When Bob Ferreira was pursuing his music education degree in 1992 at Central Washington University in Washington, he was offered a position in a legendary vocal group.
He took it and is still singing the bass vocal part and playing drums for the Four Freshmen, who perform Sept. 22 for Lakeshore Community Concerts at Munster High School Auditorium.
“I was recommended by one of my teachers. The next thing I knew I said, ‘I could try it for a year or two.’ It’s been 25 years now,” said Ferreira, of Las Vegas.
Recommended by former Four Freshmen member Kirk Marcy, Ferreira is now the senior member in the group, which includes Tommy Boynton singing lead and playing bass, Stein Malvey singing the second part and playing guitar and Jon Gaines singing the third part and playing trumpet.
“We all love vocal music. There’s a collective passion in this group that I have seldom experienced in my years. I am so excited where this current group is going. I believe we are sounding the best the group has sounded since the originals,” said Ferreira.
The Four Freshmen began in 1948, have recorded more than 75 albums and 70 top-selling singles, and received six Grammy Award nominations.
Their sound has inspired musical artists including the Mamas & the Papas, the Manhattan Transfer and Frankie Valli.
“This group is one of the most inspirational vocal group sounds around,” said Ferreira about the Four Freshmen.
“This month we’ll be celebrating 69 years the group has been working nonstop. This group not only celebrates the music of its past and the hits that made the group famous but we still do brand-new arrangements. We still make new recordings. We still move ahead with what we do.
“The Beach Boys got their sound from the Four Freshmen. Just that one correlation is enough to really understand the impact that this sound has had.”
Ferreira said the Four Freshmen last performed in Munster in September 2006.
This time the jazz vocal group pays tribute to classic favorites such as “Day By Day” and “It’s a Blue World,” performs new arrangements of “Come Fly with Me” and “I Ain’t Got Nobody” and gets the crowd moving with songs including “The Girl from Ipanema” and “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.”
“We brought back some of the very original songs that haven’t been performed in over 60 years. We’re bringing back some of the grassroots Freshmen arrangements all the way up to some brand-new stuff that we’ve introduced just in recent weeks,” said Ferreira.
“The guys are very talented musicians. We absolutely love what we do so we have a lot of fun. We always encourage the audience to kick back, relax and enjoy it with us. If they’re having even half as much fun as we are, then they’re going to have a great time.”
Lakeshore Community Concerts’ 2017-18 season also includes Two on Tap on Oct. 14, Pavlo on Nov. 20, “Hank and My Honky Tonk Heroes” on March 22, 2018, the 3 Redneck Tenors on April 11, 2018, and O Sole Trio on May 10, 2018. All shows are at 7 p.m. at Munster High School Auditorium.
Season subscriptions are $75 per adult and $15 children ages 5-15 and include admission to reciprocity concerts presented by groups including Concert Association of Valparaiso, La Porte Community Concert Association and Portage Township Live Entertainment Association.
Jessi Virtusio is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
The Four Freshmen
When: 7 p.m. Sept. 22
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Where: Munster High School Auditorium, 8808 Columbia Ave., Munster
Tickets: $30 adult; $10 children
Information: 219-923-7879; http://www.lakeshoreconcerts.org