The Freshmen were among the most popular Irish

showband The Irish showband was a dance band format popular in Ireland from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. The showband was based on the internationally popular six- or seven-piece dance band. The band's basic repertoire included standard dance numbers and ...

s of the 1960s and 1970s. They specialised in recreating the complex vocal harmonies of international acts such as

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

and

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

. They had nine top 20 hit singles in Ireland, including a reworking of

The Rivingtons The Rivingtons were a 1960s doo-wop band, known for their 1962 novelty hit " Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow". The members were lead vocalist Carl White (June 21, 1932 - January 7, 1980), tenor Al Frazier (d. November 13, 2005), baritone Sonny Harris, and ba ...

' song "

Papa Oom Mow Mow "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" is a novelty nonsensical doo-wop song by the Rivingtons in 1962. It peaked at number 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and number 35 on the '' Cashbox'' charts. The band released two similar follow-up songs over the next sever ...

", featuring the deep voice of lead singer, Derek Dean.

Formation

The Freshmen were formed in 1962 in Larne, Co. Antrim in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

. The initial line-up changed over the nearly two decades of the band's existence as members came and went. Apart from Derek Dean, members included keyboard player, saxophonist, and singer, Billy Brown, who also arranged their trademark vocal harmonies, Damien McElroy (guitar), Torry McGahey (bass), Maurice Henry (saxophone), Sean Mahon (trumpet/trombone), and David McKnight (drums). The Freshmen supported The Beach Boys on their 1967 Irish tour. At the

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

gig was a young

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

, who later recalled (in conversation with journalist,

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

) the impression both acts made on him:

''The Freshmen, led by Billy Brown and Derek Dean, played first and featured a medley of Beach Boys songs. They were astonishing, Gallagher recalled, singing multiple harmony parts in perfect pitch. When the Beach Boys came on later and sang the same songs, they sounded, by comparison, well . . . rubbish.''''The Irish Times'', "King Billy", 12 June 1999

Later years

As they matured, The Freshmen moved away from covers and began to record original songs, some written by the band members. In 1970, they undertook their most ambitious project with the release of the six-track concept album, ''Peace on Earth''. The record featured new material from well-known songwriters such as

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

, with linking narration by Irish actor, Micheál MacLiammóir. On November 11, 1970, at the RDS in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, the Freshmen performed the entire album live with the RTÉ Light Orchestra conducted by Don Gould. Due to illness, MacLiammóir was unable to take part and his partner,

Hilton Edwards Hilton Edwards (2 February 1903 – 18 November 1982) was an English-born Irish actor, lighting designer and theatrical producer. He co-founded the Gate Theatre with his partner Micheál Mac Liammóir and two others, and has been referred to as ...

, acted as narrator. The Freshmen's last single before they broke up was the Billy Brown composition, "You've Never Heard Anything Like It", a punk rock parody. Released in 1979, it was named 'single of the week' by the ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', and reached number 17 in the Irish chart. In September 2010, The Freshmen were among four Irish showbands featured on a special set of

commemorative stamps A commemorative stamp is a postage stamp, often issued on a significant date such as an anniversary, to honor or commemorate a place, event, person, or object. The ''subject'' of the commemorative stamp is usually spelled out in print, unlike defi ...

issued by An Post, Ireland's postal service.

Discography

Albums

*''Movin' On'' (1968), Pye NPL18263 *''Peace on Earth'' (1970), CBS 64099 *''Now and Then'' (1974), Dolphin DOLB 7015 *''When Summer Comes - The Pye Anthology'' (2002), Castle CMRCD 271

Irish hit singles

*"La Yenka" (October 1965) No. 10 *"

" (December 1967) No. 7 *"

The Little Old Lady from Pasadena "The Little Old Lady (from Pasadena)" is a song written by Don Altfeld, Jan Berry and Roger Christian, and recorded by 1960s American pop singers, Jan and Dean. Singer/songwriter P.F. Sloan sings the falsetto part usually sung by Dean Torrence, ...

(Go Granny Go)" (August 1968) No. 12 *"Just To See You Smile" (February 1969) No. 9 *"Halfway to Where" (April 1970) No. 10 *" Leaving of Liverpool" (March 1974) No. 5 *"And God Created Woman" (December 1976) No. 3 *"Cinderella" (March 1977) No. 3 *"You've Never Heard Anything Like It" (September 1979) No. 17

References

External links

irishshowbands.net - The Freshmen and Billy Brown profiles and discography
* AllMusic profile of The Freshmen {{DEFAULTSORT:Freshmen, The Musical groups established in 1962 Musical groups from Northern Ireland 1962 establishments in Northern Ireland