I was living in New Orleans in 1968 and John Fred was king of the castle there. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and so, everyone in New Orleans treated him like a local boy. When he got a number one hit, he practically owned the city.

John Fred was born John Fred Gourrier in 1941. When he was fifteen (1956), he organized a band he called John Fred and the Playboys. He took the name from the Playboy magazine. The band he had behind him in 1956 was completely different from the band he had in 1968. Music was just a sideline during the late Fifties and early Sixties, while he went to college and got a degree.

One day, his life was changed when he heard a copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Band, that great Beatles album. He listened to the song “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” and what he heard was “Lucy in Disguise with Diamonds.” He thought those lyrics were very clever and so, he wrote a parody on that song along with a bandmate, Andrew Bernard. They first called it “Beverly in Disguise (With Glasses).” Then they took a line from a Playtex commercial for living bras. Those of you who are old enough might remember the commercial about “cross your heart with your living bra.” That was the line from the commercial and it, too, made it into the song.

Before releasing any records, they changed their name slightly. Gary Lewis and the Playboys were still around in 1968 and John Fred didn’t want the public to confuse the names, so he changed the name of the band to John Fred and His Playboy Band. Their first hit under the new name was Agnes English which did not make the Hot 100.

John and Andrew wrote “Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)” and brought it to the band. They didn’t like it at all. They thought it sounded too much like bubblegum music. (Bubblegum music was getting popular in the late Sixties.) They really didn’t like John’s spoken comment at the end of the song about taking Judy’s glasses. But, the recording went ahead and within two weeks of releasing the record, they were getting calls from all over the country.

The song was a big hit, It entered the pop charts on December 16, 1967 and spent two weeks at the top of the charts. Ironically, it kicked the Beatles (“Hello, Goodbye”) out of the top spot, which had been the original inspiration for the song. John Fred and his band were never able to hit the charts again, let alone number one. They are truly a one-hit wonder. It’s a good thing John got that college degree. He would never be able to earn a living selling music. He spent a good part of his life working as a basketball and baseball coach. John Fred Gourrier died in 2004 from complications from a kidney transplant. He was 63 years old.

Here is a live version of “Judy in Disguise” LMHOF stands for Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.