A rare performance by Freddie And The Dreamers on the The Ed Sullivan Show has been unearthed. The clip features the group performing their hit single “You Were Made For Me” and captures their signature synchronized dance moves as well as vocalist Freddie Garrity’s silly flailing.
Freddie And The Dreamers was formed in 1962. The band was composed of Garrity, guitarist Roy Crewdson, guitarist/harmonica player Derek Quinn, bassist Peter Birrell, and drummer Bernie Dwyer.
Though Freddie And The Dreamers were from Manchester, they were associated with Liverpool’s Merseybeat sound, a style driven by a strong beat inspired by rock’n’roll, rhythm and blues, and soul music. The group had a number of successes in the early to mid 1960s including four Top 10 UK hits: a cover of James Ray’s “If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody,” which hit No. 3 on the UK Singles Charts; “I’m Telling You Now,” which reached No. 2; “You Were Made for Me,” which arrived at No. 3 in late 1963; and a cover of The G-Clefs “I Understand,” which peaked at No. 5 in November 1964.
The band’s eponymous debut album arrived in the UK in 1963. It peaked at No. 5 on the UK Albums chart and reached No. 19 in the US in 1965 and was the band’s biggest success stateside.
As suggested by their antics in The Ed Sullivan Show performance, Freddie And The Dreamers also had a moderately successful career in musical comedies, appearing in the British films What a Crazy World alongside the musician Joe Brown, Just For You, Cuckoo Patrol, and Every Day’s A Holiday (known as Seaside Swingers in the US). The band also contributed to the soundtrack of the latter film. From the late ’60s to early ’70s, Garrity and Birrell were regular guests on the UK ITV children’s show Little Big Time.
Watch more archival videos from The Ed Sullivan Show on the program’s official YouTube channel.
