John Fred


John Fred Gourrier, known by his stage name John Fred, was an American blue-eyed soul, swamp pop, rock and roll, and R&B performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the 1967 hit song "Judy in Disguise ".

Early life

John Fred was born on May 8, 1941 in Baton Rouge, the son of John Fred Gourrier, Sr., and Miriam Chaisson. He had one sister; Ann.

Career

His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956 when Fred was 15; their first charting single was March 1959's "Shirley". He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game. Fred played basketball and baseball at Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University.
By 1967, the band was renamed John Fred & His Playboy Band and Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise ", whose name is a parodic play on the title of The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
The song, issued by Louisiana-based Jewel Records on the Paula label, became successful, knocking another Beatles song out of the No. 1 chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. With the success of the single, John Fred & His Playboy Band was branded as a novelty act and never had another major success. The follow-up single, "Hey, Hey, Bunny" peaked at No. 57 on the Billboard chart and the band never again hit the Hot 100. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its royalties.

Later life and death

Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown, and hosted a popular local radio show, The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll. In 2002, he released his final album, Somebody's Knockin'.
In 2004, Fred's health began to fail and after receiving a kidney transplant, complications ensued which culminated in a long hospital stay in New Orleans until he died on April 14, 2005 at the age of 63. He was survived by his wife Sandra; a son, Kevin; Kevin's wife, Jodi; and a grandson, Jon Sterling Gourrier in Miami.

Awards

In April 2007, Fred was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, Louisiana.

Singles discography

YearTitles US BillboardAlbum
1958"Shirley"
b/w "My Love For You"
82Non-album tracks
1959"Mirror, Mirror "
b/w "To Have and To Hold"
Non-album tracks
1960"Good Lovin'"
b/w "You Know You Made Me Cry"
Non-album tracks
1961"Down In New Orleans"
b/w "I Love You"
Non-album tracks
1964"Dial 101 "
b/w "There Goes That Train"
Non-album tracks
1964"You're Mad At Me"
b/w "Lenne"
Non-album tracks
1965"My First Love"
b/w "Boogie Children"
Non-album tracks
1965"Wrong To Me"
b/w "How Can I Prove"
John Fred and His Playboys
1965"Making Love To You"
b/w "Fortune Teller"
John Fred and His Playboys
1966"Sun City"
b/w "Can't I Get "
34:30 Of John Fred and His Playboys
1966"Doing The Best I Can"
b/w "Leave Her Never"
34:30 Of John Fred and His Playboys
1966"Outta My Head"
b/w "Loves Come In Time"
34:30 Of John Fred and His Playboys
1967"Up and Down"
b/w "Wind Up Doll"
Agnes English
1967"Agnes English"
b/w "Sad Story"
125Agnes English
1967"Judy in Disguise "
b/w "When The Lights Go Out"
1Agnes English
1968"Hey, Hey Bunny"
b/w "No Letter Today"
57Judy In Disguise With Glasses
1968"We Played Games"
b/w "Lonely Are The Lonely"
130Judy In Disguise With Glasses
1968"Little Dum Dum"
b/w "Tissue Paper"
Judy In Disguise With Glasses
1968"Sometimes You Just Can't Win"
b/w "What Is Happiness"
Agnes English
1969"Silly Sarah Carter "
b/w "Back In The U.S.S.R."
Non-album track
1969"Three Deep In A Feeling"
b/w "Open Doors"
Love My Soul
1969"Love My Soul"
b/w "Julia Julia"
Love My Soul
1970"Where's Everybody Going"
b/w "Miss Knocker"
Love My Soul
1973"I'm In Love Again"/"In The Mood"
b/w "Bayou Country"
Non-album tracks
1976"Hey Good Lookin'"
b/w "Juke Box Shirley"
Non-album tracks
1988"Louisiana's Gonna Rise Again"
b/w Instrumental version of A-side
Non-album tracks