Book Four Freshmen

The Four Freshmen are an American vocal quartet whose close, jazz-inflected harmonies have shaped vocal group singing since the late 1940s. Founded in Indiana in 1948 by students at Butler University's Jordan conservatory, the group grew out of barbershop roots and took inspiration from big band vocal groups including The Mel-Tones, The Modernaires and The Pied Pipers. Members also play their own instruments on stage, including guitar, horns, bass and drums. Their mid-1950s peak produced a run of classic albums such as Voices in Modern (1954), Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1955), Four Freshmen and 5 Saxes (1957) and Four Freshmen and 5 Guitars (1959). The catalog spans some 30 studio albums, from The Freshman Year (1961) and Funny How Time Slips Away (1964) through Snowfall (2007) and recent collaborations featuring Emmet Cohen, Russell Hall and Kyle Poole released in 2022 and 2025. The group has earned six Grammy nominations. Although the final original member stepped away in 1993, the quartet continues to tour internationally, delivering a timeless harmony experience rooted in the jazz tradition.