John Fred was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956; their first hit single was 1958's "Shirley". He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game.

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  • John Fred was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956; their first hit single was 1958's "Shirley". He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game. In 1967, Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise", a parody of The Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The song, issued by Louisiana-based Jewel Records on the Paula label, became enormously successful, knocking another Beatles song out of the #1 chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968. Although Fred actually had a well-rehearsed and talented group honed by years on the road, now known as John Fred & His Playboy Band, he was branded as a novelty act and never had another success. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its royalties. They also covered "You're On My Mind" by The Animals. Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown, and hosted a popular local radio show, The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll. In 2002, he released his final album, Somebody's Knockin. In 2004, his health began to fail and he received a kidney transplant. Complications ensued, culminating in a long hospital stay, and finally, death in 2005. Fred was survived by his wife, Sandra, and a son. In April 2007, John Fred (Gourrier) was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, Louisiana.
  • John Fred gründete seine erste Band bereits 1956. Diese Band nannte er John Fred & His Playboys, die erste Single "Shirley" erschien 1958 und kam in den US-Charts nur auf Platz 82. Trotzdem wurde die achtköpfige Formation in ihrem Heimatstaat so populär, dass sie einen überregionalen Plattenvertrag bekamen. "John Fred & His Playboys" hieß das erste Album. Dann wurde aus den Playboys die "Playboy Band", und die zweite Langspielplatte "Agnes English" erschien. Daraus ausgekoppelt wurde der Song "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". Diese Platte war als Parodie auf den Beatles-Song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" gedacht. Sie verdrängte einen anderen Beatles-Song ("Hello Goodbye") von der Spitze und wurde ein absoluter Hit und Millionenseller. Nach dem nächsten Album "Permanently Stated" ließ der Erfolg dann nach. Die Band trat bis in die 90er Jahre in den Südstaaten auf. John Fred wurde Produzent und Talentspäher für neue Bands, trainierte die Basketball-Mannschaft einer Highschool und wurde fester Bestandteil bei Konzerten und Shows in seiner Heimatstadt. Dort war er auch Gastgeber einer populären lokalen Radiosendung: "The Roots of Rock'n'Roll". Im Jahr 2002 erschien seine letzte Langspielplatte, "Somebody's Knockin'". Kurz darauf erkrankte er schwer, und bei einer daraus resultierenden Nierentransplantation traten Komplikationen auf. Es folgte ein langer Krankenhausaufenthalt, bis er im April 2005 starb.
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  • John Fred was a blue-eyed soul, Cajun swamp pop and bubble-gum pop performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the song, "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956; their first hit single was 1958's "Shirley". He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game.
  • John Fred gründete seine erste Band bereits 1956. Diese Band nannte er John Fred & His Playboys, die erste Single "Shirley" erschien 1958 und kam in den US-Charts nur auf Platz 82. Trotzdem wurde die achtköpfige Formation in ihrem Heimatstaat so populär, dass sie einen überregionalen Plattenvertrag bekamen. "John Fred & His Playboys" hieß das erste Album. Dann wurde aus den Playboys die "Playboy Band", und die zweite Langspielplatte "Agnes English" erschien.
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  • John Fred
  • John Fred & His Playboy Band
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