One of the most influential musical sounds of the last 60 years will fill the Door Community Auditorium in Fish Creek on Saturday evening, Feb. 13, when the Four Freshmen take the stage in the annual Valentine’s weekend concert.  Not only will the evening feature the rich blend of the group’s rich harmony, but some comedy will be mixed in as comedian C. Willi Myles will open the show which begins at 8 p.m.

Myles got the comedy bug after coaching and traveling around the country scouting talent and meeting interesting people.  A friend mentioned that a comedy club was opening and that they wanted him to host the shows because everyone knew him.  Within two years he was spotted by the owner of a record label and was signed to a two year deal to pen up for concerts throughout the Midwest.

His appetite for comedy can only be satisfied by his desire to be on stage in front of an audience.  He was once asked when was he going to be on Leno or Lettermen and he said, “Never!  They only give you seven minutes; it takes me five minutes to get to my name.”

Influenced by the vocal groups of the Big Band era, The Four Freshmen refashioned that sound and went on to affect a generation of vocal groups that dominated the charts in the 1950’s, ’60’s and even into the ’70’s. Groups such as the The Lettermen, The Four Preps, The Mamas & the Papas and even The Four Seasons and ABBA built their success with a sound  that Brian Wilson, in his autobiography, attributed to the success of the Beach Boys’ original sound.

Brothers Ross and Don Barbour formed the barbershop quartet Hal’s Harmonizers in 1948 at Butler University’s Arthur Jordan Conservatory. By September of that year, the group hit the road as The Four Freshmen. It signed with Capitol Records in 1950 and released the first in a string of hits in 1952, “It’s a Blue World.” Other hits like “Moon Indigo,” “Day by Day,” and “Graduation Day,” followed. Their string of requests is extensive and cover a remarkable array of 20^th Century standards.

The Four Freshmen have produced more than 45 albums, a stunning 70 top selling singles which have earned it six Grammy nominations.

Considered a vocal band because the group accompanies itself on a variety of musical instruments, the “new” Four Freshmen consist of Brian Eichenberger, Curtis Calderon, Vince Johnson and Bob Ferreira. The quartet carries on a tradition linked to two dozen former members dating back to when the Barbour brothers along with Marvin Pruitt and Hal Kratzsch formed Hal’s Harmonizers 62 years ago.

Dubbed “America’s Everyday Comedian,” C. Willi Myles brings a brand of comedy rooted in family life and an athletic coaching career that ultimately led into comedy.

After graduating high school in Alabama, Myles moved to Minnesota to attend college on a football scholarship at St.Cloud University. After college and a brief professional career, Myles became an assistant football and basketball coach at St. Cloud. He caught the comedy bug. A friend mentioned that a comedy club was opening and wanted him to host shows because everyone knew him. Within to years he was spotted by the owner of a record label and was signed to open concerts throughout the Midwest. Since then he has opened and toured with: The Ojays, The Temptations, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Beach Boys, Toby Keith, Bill Cosby and others.

Tickets for The Four Freshman and C. Willi Myles are $30, $26 and $20 and are available at the Door Community Auditorium box office, by phone (920-868-2728) or at www.dcauditorium.org. Box office hours are Monday and Friday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; weekend show days, 11-3; and one hour prior to performance time. The Auditorium is located in Fish Creek, just north of the town center on Highway 42.