PLAY  'DO THE FREDDIE'  BY FREDDIE & THE DREAMERS 

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freddie & chris

 FREDDIE & NEW...NEW... Freddie & The Dreamers 2CD pack all freddies hits + more original recordings, from ..The rock & pop shop . Find the link here or at my other site, link below.

Freddie & The Dreamers were an extra bonus to the fab sixties, their music was good, and the bonus was a crazy bunch of guys who could also make you laugh. Freddies high leaping and daft movements kept us wondering what the routine would be for their next recording when they appeared on television and on the stage. Of course there were serious song's like, 'I Understand' , 'A Little You' (one of my favs), and others that demanded that Freddie staying (sort of !) in one spot, I have the feeling Freddie must have found staying still very hard to do!.

The very latest at

my other site link below

http://www.merseybeatabd.co.uk

Above: Anita Harris , Freddie Garrity & wife Chris ,  P.J. Proby

 Freddie Garrity was with P.J Proby at Probys Musical Heritage  'tribute' lunch in london, June 2004. Freddie was taken ill and an ambulance had to be called, being Freddie, he refused to go to hospital, saying once he was in hospital he might not get out again, so the ambulance crew treated him at the venue and got him through the difficulties.

used with permission from, The Beat Mag. see links for their website.

You are visitor No:  To this page of freddies

 Freddie Garrity believes in humour as the best medicine and he puts his belief into practice these days. He has been out of show business for three years, since he sang at the Clacton Ballroom. But he doesn't miss it, He said, he's past retiring age anyway and his health is less than top 10. "I missed it at first but I'm glad I'm away from it now. I didn't like the back-stabbing but we had a lot of fun," he said. He also made some good friends and his saddest moments come when he learns of yet another sad loss of one of the nice people from the music scene - Frankie Vaughan & Matt Monroe - for instance. Freddie still retains his humour and his sense of fun, despite his disabilities.

His final curtain came down after a show in Connecticut. Freddie & The Dreamers piled into a chauffeur driven car to rush to the airport to fly home and they were due to do a show in Nottingham the next day. The journey took nearly twice as long as expected and they missed the flight. They slept in the airport but on the way back, Freddie suffered a mild heart attack. Fortunately there was a doctor on board who treated him during the flight. "He couldn't have been very well paid; he was on the back of the aircraft," Freddie joked. At Heathrow, he was taken off the plane by paramedics and rushed to Ashford Hospital where he was kept in for a week.

Since then his health has deteriorated and he is now on 20 tablets a day and a nebuliser. When it is possible to keep him in a serious mood, he will explain that he has systemic sclerosis secondary to pulmonary hypertension. He is on what he calls 'Diabolical steroids' and gets out of breath, spends a lot of time in a wheelchair and therefore can't go upstairs. He and his wife Chris sold their big house and moved into a bungalow nearby which they have been improving gradually. "I'm a couch potato really, but Chris and I love caravanning. We've just bought a new motor home and plan to go over to Spain and Portugal. I was sent a disabled sticker so I went straight out and parked on double yellow lines - just because I could!" he said. He is writing his autobiography and has already penned 32,000 words; but the publishers wanted more, so he has to dig deep in his memory to come up with more recollections of his life history.

Freddie has been married three times and has three daughters and a son, called Matt after Matt Busby; they are Man United supporters. He is a grandfather three times over. One of his most cherished possessions is a photograph of Roy Orbison's unmarked grave which reminds him of some of his finest memories of being on tour with Roy. He tells jokes all the time and sometimes it's difficult to know whether he is serious or if there is a punch line coming up. He went to see the Everly Brothers in Bournemouth where he used to live. He met them in the bar afterwards; one drank everly and the other smoked everly. He went into a phonebox and instead of putting in his credit card, he put in his donor card; It cost him an arm and a leg ! He was a shoe salesman but got the boot; then he sold sweepers but got the brush-off. That's Enough Freddie Please!

Of course, Freddie And The Dreamers were known for their zany humour in their stage act - that famous high jump lifting Freddie above his normal five feet four inches, legs folded under him; Band member Bernie talking to his drums; Roy standing there doing nothing (allegedly); Derek and Pete trying to stay focussed (what both of us?); the one-liners "Oh! One eata banana (Oh Juanita)" and the dressing up of course. We made people laugh but they also enjoyed our songs and music," said Fred.

It's doubly sad, then, that Freddie has been defined as "Too Old" for the vital organ transplants he needs to keep him going. It's a pity we haven't any spares we can donate for him. If you would like to send good wishes to Freddie, we will pass them on to him.

