Freddie and the Dreamers were an English beat band that had a number of hit records between 1963 and 1965. The band's stage act was enlivened by the comic antics of Freddie Garrity, who would bounce around the stage with arms and legs flying.

History

The band, formed in March 1962 in

West Didsbury Didsbury is a suburban area of Manchester, England, on the north bank of the River Mersey, south of Manchester city centre. The population at the 2011 census was 26,788. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire, there are ...

, Manchester, consisted of vocalist Freddie Garrity (1936–2006), guitarist Roy Crewdson (born 1941), guitarist/harmonica player Derek Quinn (1942–2020), bassist Peter Birrell, and drummer Bernie Dwyer (1940–2002). Although the band was grouped as part of the

Merseybeat Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

sound phenomenon centered around Liverpool, they came from Manchester. Prior to becoming a singer, Garrity had worked as a milkman in Manchester and bassist Birrell was a shoe salesman. They had four Top 10 UK hits: a cover of James Ray's hit " If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody", which reached number 3 in the UK Singles Chart in mid-1963, " I'm Telling You Now" (number 2 in August), " You Were Made for Me" (number 3 in November) and a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

The G-Clefs The G-Clefs were an American doo-wop/rhythm and blues vocal group, from Roxbury, Massachusetts, United States. The G-Clefs consisted of four brothers and a fifth member who was a childhood friend. They first sang together at St Richard's Catholic ...

' "I Understand", which hit the number 5 spot in November 1964. Their eponymous debut album was released in the United Kingdom in 1963, peaking at number five in the UK Albums Chart and reaching number 19 in the US albums chart on May 22, 1965. It was the only LP by the group to chart in America. Their subsequent four albums in the UK failed to chart. On stage the group performed rehearsed, synchronised wacky dance routines. They appeared in four British films: ''

What a Crazy World ''What a Crazy World'' is a 1963 film directed by Michael Carreras from a script by Carreras and Alan Klein, from the latter's stage play. It is a pop musical featuring a number of late 1950s and early 1960s musical performers, including an app ...

'' with Joe Brown, ''Just for You'', ''

Cuckoo Patrol ''Cuckoo Patrol'' is a 1967 UK, British musical film, musical comedy film directed by Duncan Wood and starring Freddie Garrity, Victor Maddern, John Le Mesurier and Kenneth Connor. It was produced in 1965 but held back for two years. The film' ...

'' with Kenneth Connor and Victor Maddern and '' Every Day's A Holiday'' (US title ''Seaside Swingers'') with Mike Sarne, Ron Moody and John Leyton. Between 1968 and 1973, Garrity and Birrell appeared in the UK

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...

children's show ''Little Big Time'', a zany music/talent/adventure show with audience participation.Nostalgia Central
''Little Big Time'' and ''Oliver in the Overworld'' Garrity and Birrell formed a new version of Freddie and the Dreamers in the mid 1970s, releasing three albums on the Arny's Shack label in 1976, 1978 and 1983, although Birrell had left before the third release.

Legacy

In the 1980 '' Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll'', writer Lester Bangs paid tribute (of a kind) to the group:

Founding members

* Freddie Garrity – vocals (1962–2000; died 2006) *Derek Quinn – lead guitar (1962–1971; died 2020) *Roy Crewdson – rhythm guitar (1962–1971) *Pete Birrell – bass (1962–1971; 1974–1980s) *Bernie Dwyer – drums (1962–1971; died 2002)

Discography

References

External links