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
| Year | Titles | US Billboard | Album |
| 1958 | "Shirley" b/w "My Love For You" | 82 | Non-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" | 125 | Agnes English |
| 1967 | "Judy in Disguise " b/w "When The Lights Go Out" | 1 | Agnes English |
| 1968 | "Hey, Hey Bunny" b/w "No Letter Today" | 57 | Judy In Disguise With Glasses |
| 1968 | "We Played Games" b/w "Lonely Are The Lonely" | 130 | Judy 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 |