The Brothers Four is an American folk singing group formed in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, and best known for their 1960 hit song "Greenfields".
History
Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley met at the University of Washington,[3] where they were members of the Phi Gamma Deltafraternity in 1956 (hence the "Brothers" appellation). Their first professional performances were the result of a prank played on them in 1958 by a rival fraternity, who had arranged for someone to call them, pretend to be from Seattle's Colony Club, and invite them to come down to audition for a gig. Even though they were not expected at the club, they were allowed to sing a few songs and were subsequently hired. Flick recalls them being paid "mostly in beer".
The British Invasion and the ascendance of edgier folk rock musicians such as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success,[3] but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in Japan and on the American hotel circuit.
The group attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercialized version of Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man", but were unable to release it because of licensing issues; The Byrds eventually licensed an agreement for their own version, with their Billboard No. 1 hit released in April 1965.[7]
The group, in a business partnership with Jerry Dennon, built a radio station in Seaside, Oregon (KSWB) in 1968.[8] The station was subsequently sold in 1972 to a group from Montana, and later to a self-proclaimed minister, and finally merged into a larger conglomerate of radio stations.
Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969 and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1985 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. The group is still active after 66 years in the business.
Founding former member Kirkland died of cancer on August 20, 2020, at age 82.[9]
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