The Brothers Four is an

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group, founded in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, and known for their 1960 hit song "Greenfields."

History

Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley met at the University of Washington, where they were members of the

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fraternity A fraternity (from Latin language, Latin ''wiktionary:frater, frater'': "brother (Christian), brother"; whence, "wiktionary:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal ...

in 1956 (hence the "Brothers" appellation). Their first professional performances were the result of a prank played on them in 1958 by a rival fraternity, who had arranged for someone to call them, pretend to be from Seattle's Colony Club, and invite them to come down to audition for a gig. Even though they were not expected at the club, they were allowed to sing a few songs and were subsequently hired. Flick recalls them being paid "mostly in beer". They left for San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis,

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

's manager. Lewis became their manager and later that year secured them a contract with

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. Their second single, "Greenfields", released in January 1960, hit No. 2 on the pop chart, sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. Their first album, ''Brothers Four'', released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. Other highlights of their early career included singing their fourth single, " The Green Leaves of Summer", from the

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movie ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

'', at the 1961 Academy Awards, and having their third album, ''BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus'', go top 10. They also recorded the title song for the Hollywood film '' Five Weeks in a Balloon'' in 1962 and the theme song for the ABC television series '' Hootenanny'', "Hootenanny Saturday Night", in 1963. They also gave " Sloop John B" a try, released as "The John B Sails". The British Invasion and the ascendance of edgier folk rock musicians such as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success, but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in

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and on the American hotel circuit. The group, with Jerry Dennon, built a radio station in Seaside, Oregon ( KSWB) in 1968. The station was subsequently sold in 1972 to a group from Montana, and later to a self-proclaimed minister, and finally merged into a larger conglomerate of radio stations. The group attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercial version of Dylan's "

Mr. Tambourine Man "Mr. Tambourine Man" is a song written by Bob Dylan, released as the first track of the acoustic side of his March 1965 album '' Bringing It All Back Home''. The song's popularity led to Dylan recording it live many times, and it has been includ ...

", but were unable to release it due to licensing issues, and The Byrds eventually stole their thunder by releasing their heralded version. Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969 and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1985 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. Despite all the changes and having spent years in the business, the group is still active. Mike Kirkland died of cancer on August 20, 2020, at age 82.

Selected discography

Albums

*1960 ''The Brothers Four'' – U.S. No. 11 *1960 ''Rally 'Round!'' *1961 ''B.M.O.C. (Best Music On/Off Campus)'' – US No. 4 *1961 ''Roamin' with the Brothers IV'' *1961 ''The Brothers Four Song Book'' – US No. 71 *1962 ''The Brothers Four: In Person'' – Columbia 360 Sound CS-8628 - US No. 102 *1962 ''The Brothers Four Greatest Hits'' *1963 ''Cross-Country Concert'' – US No. 81 *1963 ''The Big Folk Hits'' – US No. 56 *1964 ''More Big Folk Hits'' – US No. 134 *1964 ''Sing of Our Times'' *1965 ''The Honey Wind Blows'' – US No. 118 *1965 ''By Special Request'' *1966 ''Try to Remember'' – US No. 76 *1966 ''A Beatles' Songbook (The Brothers Four sing Lennon/McCartney)'' – US No. 97 *1966 ''Merry Christmas'' *1967 ''A New World's Record'' *1969 ''Let's Get Together'' *1970 ''1970'' *1996 ''Greenfields & Other Gold'' – new studio recording *1996 ''The Tokyo Tapes - 35th Anniversary'' – live cd *2010 ''Golden (50th) Anniversary'' – live cd *2014 ''Beautiful World'' – new studio and live cd *2018 ''The Very Best of the Brothers Four: Renewal''

Singles

References

External links