Four Freshmen

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. 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.