The Four Lads - Moments To Remember

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The Four Lads were experts at close harmony and acapella and were very much influenced by Negro spirituals and gospel music. They scored a number of pop Top 100 hits during the early '50s, including "The Mockingbird," "Skokian" (1954), "Moments to Remember" (1955), and "No, Not Much!" and "Standing on the Corner" (both in 1956). Their initial break came while backing Johnny Ray on his early-'50s hits "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud That Cried" for Columbia Records.

The Four Lads launched their professional career in 1950, singing in local clubs around Toronto, Canada. All of the original members had been choirboys. Lead vocalist Bernie Toorish, (born John Bernard Toorish on March 2, 1931) had grown up in a musical family and began performing from the age of three. In elementary school, he studied violin and as an eighth grader at St. Michael Choir School, greatly impressed by the Golden Gate Quartet, he had already been performing gospel and church music with a group called the Jordanaires (not the backing vocalists for Elvis Presley). (Later, two of the singers later helped form the Crew Cuts.) In addition to Toorish, the group included James Arnold (first tenor), Connie Codarini (bass), and Frank Busseri (baritone). The Jordanaires later changed their name to the Four Dukes and they began performing to critical and public acclaim in the northeastern U.S. and Canada. An audition was soon arranged for the group at Le Ruban Bleu, a swanky New York City supper club, but they were made aware that there was already a group using the name Four Dukes working out of Detroit, so Julius Monk, impresario at the club, suggested they call themselves the Four Lads. Their engagement at Le Ruban Bleu lasted 30 weeks.

In 1951, they were signed by Mitch Miller to Columbia Records as background singers. Toorish was later commissioned to do the vocal and instrumental arranging on a Johnnie Ray single: "Cry" b/w "The Little White Cloud That Cried." Both sides proved to be huge hits and sales ultimately exceeded five million copies. The success brought Toorish and his Four Lads a recording contract with Columbia and the Lads began to lean away from spirituals and more towards pop.

In 1952, Columbia released their first hit, "The Mockingbird" (on their Okeh imprint). They received their first gold record in 1953 for "Istanbul," but the hits kept coming. In total, the Four Lads recorded 73 sides for Columbia, including "Rain, Rain, Rain," "Turn Back," "My Little Angel," "Skokian," "Moments to Remember" (which reached number two on the pop charts in 1955), "No, Not Much!" (written by the songwriting team of Bob Allen and Al Stillman, who wrote Johnny Mathis' big hit "Chances Are"), and "Standing on the Corner.." Their sound was polished, crisp, with an overlay of vibrato on the long notes. Many of their heavily orchestrated songs were conducted by Frank DeVol or Ray Ellis.

The group also recorded several long-playing albums, including 1962's Dixieland Doin's, which was a Kapp recording released on the London label in stereo. Incidentally, their version of an old Negro spiritual, "Dem Bones," from this album was used during an episode of the British TV series The Prisoner. They made their American TV debut on The Ransom Sherman Show on NBC. Other TV appearances included The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom on ABC and Perry Presents on NBC in 1959. The Four Lads were also one of the guest hosts of the summer music series Upbeat on CBS in 1955.

Their success story includes the sale of some 50 million singles and albums to date. During their heyday, the Lads' fan clubs reportedly had as many as 150,000 members (in Pittsburgh alone there were 20,000), but their popularity, which peaked in 1957, began to decline as the pendulum swung to folk music and rock & roll. After a number of changes in personnel, the original group finally broke up in 1977.

In 1978, Toorish gave up music and became an insurance underwriter, a job he continues to hold today. However, he didn't stay away from the stage mic for long. After the Four Lads' induction into the Canadian Juno Awards Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1984, enough interest was sparked in the group that Toorish (now shortened to "Torish") decided to end his long hiatus. He reactivated the quartet, though he remains the sole original from the '50s lineup. The Four Lads continue to perform at supper clubs, on cruises, and wherever oldies groups are booked. They even have their own website: www.thefourlads.com. Copies of their first-release LP's are extremely rare and a virgin copy of their 1960s album currently sells for more than 200 dollars. ~ Bryan Thomas, All Music Guide

Category:

Education

Tags:

• vocal
• pop

[Mr57Henry]

I remember cruising the streets of Detroit headin' to the store or some other cool place w/pops in his w/green '54 Merc Monterey! I can still hear dad singing along w/that mono speaker to the sound of the 4 Lads or some "Big Band" music of his and mom's era! Dad had just been lured to Ford's design from GM and the Merc was his first of many! Amazing how a song can spark such long ago memories! I was 5, Capt. Kangaroo was just starting, I was starting school, we will have these moments 2 remember

[John1948Five]

@Mr57Henry Me too - except we were cruisin Omaha, my dad drove a 54 ford customline and I was 6. We grew up at the right time, didn't we?

[alternatehistories]

This user John1948Five censors his comments section....post anything he disagrees with and it magically disappears.

[John1948Five]

@alternatehistories Ninety percent of what I remove is due to it containing profanity. I also remove posts that I feel are abusive. I also remove SPAM. I have no idea what I may have removed of yours but I probably had a good reason.

[mpeindms]

@John1948Five I don't know about 1966 because I remember the Four Lads singing this song when I returned to college after the summer off. This was at very latest, the Fall of 1956, maybe even 1955.

[Mr57Henry]

@John1948Five We sure did! Back when there was little in the way of safty for kids! My little sister nearly flew out of that Merc going around the corner but as luck would have it she was wearing suspenders! Helmets on a bike ride? Heaven forbid! Unless....you were going to play Football somewhere! Funny how many fond memories thump your mellon when listening to these great songs. Hudda ever thunk the day would come yud pop up youtube and hear whatever you want? Cruz'd thru Neb! Go 75MPH Yah!

[Shadepuppy]

Have always loved this song since I was a teen in the '50's - thanks for sharing it here so we can continue to enjoy it.

[sonyahannah]

Excellent summary of background; I LOVE learning material such as this about much-loved groups from my youth.

[VinylHound60]

Great harmonies of years gone past. This music would get a woman in the mood faster than lightning. I have the vinyl issue of Breezin' Along on Columbia. Thanks for the post John.

[DickAllen4HOF]

Franklin Field, Boat house Row

[supaul041]

The songs don't even compare to the music of yesteryear.