John Fred
John Fred Gourrier (May 8, 1941 – April 14, 2005), known by his stage name John Fred, was an American blue-eyed soul, swamp pop, rock and roll, and R&B performer from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, best known for the 1967 hit song "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)". Early life. John Fred was born on May 8, 1941 in Baton Rouge, the son of John Fred Gourrier, Sr., and Miriam Chaisson. He had one sister; Ann. Career. His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956 when Fred was 15; their first charting single was March 1959's  Shirley. He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on "American Bandstand", Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game. Fred played basketball and baseball at Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. By 1967, the band was renamed John Fred & His Playboy Band (to avoid confusion with Gary Lewis & the Playboys) and Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)", whose name is a parodic play on the title of The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". The  song, issued by Louisiana-based Jewel Records on the Paula label, became successful, knocking another Beatles song ("Hello, Goodbye") out of the No. 1 chart position on the "Billboard" Hot 100 for two weeks in January 1968. It sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. With the success of the single, John Fred & His Playboy Band was branded as a novelty act and never had another major success. The follow-up single, "Hey, Hey, Bunny" peaked at No. 57 on the "Billboard" chart and the band never again hit the Hot 100. Only after years of  struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its royalties. Later life and death. Fred continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball and baseball, remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown, and hosted a popular local radio show, "The Roots of Rock 'n' Roll". In 2002, he released his final album, "Somebody's Knockin"'. In 2004, Fred's health began to fail after receiving a kidney transplant. Complications ensued which culminated in a long hospital stay in New Orleans ending with his death on April 14, 2005 at the age of  63. He was survived by his wife Sandra; a son, Kevin; Kevin's wife, Jodi; and a grandson, Jon Sterling Gourrier in Miami. Awards. In April 2007, Fred was inducted into The Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. He has been inducted into the Delta Music Museum in Ferriday, Louisiana. Singles discography. US charts are Billboard unless otherwise noted. * Record World singles chart. "Agnes English" was the band's only charting album in the US reaching 154 on the Billboard album chart in 1968.