive & Well in Nashville (1977) Phonorama PR-5563, CD re-titled "Graduation Day" (1992) Laserlight
  • A Taste of Honey (1977) Pickwick SPC 3563 (compilation)
  • Fresh! (1986) Pausa PR7193, CD (1992) Ranwood
  • Capitol Collectors Series (1991) CD Capitol (compilation)
  • Easy Street (1991) DVD Ray Anthony Ent., CD (1997)
  • Freshmas! (1992) CD: Ranwood
  • Greatest Hits (1993) CD: Curb (compilation)
  • Voices in Standard (1994) CD: Hindsight
  • Day by Day (1994) CD: Hindsight
  • Angel Eyes (1995) CD: Vipers Nest
  • It's A Blue World (1995) CD: Vipers Nest
  • Spotlight on The Four Freshmen (1995) CD: Capitol (compilation)
  • 5 Trombones / 5 Trumpets (1996) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • Golden Anniversary Celebration (1998) CD: Collectors Choice Music (compilation)
  • The Four Freshmen In Concert (1998) CD: Hindsight
  • 5 Saxes / 5 Guitars (1998) 2 for CD: EMI-Capitol
  • Voices in Love / Love Lost (1998) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • Voices in Latin / The Freshman Year (1999) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • Still Fresh (1999) CD: Gold Label
  • Clearwater Jazz Concert (1999) CD: Hitchcock
  • Stars in Our Eyes / The Swingers (2000) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • The Complete 1950's Capitol Sessions (2000) Mosaic Boxed Set 9-CD
  • The Liberty Years (2002) CD: Collectors Choice Music (compilation)
  • More 5 Trombones / In Person Vol.2 (2002) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • First Affair / Voices in Fun (2002) 2 for CD: EMI-Cap.
  • Live in the New Millennium (2002) CD: Gold Label
  • In Person / Voices and Brass (2004) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • Live in Holland (2004) CD: Fresh Disc
  • Voices in Modern / Funny How Time Slips Away (2005) 2 for CD: Collectors Choice Music
  • In Session (2005) CD: Fresh Disc
  • Star-Spangled Banner (2005) CD: Fresh Disc "single"
  • Live from Las Vegas' Suncoast Hotel DVD (2006), CD: (2009) Fresh Disc
  • Snowfall (2007) CD: Fresh Disc
  • Live from the Atlanta FFS Convention (members only) DVD (2009)
  • Four Freshmen and 'Live' Trombones (2009) CD: Fresh Disc

Singles (A-side / B-side, release date, catalog number)

Note: The first fifteen singles ("Mr. B" through "Graduation Day") were also released as 78rpm Capitol discs, with the same stock numbers as above.

Promotional singles

7 inch, 331⁄3 (small hole) promotional singles

References

  1. ^ Smith, William H. (2008-08-20). "A Vocal Group at the Top of Its Class". The Wall Street Journal: pp. D9. 
  2. ^ Thedeadrockstarsclub.com - accessed August 2011

External links