Monday, May 4, 2015

the free design

When I was growing up my best friend Stefanie’s family formed 
a singing group that had moderate success 
although I am sure you have never heard of them. 


It was quite a surprise while watching TV last week that
I recognized one of their songs on a delta commercial . . .


And then I found the same song in a toyota commercial  . . .



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:




The Free Design was a Delevan, New York-based vocal group whose music can be described as sunshine pop and baroque pop. They were all members of the Dedrick family: Chris Dedrick, sister Sandy and brother Bruce were the original lineup. Chris Dedrick wrote most of the songs. Younger sister Ellen joined the group later, and youngest sister Stefanie joined near the end of their initial career. They formed the band while living in New York City. Chris has said the group was influenced by vocal groups like The Hi-Los (who performed in Greenwich Village frequently at the time) along with Peter, Paul and Mary and the counterpoint experiments of Benjamin Britten. Their trademark sound involved complex harmonies, jazz-like chord progressions, and off-beat time signatures, all products of Chris's classical training. The band released seven albums from 1967 to 1972,


6 comments:

  1. WOW! Thanks for the information. Hugs and blessings, Cindy

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  2. What a catchy tune.
    Harmony and a cappella really make it a unique sound.
    And you knew them!

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  3. How neat!! I like the song and the sound. They had a little bit of Peter, Paul & Mary sound. Do they still sing? I hope they get rich from their song. :)

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  4. Did you have the album with the clown? It looks familiar!

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  5. What fun that you know them personally! I like their sound. It is always fun when someone you know personally, becomes well known. Thanks for sharing this music.

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  6. Very cool. I HAD actually heard of the group and I am a big fan, although I can excuse you for assuming no one has, as their fan base is still criminally small. They were easily one of the most accomplished and talented groups of their kind. Personally, I prefer them to the Association, for instance. Check out "The Best Of" from 1967, which opens with a tune called "Chorale" -- another great a capella song (I like it even better). "Bubbles" and "Kites are Fun" are two other standouts among many.

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