The Four Lads were a Canadian singing group. They grew up together in Toronto, Ontario, and were members of St. Michael's Choir School, where they learned to sing. The founding members were Corrado "Connie" Codarini, bass; John Bernard "Bernie" Toorish (born March 2, 1931), lead; James F. "Jimmy" Arnold, (January 4, 1932 - June 15, 2004) first tenor; and Frank Busseri, baritone and group manager. Codarini and Toorish had formed a group with two other St. Michael's students, Rudi Maugeri and John Perkins, who were later to become founding members of another group, The Crew-Cuts.

History

The group was known variously as The Otnorots (a name taken from the name "Toronto" spelled backwards) and The Jordonaires (not to be confused with a similarly named group, The Jordanaires, that was known for singing background vocals on Elvis Presley's hits). When Maugeri and Perkins left the group to concentrate on their schoolwork, Codarini and Toorish joined with Arnold and Busseri in a new quartet. At home, they practiced until they achieved their clean-cut harmonies, whether for spirituals, sacred music, or pop. They originally called themselves The Four Dukes but found out that a Detroit group already used that name, so changed to The Four Lads. In 1950 they began to sing in local clubs and soon were noticed by scouts. Recruited to go to New York, they were noticed by Mitch Miller, who asked them to do backup for some of the artists he recorded. One unknown artist Johnnie Ray, became a major hit with "Cry" and "The Little White Cloud that Cried" with the Four Lads behind him. This made them well known.

Their first eponomous single was The Mocking Bird on Columbia's Okeh label (master #ZSP-9710), released in 1952, with I May Hate Myself in the Morning (#ZSP-9711) on the B-side. The Mocking Bird was rerecorded for release on the Columbia label twice in subsequent years in the 1950s.

In 1953 they made their own first gold record,^[1]. "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", which launched them to stardom and kept them busy throughout the 50s and 60s in the U.S. and Canada. Today, a reconstituted group, with original singer Frank Busseri, sings to the nostalgia crowds.

Their most famous hit was "Moments to Remember" in 1955,^[2] and their next best known was "Standin' on the Corner" in 1956. A gospel album with Frankie Laine took them back to their roots and produced the hit single "Rain, Rain, Rain."

Jimmy Arnold died of lung cancer in Sacramento, California at the age of 72.

Awards & Recognition

The Four Lads inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2003.^[3]

Gold records

• "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" (recorded August 12, 1953)
• "Moments to Remember" (recorded June 21, 1955)
• "No, Not Much" (recorded November 16, 1955)
• "Standin' on the Corner" (recorded March 1, 1956)
• "Who Needs You?" (recorded October 18, 1956)

Other records

• "A House With Love In It" (recorded July 17, 1956)
• "Down By The Riverside" (recorded January 30, 1953)
• "Enchanted Island" (recorded February 16, 1958)
• "Gilly Gilly Ossenfeffer Katzenellen Bogen By The Sea" (recorded February 27, 1954)
• "Happy Anniversary" (recorded September 23, 1959)
• "I Just Don't Know" (recorded April 4, 1957)
• "I'll Never Know" (1956)
• "My Little Angel" (recorded February 29, 1956) (flip side of "Standin' on the Corner")
• "Put A Light In The Window" (recorded October 27, 1957)
• "Skokiaan" (recorded August 4, 1954)
• "The Bus Stop Song" ("Paper of Pins") (recorded July 17, 1956)
• "The Fountain Of Youth" (1959)
• "The Girl On Page 44" (recorded November, 1958)
• "The Mocking Bird" (recorded April 16, 1952, redone in 1958)
• "There's Only One Of You" (recorded February 16, 1958)

See also

• Canadian rock
• Music of Canada
• Dodge City's 50's School

References

External links

• The Four Lads home page
• 'The Four Lads' Vocal Group Hall of Fame Page
• VH1.com page on The Four Lads
• Jam! page on The Four Lads
• Moments To Remember : The Four Lads
• Biography from the Lakewood (Ohio) Sun-Post
• Canadian Encyclopedia article on The Four Lads
• MusicianGuide.com page on The Four Lads