John Fred Gourrier (May 8, 1941 – April 15, 2005), known by his stage name John Fred, was an American

blue-eyed soul Blue-eyed soul (also called white soul) is rhythm and blues (R&B) and soul music performed by white artists. The term was coined in the mid-1960s, to describe white artists whose sound was similar to that of the predominantly-black Motown and Stax ...

swamp pop Swamp pop is a music genre indigenous to the Acadiana region of south Louisiana and an adjoining section of southeast Texas. Created in the 1950s by young Cajuns and Creoles, it combines New Orleans–style rhythm and blues, country and western ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

, and R&B performer from

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-sma ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, best known for the 1967 hit song "

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. It was jointly composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard. Arrangements and content The song features strings, brass, ...

Early life

John Fred was born on May 8, 1941 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of John Fred Gourrier Sr. and Miriam Chaisson. He had two sisters: Ann Gourrier Kleinpeter and Kay Gourrier Begue.

Career

His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956 when Fred was 15; their first charting single was March 1959's "

Shirley Shirley may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Shirley'' (novel), an 1849 novel by Charlotte Brontë * ''Shirley'' (1922 film), a British silent film * ''Shirley'' (2020 film), an American film * ''Shirley'' (album), a 1961 album by Shirley Bas ...

". He appeared on

Alan Freed Albert James "Alan" Freed (December 15, 1921 – January 20, 1965) was an American disc jockey. He also produced and promoted large traveling concerts with various acts, helping to spread the importance of rock and roll music throughout Nor ...

's show, but when

Dick Clark Richard Wagstaff Clark (November 30, 1929April 18, 2012) was an American radio and television personality, television producer and film actor, as well as a cultural icon who remains best known for hosting ''American Bandstand'' from 1956 to 198 ...

asked him to sing on ''

American Bandstand ''American Bandstand'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...

'', Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game. Fred played basketball and baseball at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

and

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it becam ...

. By 1967, the band was renamed John Fred & His Playboy Band – to avoid confusion with Gary Lewis & the Playboys – and Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "

", whose name is a

parodic A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its subj ...

play on the title of

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' song "

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1967 album '' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band''. It was written primarily by John Lennon and credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partners ...

". The song, issued by Louisiana-based Jewel Records on the Paula label, became successful, knocking "

Hello, Goodbye "Hello, Goodbye" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. Backed by John Lennon's "I Am the Walrus", it was issued as a non-album single in November 1967, the group's first r ...

", another Beatles song, out of the No. 1

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position on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

. With the success of the single, John Fred & His Playboy Band was branded as a novelty act and never had another major success. The follow-up single, "Hey, Hey, Bunny", peaked at No. 57 on the ''Billboard'' chart, and the band never again hit the Hot 100. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its

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Later life and death

Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, and remained a fixture at

concerts A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or musical band, band. Concerts are held in a w ...

and shows in his hometown. He produced records for other artists, including

Irma Thomas Irma Thomas ( Lee; born February 18, 1941) is an American singer from New Orleans. She is known as the "Soul Queen of New Orleans". Thomas is a contemporary of Aretha Franklin and Etta James, but never experienced their level of commercial succ ...

and

Fats Domino Antoine Dominique Domino Jr. (February 26, 1928 – October 24, 2017), known as Fats Domino, was an American pianist, singer and songwriter. One of the pioneers of rock and roll music, Domino sold more than 65 million records. Born in New O ...

, and hosted a popular local radio show, ''The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll'', at

WBRH WBRH (90.3 FM) is a student-run jazz high school radio station in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The station, at Baton Rouge Magnet High School, broadcasts with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 21 kW. It is owned by the East Baton Rouge Paris ...

in Baton Rouge. He released several solo albums and one group effort, ''Louisiana Boys'', with

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and G. G. Shinn. He also wrote and produced radio commercials and jingles, earning two Clio Awards. In 2004, Fred's health began to fail. Complications ensued after he received a

kidney transplant Kidney transplant or renal transplant is the organ transplant of a kidney into a patient with end-stage kidney disease (ESRD). Kidney transplant is typically classified as deceased-donor (formerly known as cadaveric) or living-donor transplantati ...

, which culminated in a long hospital stay in New Orleans. He died on April 14, 2005, at the age of 63, survived by his wife, Sandra; a son, Kevin; Kevin's wife, Jodi; and a grandson, Jon Sterling Gourrier.

Awards

in 1999, he received the Louisiana Hall of Fame Living Legend Award, and in 2007 was inducted into the

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame (LMHOF) is a non-profit hall of fame based in Baton Rouge, the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana, that seeks to honor and preserve the state's music culture and heritage and to promote education about the state ...

. Later, he was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Music Commission. He was also inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame and the Delta Music Hall of Fame.

Discography

Albums

*''John Fred and His Playboys'' ( Paula LPS-2191), 1966 *''34:40 of John Fred and His Playboys'' (Paula LPS-2193), 1967 *''Agnes English'' (Paula LPS-2197), 1967 *''Judy in Disguise'' (Paula LPS-2197), 1967 *''Permanently Stated'' (Paula LPS-2201), 1969 *''Love My Soul'' (

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73077), 1970 *''Juke Box'' (

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GNS 36022), 1977 *''Louisiana Boys'' (Bayou Music BM9301-2), 1993 (as the Louisiana Boys) *''I Miss Ya'll (The Unreleased Masters)'' (Club Louisianne CDCL 2001), 1999 *''Somebody's Knockin (TJ Records TJ0102), 2002 *''Roots Rockin' Blues'' (

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B01HQEGS8A), 2016 (as the Louisiana Riverfront Band)

Compilations

*''The Best of John Fred and the Playboys'' (Sugarcane Records SR-100), 1984 *''The History of John Fred and the Playboys'' (Paula PCD-9000), 1991 *''John Fred & His Playboy Band – Anthologie 1958/1969'' (Magic 3930818), 2008, France *''… With Glasses – The Very Best of John Fred and His Playboy Band: The Jewel and Paula Recordings 1964-69'' (Fuel 2000 – 3020617562), 2009 *''Judy in Disguise with Glasses'' (Liberation Hall 5071), 2022

Appearances

*''The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll Volume 6'' (

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CDCHD 650), 1997, UK – "Shirley" *''Swamp Pop by the Bayou: Troubles, Tears & Trains'' (Ace CDCHD 1462), 2016, UK – "You Know You Made Me Cry", "Shirley" *''Swamp Pop: The Best of Bayou Country'' (

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

), 2022 – "Good Lovin'" *''East Coast Teen Party'' (East Coast Music – ECM CD333) – "Boogie Children", "Shirley"

Singles

;Discography notes

References

External links

John Fred & His Playboy Band at tsimon.comHorn Rock Heaven at myspace.com
*
John Fred & His Playboy Band at 64 Parishes.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fred, John 1941 births 2005 deaths American pop musicians Swamp pop music Jewel Records artists Musicians from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Musicians from New Orleans 20th-century American musicians Kidney transplant recipients