The Four Preps is an American popular music male quartet. In the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, the group amassed eight gold singles and three gold albums. Its million-selling signature tunes include "26 Miles," "Big Man," "Lazy Summer Night," and "Down by the Station." The Four Preps' numerous television and motion picture appearances includes four years on "Ozzie and Harriet" backing heartthrob Ricky Nelson and with Sandra Dee in the "Gidget" movie. Its most recent television appearance was with the award-winning PBS special, "Magic Moments." The current incarnation of The Four Preps features the original lead singer, Bruce Belland, Bob Duncan (formerly with the Diamonds and The Crew Cuts), Joe Dickey (of The Crew Cuts), and Skip Taylor. The show is an amalgamation of rich harmony and lively comedy--the hallmark of each Preps concert. The evening of classic doo wop and evergreen standards from the Great American Songbook.

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Original line-up

• Bruce Belland (born October 22, 1936, Chicago, Illinois)
• Ed Cobb (1938 – 1999)
• Marv Ingram (born Marvin Inabnett)
• Glen Larson (born January 3, 1937)

History

The four were students at Hollywood High School and were signed to a recording contract by Capitol Records, after one of Capitol's executives saw them at a talent show at that school in 1956. They had a minor chart hit that year with "Dreamy Eyes" and between 1956 and 1964 reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart with 13 different songs. The following year they appeared with Lindsay Crosby on the television program, The Edsel Show .

Their biggest hit was "26 Miles (Santa Catalina)," which was written by Belland and Larson and reached #2. The record sold over one million copies, earning a gold disc. ^[1] Belland and Larson also wrote "Big Man" (which reached #3) and "Down by the Station", which peaked at number 13 in 1960 according to Billboard . In 1959, the group appeared as themselves in the movie, Gidget .

For a short period, Don Clarke replaced Ingram while the latter finished college at UCLA, but he rejoined the group in 1960.

In 1960 they also recorded a parody single, "More Money for You and Me," which included single parody verses of several popular songs by The Fleetwoods, The Hollywood Argyles, The Platters, The Four Freshmen, The Kingston Trio and Dion and the Belmonts. The title parody, sung to the tune of "Tom Dooley," went like this:

Hang down the Kingston Trio,
Hang 'em from a tall oak tree;
Eliminate the Kingston Trio;
More money for you and me.

In 1966, David Somerville, formerly of The Diamonds, joined the group replacing Cobb. In 1969, the group disbanded, as their type of music had become less popular; they last appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in 1964, when "A Letter to the Beatles" charted for a total of three weeks beginning March 21. It peaked on #85. [See Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 , Record Research Inc., Menomonee Falls WI, 1991] Belland and Somerville occasionally performed as a duo after the breakup.

Later careers

Belland continued writing songs for other singers, as well as writing television show scripts, eventually becoming a network executive. Cobb became a record producer and sound engineer. He wrote the song "Tainted Love" for Gloria Jones, which became a worldwide hit for Soft Cell in 1982. ^[2] Somerville went into TV acting and doing voice overs. Larson became one of the most influential television producers in history, creating Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider . Ingram became a commodities broker. Clarke became a music teacher at Glendora High School.

In the 1980s, Belland, Cobb, Somerville, and Jim Pike (formerly of The Lettermen) eventually formed a new 'Four Preps' group, and went on to perform. Jim Yester, formerly of The Association, replaced Pike in 1993, and the group became the 'New Four Preps.'

In 1999 Cobb died of leukemia in Honolulu, Hawaii; and Ingram died of a heart attack.

Yester, Belland, and Somerville continued performing as a trio, using their last names, doing songs that were associated with The Four Preps, The Diamonds, and The Association.

Belland's daughters, Tracey Bryn Belland and Melissa Brooke Belland, followed in their father's footsteps as singers, forming a group named Voice of the Beehive.

References

1. The Book of Golden Discs
2. British Hit Singles & Albums