The Four Freshmen is an American vocal ensemble from Indianapolis established in 1948. The group consists of the musicians Bob Ferreira, Tommy Boynton, Jake Baldwin, and Chris Peters. They achieved professional recognition for a musical style characterized by jazz harmonies and improvised vocal harmony. The ensemble was founded by the musicians Don Barbour, Ross Barbour, Hal Kratzsch, and Marvin Pruitt while they were students at the Arthur Jordan Conservatory of Music. They achieved professional recognition for signing with the label Capitol Records in 1950 after an audition arranged by the musician Stan Kenton. Their recording career began with the single “Mr. B's Blues” (1950). The Four Freshmen achieved professional recognition for appearing in the movie Rich, Young and Pretty (1951). They achieved professional recognition for the single “It's a Blue World” (1952), which became their first charted recording. Their discography included the debut studio recording Voices in Modern (1952). The Four Freshmen achieved professional recognition for the studio recording Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones (1955), which reached number 6 on the charts. The ensemble achieved professional recognition for receiving the Best Jazz Vocal Group award in the DownBeat magazine poll in 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1958, 2000, and 2001. Their recording career included the studio recording Mount Freshmore (1977) and the studio recording Fresh! (1986). The Four Freshmen achieved professional recognition for performing a 50th-anniversary special on CBS in 1998 and being inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.
