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Freddie and the Dreamers
A Loved One is not gone, until they are forgotten!
And to Live in the Hearts of those left behind is to Live Forever!
In Memory of "Dreamers"
Freddie Garrity
November 14, 1936- May 19, 2006
Bernie Dwyer
September 11, 1940 - December 04, 2002
The band consisted of Freddie Garrity (born Manchester, Lancashire November 14,
1936 died –19 May2006),
vocals, Roy Crewsdon (often misspelled "Crewdson") (born Manchester May 29, 1941
), guitar, Derek Quinn (born Manchester May 24, 1942, ), guitar and
harmonica, Peter Birrell (born Manchester May
9, 1941 ), bass, and Bernie Dwyer (born Manchester December
4, 1940, died – December 4, 2002),
drums.
Formed in 1959 in Manchester, when Garrity, who
had played in several "skiffle" groups in the late 50s, decided to put his own group together.
The group would appear on stage and perform pre-rehearsed, synchronised wacky dance routines. While
it is refreshing to have a band that does not take itself seriously, their show was probably more suited for the seaside show
at the end of the pier than for a rock festival. Their success was more down to image than music, with Freddie's
Buddy Holly-on-speed stage persona, Pete's dropped jaw and Derek's sinister dark glasses. Freddie and the Dreamers could make
hit records of songs that other "serious" bands had turned down as "unsuitable for beat groups" by infusing even the slightest
of songs with pep-charged performances filled with their trademark humour and zest
As their popularity declined in the UK, Freddie and the Dreamers enjoyed a brief spell of fame in
America, riding the wave of the British Invasion when the American teen public was hungry for any
British pop music. As happened with many British EMI groups at that time their recordings were refused by EMI's American arm
Capitol Records, and the Dreamers' 1965 releases and re-releases appeared on assorted labels. They
recorded on Capitol's new subsidiary Tower, and Philips' Mercury Records
label.
"I'm Telling You Now", which had been co-written by Garrity and Mitch Murray,
reached Number 1 on the US charts in Spring 1965. They were the first of three consecuitve groups
from Manchester to have Number 1 hits that spring, the others being Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders and Herman's Hermits.
Their next biggest US hit was "Do the Freddie" at number 18, intended to inspire "The Freddie"
(sic) as a dance craze. (The band's late 1965 album, Do the Freddie, even included
diagrams from legendary dance instructor Arthur Murrayon how to perform the routines exactly.)
Singles
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If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody/Feel So Blue (Columbia DB 7032) 1963
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I'm Telling You Now/What Have I Done To You? (Columbia DB 7086) 1963
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You Were Made For Me/Send A Letter To Me (Columbia DB 7147) 1963
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Over You/Come Back When You're Ready (Columbia DB 7214) 1964
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I Love You Baby/Don't Make Me Cry (Columbia DB 7286) 1964
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Just For You/Don't Do That To Me (Columbia DB 7322) 1964
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I Understand/I Will (Columbia DB 7381) 1964
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A Little You/Things I'd Like To Say (Columbia DB 7526) 1965
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Thou Shalt Not Steal/I Don't Know (Columbia DB 7720) 1965
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If You've Gotta Minute Baby/When I'm Home With You (Columbia DB 7857) 1966
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Playboy/Some Day (Columbia DB 7929) 1966
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Turn Around/Funny Over You (Columbia DB 8033) 1966
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Hello, Hello/All I Ever Want Is You (Columbia DB 8137) 1967
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Brown And Porter's (Meat Exporters) Lorry/
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Little Brown Eyes (Columbia DB 8200) 1967
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Little Big Time/Freddie Garrity: You Belong To Me (Columbia DB 8496) 1968
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It's Great/Gabardine Mac (Columbia DB 8517) 1968
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Get Around Downtown Girl/What To Do (Columbia DB 8606) 1969
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Susan's Tuba/You Hurt Me Girl (Philips 6006 098) 1970
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Here We Go/I Saw Ya (Polydor 2059 041) 1978
EPs
- If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody (Columbia Seg 8275, 1963)
- Songs From "What A Crazy World" (Columbia Seg 8287, 1964)
- You Were Made For Me (Columbia Seg 8302, 1964 )
- Over You (Columbia Seg 8323, 1964)
- Ready Freddie Go (Columbia Seg 8403, 1965)
- Freddie And The Dreamers (Columbia Seg 8457, 1965)
Albums
- Freddie And The Dreamers (Columbia 33sx 1577, 1963)
- You Were Mad For Me (Columbia 33sx 1663, 1964)
- Sing Along Party (Columbia Sx1785, 1965)
- In Disneyland (Columbia Scx 6069, 1966)
- King Freddie And His Dreaming Knights (Columbia Sx 6177, 1967)
- Oliver In The Overworld (Starline Srs 5019, 1970)
- Breaking Out (Arny's Shack Records, AS 025, 1978)
Film Appearances
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What A Crazy World (1963)
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Seaside Swingers (a.k.a. Every Day's A Holiday) (1965)
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Out Of Site( 1965)
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Disk-O-Tek Holiday (1966)
TV Appearances
TRACK RECORD: 12 Top 50 singles and
1 Top 50 album.
HIGH: In April 1965, as British bands
ruled the world, Freddie Garrity hits U.S. No.1 with I'm Telling You Now.
STAR QUALITY: Leaping, laughing and
keeping the Dream alive for over 30 years.
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