My favourite Freddie and the Dreamers track is "A Little You", it got to No 26, in April 1965
(merseybeatlover1)

Article used with permission from David Parker (The Beat Magazine) - See Links page

HE TALKED TO HIS DRUMKIT!

'If you got to make a fool of somebody' was the music played at the funeral of 'Dreamers' , Drummer, Bernie Dwyer, who died on December 4th 2002 aged 62.

Many stories about 'Bernie', contact email link for more info.

Freddie's still telling us now...
Freddie Garrity of  'Freddie & The Dreamers' fame is still telling jokes despite his desperate illness. He collapsed in early july while travelling in his new motorhome and was rushed to Bangor Hospital, Wales, where he was given extra oxygen and had a blood test. He sprained his groin when he fell which added to his discomfort. His wife Chris said: "He just stops breathing and goes." Freddie joked: " I feel as if I'm travelling round all these hospitals testing their food."

From the August 03  issue of ..'The Beat' mag,  see links page.

FREDDIE UPDATE 2 SEPTEMBER 2003

Freddie Rand, my friend, on 1st Sep 03 is in good spirits, he has been away in Wales with his wife and motor home. He is feeling better than he has for ages, he said, and is on new medication, although still on oxygen and in his wheelchair. His jokes don't improve! He met up with Gerry Marsden by chance while having a pint in a local pub in Anglesey.

Information from David Parker. The Beat Magazine - See Links Page

Freddies not amused

Freddie garrity (freddie & the dreamers), is not happy about a band calling themselves The Dreamers. Freddie owns the name, Dreamers , and none of this current band are original members. More on this as I get it.

************FREDDIE & THE DREAMERS************

Can you name every film ' Freddie & The Dreamers', were in ? ,well can you name them all, if so, e-mail me, the 1st email correct will win a £5 record voucher or virgin/hmv, or whatever shop you wish.

Miss you Freddie

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Freddie and the Dreamers rose to prominence in England and then rode the wave of the British Invasion on the American pop charts in the mid-60's. The group was known for its on-stage antics, led by Freddie Garrity.

Freddie Garrity was born in Manchester, England in 1940. As a teenager he loved the skiffle music that was popular in England in the 1950's, and which was popularized by Lonnie Donegan and His Skiffle Group. Garrity worked as a milkman while in his teens but his real love was performing. In 1959, along with his brother Derek, he performed with a makeshift skiffle group in Manchester called the Red Sox, and later, the Kingfishers.

Freddie liked to move around while the group was performing. His antics were front and center. Other members of the group, undoubtedly influenced by watching performances of the popular British group the Shadows, came up with some moves of their own behind Freddie. It became part comedy act, part music group. By 1961 it had been renamed Freddie and the Dreamers. The group included Derek Quinn on lead guitar, Roy Crewsdon on rhythm guitar, Pete Birrell on bass, and Bernie Dwyer on drums.

The group was making a name for itself and appeared on a British chidren's television show, which led to a recording contract with BMI/Columbia. They began to record songs, some written by Mitch Murray (who wrote songs for Gerry and the Pacemakers), and some by Freddie Garrity. In 1963 and 1964, Freddie and the Dreamers put several hits in the British top five. Their first was If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody, followed by I'm Telling You Now. They had become full-fledged rock stars -- in England.

Other hits followed -- Murray's You Were Made For Me and a cover of an early 50's Four Tunes hit I Understand (Just How You Feel). So did appearances in movies -- What A Crazy World and Every Day's A Holiday.

By 1964 the group had become established, and the Beatles and others were having a huge impact across the Atlantic in the United States. Freddie and the Dreamers toured the USA, and the Tower and Mercury labels issued some of the group's records in America. In early 1965, I'm Telling You Now became the group's first hit in America, and topped the American charts. Others were issued -- I Understand (Just How You Feel) and You Were Made For Me. Touring and television appearances showed the group and its clownish antics to an American audience. They popularized a dance -- The Freddie -- for a brief time, and had a hit only in the United States with Do The Freddie, in 1965.

The hits stopped coming. The group returned to England and continued to perform for the balance of the decade. The music scene was changing once again, and Freddie and the Dreamers broke up in the early 70's.

Freddie Garrity and Pete Birrell joined the cast of a children's television series in England titled Little Big Time. In later years Garrity formed new rosters of Freddie and the Dreamers and put on shows around the British Isles. Drummer Bernie Dwyer died in 2002 at age 62.

Freddie and the Dreamers are remembered by music fans from the 60's as a group that had a few catchy songs and quite a stage presence.

