The full-time lineup of The Brothers Four, as solid as ever, now includes; Mike McCoy, a veteran folk performer and singer/songwriter. Mike, a native of Washington State has performed with The Brothers Four on special recording projects and occasional stage presentations since the late 1960’s; Washington native, Karl Olsen, folk performer, choral director, writer and arranger, is the latest addition to the group, blending his sparkling vocal and guitar skills smoothly into the sound of The Brothers Four; and, Washington State’s Mark Pearson, guitarist, banjo player extraordinaire and singer/songwriter who has been such a strong and consistent part of the Group’s signature sound since he originally joined in the late 1960’s; along with Founding Member, Seattle native, Bob Flick, bass player, group leader and singer/songwriter.
Currently you can catch The Brothers Four on the road and on television across America performing as part of the "This Land is Your Land" live all-star folk concert tour, inspired by the recent PBS TV Folk Music Special. Fans can also check out tour schedules, additional “Moments To Remember” PBS TV Music Specials, photos and much more information on this website. Also, now in pre-production, please watch for their newest Public Television Folk Song Special, “I HEAR AMERICA SINGING”, featuring The Brothers Four with special guest stars, Roc McKuen, Mason Williams, Tom Chapin, Josh White, Jr. and the 100-voice Sno-King chorale, performing America’s Greatest Folk Hits…. Coming to a Public TV station and live on stage near you soon!
The Brothers Four - by Carol Caffin
In the blip of time between
doo-wop and The Beatles, a new era quietly emerged in American
music. The Folk Era, as it came to be known, was ushered in,
without fanfare, in the late 1950's. The movement was a
product, not of left-wing vagabond poets or freight-train
hopping protest singers, but of a handful of clean-cut college
kids hell-bent on providing their audience with one thing
only: entertainment.
At the forefront of that movement, one band stood apart:
The Brothers Four. When these Phi Gamma Delta fraternity
brothers began singing and playing at college functions and
campus song-fests, they couldn't have known that, 40 years and
50+ albums later, they'd be still going strong, selling out
concerts all over the world.
Their career began quite innocently. Bob Flick (acoustic
bass), John Paine (guitar), Mike Kirkland (guitar & banjo)
and Dick Foley (guitar) met at the University of Washington in
1956.
"This was pure 50's college," remembers Bob Flick, "a lot
like 'Happy Days'." There was a generally good feeling in the
country, particularly among college students.
"There was football, the Korean war was over, pop music was
very big," says Flick. "Singing was just a thing that you did
in fraternities and sororities. A lot of guys sang; we just
happened to have instruments, too, so we became the band!"
Indeed, with a wealth of musical knowledge and an array of
stringed instruments between them, The Brothers were called
upon frequently to entertain at various campus events. Then,
one day in 1958, they received a call from a secretary at the
Colony Club, then one of the most popular live music clubs in
Seattle, who asked them to "come down and audition." The four
fresh-faced lads showed up early, instruments in hand, and
quickly realized that the call was a prank put on by a rival
fraternity.
"Of course, the guy had never heard of us," remembers
Flick, "but, just like in a movie, he said 'well, while you're
here, do a couple songs'." They did and, amazingly, they were
hired to sing at the club.
The Brothers Four worked at the Colony Club throughout 1958
and their show became a hit, particularly with college kids,
who were tiring of the "contrived" records of the day and
welcomed their acoustic, string-driven sound and pristine
harmonies. "We got little money," says Flick, who remembers
frequently "getting paid in beer," but the experience was
worth its weight in gold. Before long, The Brothers Four would
be on their way.
During spring vacation, 1959, The Brothers Four climbed
into Flick's parents' Ford station wagon and headed for San
Francisco, which was "really the happening place to perform."
They set their sights on San Francisco's top clubs, the hungry
i and the Purple Onion, hoping to use their fraternity
relationships to bolster their draw.
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