John Fred has now provided fans with another chapter of that journey with his Club Louisianne debut CD, I Miss Ya'll (The Unreleased Masters). Recorded at several studios throughout South Louisiana, the 15-track collection includes several of his original songs, along with other material contributed by Butch Hornsby and the legendary team of Donnie Fritts and Troy Seals. Along the way John Fred places his unmistakable stamp on two classics -- Hank Williams' "Hey Good Lookin'" and Huey "Piano" Smith's "High Blood Pressure."

John Fred Gourrier began his music career in his hometown of Baton Rouge. In 1956, he joined his first band with classmates at Catholic High School. Like John Fred, they had a propensity towards black
artists and their music. In the days before the phrase "blue-eyed soul" had been coined, John Fred and his friends were simply known as "white boys, doing black soul music." Local businessman Sam Montalbano, who was running the Catholic Youth Center at the time, regularly booked the band to perform for dances at the venue. Montalbano was impressed by the band's style and the crowd's response, but he had a particular fascination with one of their songs, "Shirley," co-written by John Fred and Tommy Bryan.

Intrigued with the idea of releasing a single, Montalbano took John Fred to a place where hits were being churned out -- Cosimo Matassa's legendary studio in New Orleans. As it turned out, Fats Domino's band had agreed to record a quick version of "Shirley" in the middle of a session for their boss. John Fred was just 17 at the time, but he recalls, "Right before our session, Fats recorded 'Whole Lotta Loving' and 'Little Coquette'."

To say that "Shirley" was successful is an understatement. It became John Fred's first national hit, which led him to New York City in 1959 to appear on rock 'n' roll pioneer Alan Freed's radio show. The song's popularity endured, with British rock star Shakin' Stevens scoring a 1983 hit with it in Europe.

By 1966, John Fred was re-thinking his R&B approach, ultimately making a successful leap to the Top 40 that eluded other Louisiana soul bands of the era. With a sound that leaned more heavily toward the pop rock of he day, he found a new groove, with his Paula Records singles "Up and Down" and "Agnes English" each enjoying an eight-week ride at #1 in New Orleans. John Fred's new music was also being discovered outside Louisiana, however, and regional success in areas throughout the U.S. put him back on the national map.

That regional success paved the way for "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)," a song that John Fred openly admits was partially inspired by the Beatles' "Lucy In the Sky (With Diamonds)." An immediate smash, "Judy In Disguise" led John Fred & the Playboy Band to international tours and a visit with Johnny Carson on NBC-TV's The Tonight Show. The hit also allowed John Fred to cross paths with numerous rock 'n' roll icons, including Jimi Hendrix and the Beatles. In fact, he realized that he had met a fellow music scholar when Paul McCartney mentioned his appreciation of the music created in Louisiana during the '50s. During a conversation with Elvis Presley in Las Vegas, the "King of Rock 'n' Roll" expressed his admiration for John Fred's version of "Boogie Chillun," which he had frequently heard on Wolfman Jack's radio show.

To date, "Judy In Disguise" has sold more than 5 million copies and has been featured in numerous films, TV shows and national commercials. As a result of the single's success, John Fred eventually left Paula to join Elton John and Neil Diamond on the roster of Los Angeles- based UNI Records.

In 1980, John Fred began producing records for other artists, including Irma Thomas' critically- acclaimed comeback album, Safe With Me. He has also written, performed and produced jingles for a lengthy list of national advertisers, including Greyhound Bus Lines, Decker Hot Dogs, the Dallas Mavericks, Ban Deodorant and the Louisiana Music Commission. He has appeared in numerous TV and radio commercials, but one of John Fred's proudest accomplishments combined music with his life-long obsession with sports when he wrote and recorded "Baseball At The Box" for the LSU baseball team coached by Skip Bertman.

John Fred is a 1991 inductee in the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame. That honor was magnified in 1999 when his career accomplishments and contributions to the music industry made him the recipient of the Louisiana Music Living Legend Award.

After many years of entertaining audiences throughout the world, John Fred continues to perform throughout the South. His show always includes a compulsory performance of "Judy In Disguise," but it remains a song he never tires of singing. More importantly, perhaps, is that he also manages to wow the crowds with his newer material, including songs featured on I Miss Ya'll (The Unreleased Masters). After more than four decades in the music business, John Fred is still rockin' -- and rockin' with an energy and vitality that has never diminished.