Thanks to Tom Simon for this article see links on home page

DISCOGRAPHY

ORIGINAL ALBUMS:  1.  FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS (Columbia 33SX 1577, 1963)  2.  YOU WERE MADE FOR ME (Columbia 33SX 1663, 1964)  3.  SING ALONG PARTY (Columbia SX1785, 1965)  4.  IN DISNEYLAND (Columbia SCX 6069, 1966)  5.  KIND FREDDIE AND THE DREAMING KNIGHTS (Columbia SX 6177, 1967)  6.  OLIVER IN THE UNDERWORLD (Starline SRS 5019, 1970)  7.  BREAKING OUT (Arny's Shack Records, AS 025, 1978)   FREDDIE GARRITY SOLO: FREDDIE GARRITY (Bus Stop Records 5002, 1974)   COLLECTIONS:  1.  BEST OF FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS (EMI NUT 11, 1977)   2.  THE BEST OF FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS (C5 503, 1987)  3.  THE E.P. COLLECTION (See For Miles SEE 299, 1990)   4.  THE BEST OF THE EMI YEARS (CD only) (EMI 0777, 99715 2 7, 1992)   EPs:  1.  IF YOU GOTTA MAKE A FOOL OF SOMEBODY (Columbia SEG 8275, 1963)  2.  SONGS FROM "WHAT A CRAZY WORLD" (Columbia SEG 8287, 1964)  3.  YOU WERE MADE FOR ME (Columbia SEG 8302, 1964 )  4.  OVER YOU (Columbia SEG 8323, 1964)   5.  READY FREDDIE GO (Columbia SEG 8403, 1965)  6.  FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS (Columbia SEG 8457, 1965)    SINGLES:  1.  If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody/Feel So Blue (Columbia DB 7032) 1963 3  2.  I'm Telling You Now/What Have I Done To You? (Columbia DB 7086) 1963 2   3.  You Were Made For Me/Send A Letter To Me (Columbia DB 7147) 1963 3   4.  Over You/Come Back When You're Ready (Columbia DB 7214) 1964 13   5.  I Love You Baby/Don't Make Me Cry (Columbia DB 7286) 1964 16   6.  Just For You/Don't Do That To Me (Columbia DB 7322) 1964 41   7.  I Understand/I Will (Columbia DB 7381) 1964 5   8.  A Little You/Things I'd Like To Say (Columbia DB 7526) 1965 26   9.  Thou Shalt Not Steal/I Don't Know (Columbia DB 7720) 1965 44  10.  If You've Gotta Minute Baby/When I'm Home With You (Columbia DB 7857) 1966  11.  Playboy/Some Day (Columbia DB 7929) 1966  12.  Turn Around/Funny Over You (Columbia DB 8033) 1966  13.  Hello, Hello/All I Ever Want Is You (Columbia DB 8137) 1967  14.  Brown And Porter's (Meat Exporters) Lorry/  15.  Little Brown Eyes (Columbia DB 8200) 1967  16.  Little Big Time/FREDDIE GARRITY: You Belong To Me (Columbia DB 8496) 1968  17.  It's Great/Gabardine Mac (Columbia DB 8517) 1968  18.  Get Around Downtown Girl/What To Do (Columbia DB 8606) 1969  19.  Susan's Tuba/You Hurt Me Girl (Philips 6006 098) 1970  20.  Here We Go/I Saw Ya (Polydor 2059 041) 1978    REISSUES:      FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS EMI, 1A 052 06566, 1983)      Import-only cassette available from The Netherlands. 

Track Listing for the most complete Freddie and the Dreamers collection on CD:       FREDDIE AND THE DREAMERS - THE BEST OF THE EMI YEARS   1. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody   2. Feel So Blue   3. I'm Telling You Now   4. What Have I Done To You   5. You Were Made For Me   6. Send A Letter To Me   7. The Viper   8. Yes I Do   9. Sally Anne  10. Money  11. Over You  12. I Love You Baby  13. Come Back When You're Ready  14. Don't Make Me Cry  15. I Understand  16. Just For You  17. Jailer Bring Me Water  18. It Doesn't Matter Anymore  19. See You Later Alligator  20. Tell Me When  21. I Think Of You  22. I Don't Love You Anymore  23. A Little You  24. Things I'd Like To Say  25. Thou Shalt Not Steal  26. Silly Girl  27. Do The Freddie  28. A Love Like You  29. If You've Got A Minute, Baby  30. When I'm home With You  31. Playboy  32. Turn Around  33. Brown And Porters ( Meat Exporters) Lorry  34. Gabardine Mac 

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