The Freshmen blazed a trail
While the run of the mill showbands played the hits of the day mixed with big ballads and a bit of country music, The Freshmen from Ballymena in Co Antrim struck a different pose and chose to plough their own furrow with tight harmonies and a different approach to the rest of the showbands of the 1960s and ‘70s.
As a student, Billy Brown was gigging with the Billy McFarland Band in Belfast and he, along with two other members of the band - bass player Torry McGahey and sax player Maurice Henry, left to form their own outfit. That was early 1962 and they would eventually go on the become The Freshmen. The original lineup included: Barney
McKeon (vocals), Maurice (sax), Torry (bass), Damien McIlroy (guitar), Sean Mahon (trombone), Davy McKnight (drums) and Billy Brown (sax and piano).
1963 saw Derek McMenamin who later changed his name to Derek Dean, join the band and from there, they began to form a big following in the North of Ireland. That same year, they decided to pack in their jobs and go fully professional. Derek however, was studying to become a teacher and as the school forced him to pay back the cost of his college, he had no choice, but to leave the band.
While on a tour of England in February, 1964, they recorded ‘ He’s The One You Love’ but without success. Limerick native
Tommy Drennan joined the band on lead vocals for a spell and, while he proved a valuable addition, he only stayed a short time with the band. Summer of ’ 64 saw Derek Dean’s return and by the end of 1964, saw them perform much more down in the South of the country. They also released another single, ‘I Stand Alone’. However, like the previous recording, it failed to make an impression. Their disappointment was short-lived however as, later that year, ‘ La Yenka’ went on to be a top ten hit towards the end of 1965.
Another name change in August 1966 when they appeared as Derek Dean, Billy Brown and the Freshmen as they continued to pump out the top hits from the likes of The Beach Boys,
The Beatles, The Rolling Stones etc.
In late 1967, ‘ PapaOom-Mow-Mow’ which had been a hit for The Beach Boys (and was a hit originally for The Rivingtons in 1962), hit the Irish Top Ten making it to number seven, remaining in the charts for eight weeks. They had by now, established themselves as a unique combination and to add top their uniqueness, they rid themselves of the standard tailored suits, choosing instead to take to the stage in floral shirts and flared pants, a move that some said would herald their downfall. Far from it however, their star continued to rise.
‘Go Granny Go’ became a regular on radio in the second half of 1968 and this was followed by ‘Just to
See You Smile’ which entered the Top Ten in March 1969 and ‘ Halfway to Where’ made Number 10 in April 1970. Following a run of dates through Easter week that year, the band stated that they had played before crowds totalling 16,000 dancers, claiming it as ‘ some kind of record’.
‘Peace On Earth, their second album released in 1970 was heralded as ‘ an artistic masterpiece’, regarded by many as the greatest Irish pop album ever made.
The Freshmen’s uncanny likeness with the close harmonies of The Beach Boys had been a huge part of the band’s success but sadly, as the Beach Boys’ fortunes took a downward spiral, so too it began to reflect on the Freshmen’s drop in popularity.
Some changes in band personnel followed and with Billy Brown gone, February 1972 saw original member Davy McKnight announce that he was leaving to join a band called Clubsound and a month or so later, founder member Maurice Henry left the band.
In October 1972, Billy Brown rejoined the Freshmen. They eventually down-sized to a six piece but the glory days were now in the past as the whole showband craze began to fade. And so, on a December night in 1980 after almost twenty years on the road, what was arguably the greatest pop band on the Irish entertainment scene, decided to call it a day!
On June 6, 1999 at the age of only 56, Billy Brown, acclaimed to have been one of the country’s top musicians, writers and producers, died suddenly of a heart attack while July of last year, brought the death of band leader Maurice Henry.