Career
His group, John Fred and the Playboys, was formed in 1956; their first hit single was in 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.
In 1967, Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote "Judy in Disguise", 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 #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. Although Fred actually had a well-rehearsed and talented group honed by years on the road, now known as John Fred & His Playboy Band, he was branded as a novelty act and never had another major success. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to "Judy in Disguise" and its royalties. They also covered "You're On My Mind" by The Animals.
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