| John Fred | |
| Image Upright: | 1.15 |
| Background: | solo_singer |
| Birth Name: | John Fred Gourrier |
| Birth Date: | 8 May 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Death Place: | New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. |
| Genre: | Blue-eyed soul, swamp pop, bubblegum pop, rock and roll, R&B |
| Occupation: | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instrument: | Vocals |
| Years Active: | 1956–2002 |
| Label: | Paula, Montell |
| Associated Acts: | , Andy Tarrant, Joe Sunseri, Buddy Chehardy |
John Fred Gourrier (May 8, 1941 – April 15, 2005) 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 (With Glasses)".[1]
John Fred was born on May 8, 1941, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the son of John Fred Gourrier Sr. and Miriam Chaisson. He had two sisters: Ann Gourrier Kleinpeter and Kay Gourrier Begue.He had one son, Kevin Morris Gourrier. He was married to the love of his life in 1988, Sandra Ratcliff, after a 10 year courtship.
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.[2]
By 1967, the band was renamed John Fred & His Playboy Band – to avoid confusion with Gary Lewis & the Playboys – and Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)",[3] whose name is a parodic play on the title of The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".[4] [5] The song, issued by Louisiana-based Jewel Records on the Paula label, became successful, knocking "Hello, Goodbye", another Beatles song, out of the No. 1 chart position on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968.[6] It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc.[7] 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.[8]
Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, and remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown. He produced records for other artists, including Irma Thomas and Fats Domino, and hosted a popular local radio show, The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll, at WBRH in Baton Rouge.[9] He released several solo albums and one group effort, Louisiana Boys, with Joe Stampley and G. G. Shinn. He also wrote and produced radio commercials and jingles, earning two Clio Awards.
In 2004, Fred's health began to fail. Complications ensued after he received a kidney transplant, which culminated in a long hospital stay in New Orleans. He died on April 15, 2005, at the age of 63, survived by his wife, Sandra; a son, Kevin; Kevin's wife, Jodi; and a grandson, Jon Sterling Gourrier.
in 1999 he received the Louisiana Hall of Fame Living Legend Award,[10] and in 2007 was the first artist inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.[11] Later, he was appointed to serve on the Louisiana Music Commission. He was also inducted into the Louisiana Blues Hall of Fame and the Delta Music Hall of Fame.[12]
| Year | Song Titles (Songwriters) | Peak chart positions | Label | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Cashbox Top 100 | Record World[18] | ||||
| 1958 | "Shirley" (T. Bryan-J. Gourrier) b/w "My Love for You" (T. Bryan-J. Gourrier) | 82 | 78 | — | Montel SJM 1002 | — — |
| 1959 | "Mirror, Mirror (On The Wall)" (Bryan-Montel-J. Gourrier) b/w "To Have and To Hold" (Bryan-Montel-J. Gourrier) | — | — | — | Montel SJM-2001 | — — |
| 1960 | "Good Lovin'" (Charles) b/w "You Know You Made Me Cry" (Smith-Caronna) | — | — | — | Montel 1007 | — — |
| 1961 | "Down in New Orleans" (Gourrier-Bryan) b/w "I Love You" (Gourrier-Bryan) | — | — | — | Montel M-X-904 | — — |
| 1964 | "My First Love" (Lynn Ourso) b/w "Boogie Children" (Lynn Ourso) | — | — | — | N-Joy 1005 | — John Fred and His Playboys |
| "Dial 101 (Cause I Still Love You)" (Gourrier-Bryan) b/w "There Goes That Train" (R. McGee) | — | — | — | Jewel 730 | — — | |
| "You're Mad at Me" (L. Ourso) b/w "Lenne" (L. Ourso) | — | — | — | Jewel 736 | — — | |
| "My First Love" (Lynn Ourso) b/w "Boogie Children" (Lynn Ourso) | — | — | — | Jewel 737 | — John Fred and His Playboys | |
| 1965 | "Wrong To Me" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) b/w "How Can I Prove" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) | — | — | — | Jewel 743 | — — |
