There were a lot of 1950s pop music quartets. The male ones alone included The Four Freshmen, The Four Aces and my personal favorites The Four Lads. During the 1950s pop quartet heyday, my mom was a member of the Columbia Record Club. That meant that she bought many of the albums that paved the way for my childhood listening experience. The Four Lads Greatest Hits on Columbia was an album I listened to over and over.
The Four Lads, Frankie Busseri, Bernie Toorish, Jimmie Arnold, and Connie Codarini, started out together at Toronto's St. Michael's Cathederal Choir school. Eventually they were finally "discovered" and made their way into pop icon history. They had hits such as "Standing on the Corner (watching all the girls go by!....)", "Moments To Remember", "No Not Much", and "Istanbul." (click on the titles to hear the songs via Youtube). They did background singing for Johnny Ray, Frankie Laine and Doris Day.
According to one of their albums "The Four Lads have scores of thousands of admirers, many of them teenagers, who are organized into Four Lads Fan Clubs all over the world. Fan mail comes from 27 different countries, including Turkey, Israel, Pakistan and Siam."
Back in the 1980s when I was in Detroit, the "original" Four Lads were touring. I eagerly went to the concert, but the guys who were appearing didn't look like anyone on my old album covers! When I asked about this during the intermission, one of the singers said "some personnel changes had occured through the years."
As time marches on and the original members have died or retired, these "phony Four Lads" (as I call them) are still around keeping the sounds of the truly original group alive.
I have started the Four Lads Appreciation Society on Facebook. I don't imagine there are still Four Lads fanclubs in 27 countries, but they certainly still sound as good as they did in their 1950s heyday to me....and if they keep having "personnel changes" who knows? Maybe I'll be a Four Lad crooning "Standing On The Corner Watching All The Girls Go By" someday!
Back in the day when mens' voices were smoooooooth...I remember the Lads!
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