finetune artist: The Brothers Four

This pioneering and long-running folk/pop quartet was formed in 1957 by University of Washington fraternity brothers Bob Flick (upright bass, vocals), Mike Kirkland (guitar, banjo, vocals), John Paine (guitar, vocals) and Richard Foley (guitar, vocals). They were spotted by Dave Brubeck's manager, Mort Lewis, when playing at the famous Hungry I in San Francisco in 1959, and he was able to secure them a contract with Columbia Records. Their second release, "Greenfields", shot to number 2 in the US charts. This beautiful and haunting song came from the pen of Terry Gilkyson of the Easy Riders, who had written major 50s hits such as "Memories Are Made Of This" and "Marianne". The folk-based foursome, who were voted America's "Most Promising Group Of 1960', were quickly established as one of the leading lights on the folk revival scene alongside the Kingston Trio and the Limeliters. They saw their first two albums, The Brothers Four and B.M.O.C. (Best Music On/Off Campus), reach the US Top 20. They had eight more lower placed albums and half-a-dozen smaller US hit singles, and reached a peak when they recorded the theme tune to the ABC network folk music series Hootenanny. The emergence of Bob Dylan and a highly politicized folk movement, coupled with the British beat group invasion of the mid-60s made the Brothers Four" brand of easy listening folk instantly pass.

Listen to The Brothers Four at Finetune.

(1997) Two Classic Albums From The Brothers Four
(1997) The Tokyo Tapes CD1
(1997) The Tokyo Tapes CD2
(1996) Greenfields & Other Gold: 20 All-Time Great Folk Hits
(1960) Greatest Hits

Greenfields
The Green Leaves of Summer
Where Have All the Flowers Gone
Shenandoah
Michael, Row the Boat Ashore