| "Making Love to You" (Gourrier-Ourso-Hawkins) b/w "Fortune Teller" (Naomi Neville) | — | — | — | Paula 225 | — — | |
| 1966 | "Sun City)" (Goodson-Cowart-Ourso) b/w "Can't I Get (A Word In)" (J. Fred-L. Ourso-H. Cowart) | — | — | — | Paula 234 | 34:40 of John Fred and His Playboys John Fred and His Playboys |
| "Doing The Best I Can" (Gourrier-Ourso-Hawkins) b/w "Leave Her Never" (Naomi Neville) | — | — | — | Paula 244 | 34:40 of John Fred and His Playboys | |
| "Outta My Head" (John Fred-C. Yost) b/w "Loves Come in Time" (Lynn Ourso) | — | — | — | Paula 247 | ||
| 1967 | "Up and Down" (John Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "Wind Up Doll" (Cyril Vetter-John Fred) | — | 142 | — | Paula 259 | Agnes English — |
| "Agnes English" (John Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "Sad Story" (John Fred-A. Bernard) | 125 | 126 | 108 | Paula 273 | Agnes English | |
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "When the Lights Go Out" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) | 1 | 1 | 1 | Paula 282 | ||
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "No Letter Today" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) | Hip Pocket HP-25 | |||||
| 1968 | "Hey, Hey Bunny" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "No Letter Today" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) | 57 | 41 | 39 | Paula 294 | Permanently Stated |
| "We Played Games" (J. Fred & A. Bernard) b/w "Lonely Are The Lonely" (J. Fred & A. Bernard) | 130 | 122 | 111 | Paula 303 | ||
| "Little Dum Dum" (J. Fred, A. Bernard & R. Goodson) b/w "Tissue Paper" (J. Fred & A. Bernard) | — | — | — | Paula 310 | ||
| "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" (R. Brians-K. Henderson) b/w "What Is Happiness" (J. Fred, A. Bernard & H. Cowart) | — | — | — | Paula 315 | Agnes English Permanently Stated | |
| "Shirley" (J. Fred) b/w "High Heel Sneakers" (R. Higgenbotham) | — | — | — | Montel-Michelle M-998 | — — | |
| 1969 | "Silly Sarah Carter (Eating on a Moonpie)" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) b/w "Back in the U.S.S.R." (J. Lennon-P. McCartney) | — | — | — | Uni 55135 | — Love My Soul |
| "Three Deep in a Feeling" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) b/w "Open Doors" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) | — | — | — | Uni 55160 | Love My Soul | |
| "Love My Soul" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "Julia Julia" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) | — | — | — | Uni 55187 | Love My Soul — | |
| 1970 | "Where's Everybody Going" (J. Fred-L. Ourso) b/w "Miss Knocker" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) | — | — | — | Uni 55220 | Love My Soul — |
| 1973 | "I'm in Love Again"/"In The Mood" (A. Domino/Joe Garland-Andy Razaf) b/w "Bayou Country" (D.Bardwell-T. Veitch) | — | — | — | Bell 45.382 | — — |
| 1976 | "Hey Good Lookin'" (Hank Williams) b/w "Juke Box Shirley" (J. Gourrier-B. Chehardy) | — | — | — | Sugarcane VPUS-11/12 | Juke Box |
| 1984 | "Shirley" (T. Bryan-J. Gourrier) b/w "Harlem Shuffle" (R. Reif-E. Nelson) | — | — | — | Paula 445 | — — |
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" (J. Fred-A. Bernard) b/w "Agnes English" (John Fred-A. Bernard) | — | — | — | Paula 447 | Agnes English | |
| 1988 | "Louisiana's Gonna Rise Again" (Chris Ballard, Margie Ballard, Daryl Speights) b/w Same (instrumental) | — | — | — | Straight Talk ST-101-A | — — |
| Reissues | "Judy in Disguise" "Mother in Law" (Ernie K-Doe) | — | — | — | Eric 303 | |
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" "Hey, Hey, Bunny" | — | — | — | Collectables 3315 | ||
| "She's My Baby Doll" (The Tune Tones) "Shirley" | — | — | — | Louisianna L01 | ||
| "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" "Hold Back the Night" (The Trammps) | — | — | — | Ripete R45-182 | ||
| "Judy in Disguise" "Do You Want to Dance" (Bobby Freeman) | — | — | — | Rebound RB 228 | ||
| "Pushin' Too Hard" (The Seeds) "Judy In Disguise" | — | — | — | Trip TR65 | ||