![Four Esquires 1957](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b1/Four_Esquires_1957.jpg)
The Four Esquires were an
American vocal quartet from
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, United States.
The original four members were all students at the
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...
. Following the completion of their studies, they were signed in March 1956 by
London Records. Their version of "Look Homeward Angel" was notable, but any possibility of a chart entry was snuffed out by
Johnnie Ray
John Alvin Ray (January 10, 1927 – February 24, 1990) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Highly popular for most of the 1950s, Ray has been cited by critics as a major precursor to what became rock and roll, for his jazz and blu ...
's version of the same track.
They did have two
hit
Hit means to strike someone or something.
Hit or HIT may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities
* Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super''
* Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...
singles in the
US late in the 1950s, both on Paris Records.
The first, "
Love Me Forever", featured
orchestra
An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families.
There are typically four main sections of instruments:
* bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...
l backing by
Sid Bass
Sid Richardson Bass (born April 9, 1942) is an American billionaire investor and philanthropist.
Early life
Sid Richardson Bass was born on April 9, 1942. His father, Perry Richardson Bass (died 2006), built an oil fortune with uncle, Sid W. ...
with vocal enhancement from a female session vocalist, and peaked at No. 25 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1957.
[ Joel Whitburn, ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits''. 7th edn, 2000] It also reached No. 23 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
In the US,
Eydie Gormé
Eydie Gormé ( ; born Edith Gormezano; August 16, 1928 – August 10, 2013) was an American singer who had hits on the pop and Latin pop charts. She sang solo and in the duo Steve and Eydie with her husband, Steve Lawrence, on albums and telev ...
's cover charted higher, whilst in the
UK it was outsold by
Marion Ryan
Marion Ryan (4 February 1931 – 15 January 1999) was a British singer in the 1950s in the early years of British Independent Television. She was once called "the Marilyn Monroe of popular song".
Early life
Born in Middlesbrough, North Ridi ...
's version.
The Four Esquires second hit, "Hideaway", had orchestral accompaniment by
Richard Hayman
Richard Hayman (March 27, 1920 – February 5, 2014) was an American musician who was the chief music arranger of the Boston Pops Orchestra for over 50 years, and served as a pops conductor for orchestras including the Detroit Symphony Orchestra ...
, and peaked at No. 21 in the US in 1958.
[
In 1963, the group performed a vocal ]cover version
In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of the "James Bond Theme
The "James Bond Theme" is the main signature theme music of the James Bond films and has featured in every Eon Productions Bond film since '' Dr. No'', released in 1962. Composed by Monty Norman (with arrangements for film provided by John Bar ...
". They disbanded shortly afterwards.
Members
*Bill Courtney
*Frank Mahoney (Francis Mahony; died 2007; served in World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
as interpreter; active in Alcoholics Anonymous in Boston area from early 1980s through 2007)
*Wally Gold
Wally Gold (May 15, 1928 – June 7, 1998) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and music business executive from Teaneck, New Jersey.
Personal life
Gold was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Gold moved to T ...
(died June 7, 1998)
*Bob Golden aka Robert Colligan
*William Powers
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Four Esquires, The
Musical groups from Boston
Apex Records artists
American vocal groups
Vocal quartets