The Four Lads Book

                               The Four Lads Book by ...  me!

                               available at   

                          www.TheFourLadsBook.com

What has your Nostalgic Rambler been up to lately? I have been writing and researching a book about one of my favorite 1950s groups The Four Lads.

The Four Lads were powerhouse singers of the 1950s with such hits as "Standing on the Corner," "Who Needs You?," "Istanbul," and "Moments to Remember."  Since discovering their records in my grandpa's record cabinet as a child, I have always enjoyed their music. Frank Busseri, Jimmie Arnold, Bernie Toorish and Connie Codarini. The Four Lads.

Writing this book was an interesting experience. I run The Four Lads Appreciation Society on Facebook and many of The Four Lads family members have found us there since the official Four Lads facebook page is no longer maintained and their official webpage has vanished. The Lads fans and family were generous with sharing their time, pictures and memories for the book. One lady donated her daughter's huge 1950s scrapbook of Four Lads pictures and clippings. All the original newsletters are reproduced in the book. They are a treasure trove of material that would have been lost to time if not saved for posterity in my new book.

Connie Codarini's son David Comden was my editor and cheerleader. I was very honored that Kathy Lennon of the famous Lennon Sisters agreed to write the intro to the book. The Four Lads personal stories are included as well. The most intriguing true tale is how singer Bernie Toorish met his daughter Debi for the first time when she was in her sixties. Also included are profiles on most of the "replacement" lads. As the original four retired from the group, other singers kept the music alive into the decades following their 1950s heyday.

The publishing world isn't easy to navigate. I actually had a signed contract to have the book published by Bear Manor Media. Since they specialize in nostalgic type material, I was really looking forward to seeing my manuscript come to life through them. One of my goals was to get this book out before the last of the living original Four Lads Bernie Toorish left us. He was in ill health for quite a while. Bear Manor was unable to get the book out in the time promised. Rather than delay another six months or more, I decided to self publish in the hopes that Bernie would see the book. Unfortunately he passed away in December of 2025.

The book is finished now. The maze of setting up the publishing and webpage is about done. This is a labor of love and it has cost a small fortune to bring "The Four Lads Book" to life. I am proud of what I and the members of the Four Lads Appreciation Society have accomplished. It is my hope that you will help get the word out so that the legacy of The Four Lads and their contribution to Canadian and American popular music will be remembered.

The book's website is www.TheFourLadsBook.com 

The Harmony of the Four Lads

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!