Lakewood Lore

'Four Lads' ladle out hits to fans at Swingos' eatery

"The Four Lads," reborn, are having a sensational summer popularizing nostalgia with their oldie-but goodie songs at Jim Swingo's Silver Quill Restaurant in the Carlyle on Lakewood's Gold Coast.

"I remember them back in the '50s when 1 was growing up," said restaurateur Jim. "I'm thrilled to have had a chance to hire them. They're the only name act regularly in town and a real plus."

"Lakewoodites are quite supportive, and 1 think that's something to say for the community, " he added.

Bernie Toorish, leader of the group and a resident of North Olmsted since 1961, reactivated the quartet after a 17-year hiatus (he calls it a sabbatical) to bring back those favorite arrangements he spawned in the Fantastic Fifties.

One of his greatest, which invariably starts audiences warbling along, was adapted years ago from an old spiritual to which he penned new words that fire up customer exuberance beginning with, "I met my little bright-eyed doll -- down by the riverside, down by the riverside, down by the riverside..."

With Columbia Records during the '50s, The Four Lads produced 73 numbers. Among those written by Bernie were a series of stirring renditions, including " Rain, Rain, Rain," "Turn Back," "My Little Angel" and "The Mocking Bird."

These can be head at the Silver Quill on Thursday nights (shows start at 8 and 10) together with such other triumphs as "Moments to Remember," "Standing on the Corner," "Skokiaan," "Istanbul," "No, Not Much," "Who Needs You," "The Woman in My Life," "I'll Be Seeing you" and "September Song."

Bernie sings second tenor and does all the vocal arranging and orchestrating. The pulsating pop perpetrators teamed with him to make up the latest edition of The Four Lads are Peter (Pete) Selvaggio of Lakewood, bass singer and one of the finest jazz pianist around; James (Jimmy) Murphy, high tenor, who lives in South Euclid; and Frank Albano, baritone, of Euclid, who plays the keyboard and handles the synthesizer.

Formation of the original group took place in Toronto, Canada, where Bernie, of Irish descent, was born John Bernard Toorish on March 2, 1931.

When 3 years old, he started to strum the ukulele. In elementary school he studied violin. As an eighth grader at St. Michael Choir School, he sang with the "Jordanaires," forerunner of The Four Lads, with the accent on church music.

Later, two of the singers left to help form "The Crew Cuts." After replacements were found, the Jordanaires changed their name to "The Four Dukes."

Early on, Bernie was greatly impressed by the Golden Gate Quartet, then famous in the United States for its Negro spirituals, and he sang many of its songs.

That quartet likewise became impressed with the Dukes and arranged an audition for them at Le Ruban Bleu, a swanky New York City supper club.

While there, Bernie became aware that there was another Four Dukes, one working out of Detroit.

"So we had to get another name," Bernie said. "The Four Lads was suggested by Julius Monk, impresario at Le Ruban Bleu, and we took it in 1950."

For the next few years, the group played around the country. Then when singing star Johnnie Ray came on the scene, Bernie was commissioned to do the vocal and instrumental arranging for "Cry" and its flip-side companion, "The Little White Cloud That Cried."

With this platter, something occurred that seldom ever happens in the music industry -- two hits on one record -- and sales of the double-hit-on-one soared to 5,000,000.

The success brought a contract with Columbia Records, where, with the help of Mitch Miller, the Lads began to lean away from spirituals and more towards pop.

While the Lads were touring with Ray, pretty Angela Tabor of Cleveland Heights saw Bernie on stage at Loew's State Theater here. A year later she met him at a Sunday matinee the Lads were doing at Moe's Main Street, Euclid at East 79th.

"We were married in Cleveland Heights in 1956, and our wedding made page one in 12 major dailies," Bernie proudly recalled.

During its heyday, the Lads had fan clubs totaling 150,000 members. In Pittsburgh alone there were 20,000. But their popularity, which reached its zenith in 1957, began to decline as the pendulum swung to folk music and later rock.

After a number of changes in personnel, the group finally broke up in 1977. Bernie left 22 years ago. In 1978, to expand his horizons, he joined Equitable as an insurance underwriter, a job he continues to hold today.

It was the Lads' induction into the Canadian Juno Awards Hall of Fame in Toronto in 1984 that sparked the present re-formation in which Bernie now remains as the sole original.

The Toorishes have four children -- Lakewoodite John Bernard Jr., who is known as J.B. and is associated with Lakewood's Wison Landscaping Co.; Jeffrey, a TV newscaster in Boston; and Gregory and Suzanne, both of Cleveland. Gregory leads a rock band called "Power Age," and Suzanne will graduate from nursing school next March. Bernie and Angela also have two grandchildren.

Among the big bands, Count Basie's was always Bernie's favorite and one that greatly influenced the Lads' arrangements. Among pop singers, Bernie salutes Vic Damone as the best alive today.

Will Bernie continue singing? "You bet," he said. "How many of us get a chance to do what we really like to do?"

This article appeared in the Lakewood Sun Post August 6, 1992. Reprinted with permission.

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