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Freddie Garrity
There weren't any headlines about this last week. I didn't even notice a small clip in any of the newspapers I perused over the weekend. But last Friday Freddie Garrity died. You may have known him without even realizing it.
Freddie was the frontman for the British rock group Freddie & the Dreamers. I first saw him on some black-and-white television screen, maybe on "Shindig" or "American Bandstand" or "Hullabaloo." Following the historic musical British invasion of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, several groups coat-tailed their way across the ocean for some American gigs, and, better, some American money. At a time when I was fighting pimples and wishing for stardom, I used my extra allowance money to buy 45s of all the invasion groups, like Herman's Hermits, Gerry & the Pacemakers, the Dave Clark 5 and, yes, even, Freddie & the Dreamers.
Standing at just 5 feet, 3 inches, Freddie's gimmick was to flail his arms and legs as he sang his tunes, backed by his Dreamers. It was absolutely ridiculous, made absolutely no sense, but that was his gimmick, giving his a few years of concerts around the United Kingdom and the United States, and appearances on even "The Ed Sullivan Show."
You might recall the two biggest hits by Freddie & the Dreamers: "I'm Telling You Now" and "You Were Made for Me." Their greatest popularity was from May 1963 through November 1965. For most of us the 45s were thrown out years ago and the memories of Freddie & the Dreamers were buried by our more sophisticated musical tastes as we grew into the late Sixties and adulthood in the Seventies.
But Freddie Garrity was a little piece of our teenage years, our teenage memories. At the age of 69, Freddie Garrity passed away, without headlines or CNN news reports. Some of us still remember.
Comments
Foxy, It always bothers us a little when the music idols of the 60's and 70's, especially the British rock invasion, pass on. When you give the age, it's like hitting you in the gut, how it doesn't seem that long ago, these people were young, running around, and jumping on stage, entertaining us. I think back when I believe "The Byrds" came to Clinton County, in the late 60's. And how many ran down to the original Woodstock Festival??
You did it again! Memory lane floods in!! Thanks Foxy, and I hope your medical issue is getting better!!!
Posted by: Steve Peryer | May 26, 2006 10:11 AM