The Brothers Four are an American folk singing group, founded in 1957 in Seattle, Washington, known for their 1960 hit song “Greenfields”. Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley met at the University of Washington, where they were members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity in 1956 (hence the “Brothers” appellation). Their first professional performances were the result of a prank played on them in 1958 by a rival fraternity, who had arranged for someone to call them, pretend to be from Seattle’s Colony Club, and invite them to come down to audition for a gig. Even though they were not expected at the club, they were allowed to sing a few songs anyway, and were subsequently hired. Flick recalls them being paid “mostly in beer.”

They left for San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis, Dave Brubeck’s manager. Lewis became their manager and later that year secured them a contract with Columbia Records. Their second single, “Greenfields,” released in January 1960, hit #2 on the pop charts,[2] and their first album, Brothers Four, released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. Other highlights of their early career included singing their fourth single, “The Green Leaves of Summer,” from the John Wayne movie The Alamo, at the 1961 Academy Awards, and having their second album, BMOC/Best Music On/Off Campus, go top 10. They also recorded the theme song for the ABC television series Hootenanny, “Hootenanny Saturday Night,” in 1963. They also gave a try at “Sloop John B”, released as “The John B Sails”.[3]

The British Invasion and the ascendance of edgier folk rock musicians such as Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four’s early period of success, but they kept performing and making records, doing particularly well in Japan and on the American hotel circuit.

The group co-built with Jerry Dennon a radio station in Seaside, Oregon (KSWB) in 1968.[4] The station was subsequently sold in 1972 to a group from Montana, and later to a self-proclaimed minister, and finally merged into a larger conglomerate of radio stations.

The group attempted a comeback by recording a highly commercial version of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man,” but were unable to release it due to licensing issues, and The Byrds eventually stole their thunder by releasing their heralded version.[5]

Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969, and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1989 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. Despite all the changes and having spent 54 years in the business, the group is still active. ~SOURCE: Wikipedia

PLEASE NOTE: I divided my uploads a

The Green Leaves of Summer (aka “Lá Xanh Mùa Hè” in Vietnamese) ~
Performed by: The Brothers Four ~
Lyrics by: Paul Francis Webster ~
Music by: Dimitri Tiomkin ~

Let’s walk down the memory lane with the Brothers Four and the beautiful musics of the 60’s. The Brothers Four was formed in 1957 in Seattle, Washington. The original four members (Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley) met at the University of Washington in 1956. They were members of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. I was wondering how did they ever come up with the name “The Brothers Four,” now I know–the “Brothers” appellation from their days of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. And amazingly, after more than 50 years (half of a century, wow!) in musical show biz, this band is still active as of today. One of the band’s highlights include their performance of “The Green Leaves of Summer” at the 1961 Academy Award. “Greenfields” (aka “Đồng Xanh” in Vietnamese) was also the band’s smash hit in the 60’s.

“The Green Leaves of Summer,” the theme song for the 1960 American historical movie “The Alamo,” was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The famous songwriter Paul Francis Webster wrote the lyrics, with music composed by Dimitri Tiomkin. Many of Webster’s well-known songs include “Secret Love,” “The Shadow of Your Smile,” “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing,” “A Time for Love,” “A Certain Smile,” “Tender is the Night,” “A World that Never Was,” “Love Theme from El Cid,” “Strange Are The Ways of Love,” and many more. I happen to know all these songs and their lyrics through my parents. Needless to say, I love Webster’s songs although they are of my parents’ generation. Webster was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972.

“The Alamo” (1960 film) was directed by John Wayne. John Wayne also played Davy Crockett in this movie. The film depicts the 1836 Battle of the Alamo, a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. It was a 13-day seige with less than 100 men led by lieutenant colonel William B. Travis of the Texas Army, to defend the Alamo against approximately 1,500 Mexican troops led by President General Antonio López de Santa Anna (often known as General Santa Ana). General Santa Ana surrounded the fort and demanded surrender. Lt. Col. Travis replied with a cannon shot.

After a 13-day standoff, facing the opposing forces which were greater in number, better trained and better equipped, still the Alamo defenders fought to the very end and were defeated by General Santa Ana on March 6th, 1836.

The world premiere of “The Alamo” was held at the Woodlawn Theatre in San Antonio, Texas, in 1960. The replica Alamo took more than two years to construct. The original Alamo historical fort (located in San Antonio, Texas, USA) is San Antonio’s proud and the most popular tourist site in Texas.

I’ve also uploaded the Vietnamese version of this song, “Lá Xanh Mùa Hè (aka “Hè Sang”),” performed by one of the most popular Vietnamese soft rock bands of the early to mid 70’s. The Vietnamese version is equally beautifully. To watch it, click on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RgTW7…

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