In answer to your questions, yes, yes, I dunno and you're right.

I was a major Four Lads fan back in the fifties, but they didn't record You, You, You (Masato will probably correct me on this one.) The Four Lads were a group with a strong black gospel style that got homogenized by Mitch Miller. I still have my record of them doing The Mockingbird, and old black gospel quartet song that they do almost exactly like I've heard it done by early black gospel groups. They also did an ep (remember those) of gospel with Frankie Lane that had al lthe rawness and energy of black gospel. I have that recording, too. They did a great version of Didn't It Rain, with Lane on the lead. The Four Lads were also the back-up vocal group on Cry and Little White Cloud that Cried by Johnny Ray. It was on the Okeh label, the "race" label of Columbia. When The Four Lads moved to the mother label, Columbia, they got smoother out to sound more like the Four Aces.

A couple of years ago, I found a used album of gospel music by the Four Lads and was very excited to get it. When I put it on the turntable, my heart sunk. By the time they recorded it, they sounded like your local barbershop quartet.

Rick: ShBoom "Life Is But A Dream" was originally recorded by the Chords... a black rhythm and Blues group. The Crew Cuts covered it (no wonder you liked it... the group was from Canada.) Those were the days when Pat Boone, The Crew Cuts, the Diamonds (also from Canada) the MaGuire Sisters, Kay Star and Pat Boone "covered" rhythm and Blues songs by young black rhythm and blues groups. ShBoom was the one song by the Crew Cuts that I really liked. I bought several other records of theres, and still have them, but they don't sound right to me anymore. Kinda like listening to The Chad Mitchell Trio do a chain gang song.

Jerry