#12: Happy Anniversary by the Four Lads

City: Hull, PQ
Radio Station: CKCH
Peak Month: January 1960
Peak Position in Hull ~ #1
Peak position in Vancouver ~ #36
Peak Position on Billboard Hot 100 ~ #77
YouTube: “Happy Anniversary”
Lyrics: “Happy Anniversary”

The Four Lads are a Canadian male quartet from Toronto, Ontario. They were originally made up of Corrado “Connie” Codarini, James F. “Jimmy” Arnold, John Bernard “Bernie” Toorish and Frank Busseri. They met as members of St. Michael’s Choir School. Originally, they named themselves the Otnorots (made up mostly of spelling the place name Toronto backwards. They changed their name to the Four Dukes. But after they found out a group in Detroit had the same name, then they settled on the Four Lads. They got a break when Mitch Miller noticed them when they were recruited by talent scouts to go to New York. Mitchell had them sing back-up on Johnny Ray’s 1951 smash hit, “Cry”, and his big follow up, “The Little White Cloud that Cried”.

In 1952 they had their first Top Twenty hit in the USA with “The Mocking Bird”. That same year “Faith that Can Move Mountains” climbed to #7 in the UK. The next year they had their first of eight Top Ten hit records in the USA with a novelty hit, Istanbul (Not Constantinople). Their biggest hits were the four million selling “Moments to Remember” and million selling “No Not Much”. A third million seller was “Standing on the Corner”. It was a song from the 1956 Broadway Musical The Most Happy Fella.

In early 1957 the Four Lads released had a Top Ten hit titled “Who Needs You”. This was followed by “I Just Don’t Know”. In Vancouver, the B-side to this single, “Golly”, also charted on CKWX.

Between 1951 and 1958 the Four Lads had twenty-one Top 30 hits on the Billboard pop charts. With the onslaught of rock n’ roll The Four Lads traditional style of pop music was overcome by new male vocal groups like The Crests (“Sixteen Candles”), The Platters (“Twilight Time”), The Coasters (“Yakety Yak”), The Drifters (“There Goes My Baby”), The Flamingos (“I Only Have Eyes For You”), Dion and The Belmonts (“A Teenager in Love”) and The Kingston Trio (“Tom Dooley”).

However, one of their last Top 40 hits in the 1950s was a re-issue of their 1952 Top 30 hit “Mocking Bird”. The Four Lads last song to crack the Billboard Hot 100 was in late 1959 with “Happy Anniversary”.

“Happy Anniversary” was written by Robert Allen and Al Stillman. Robert Allen Deitcher was born in 1927 in Troy, New York, and raised in a Jewish family. He was an accompanist for Perry Como, vaudevillian Peter Lind Hays and Arthur Godfrey. His first hit record was in 1951 for Jo Stafford with her Top 20 hit “Kissin’ Bug Boogie”. In 1952, his song “To Know You (Is to Love You)” was a Top 20 hit for Perry Como. In 1953, Allen and Al Stillman began collaborating. They wrote “My One and Only Heart” was a #11 pop hit for Perry Como, and “You Alone (Solo Tu)” which reached #9 for Perry Como. In 1954, Como recorded the seasonal Allen-Stillman favorite, “(There’s No Place Like) Home for the Holidays”. It which eventually peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1955 on the Billboard Most Played by Jockeys chart.

In 1955, Allen and Stillman wrote “Moments To Remember” which was a #2 hit on the Billboard pop chart and #17 for the year. In 1956, they wrote “No Not Much” for the Four Lads peaked at #2 on the Billboard Disc Jockey chart. That year Robert Allen wrote “Song for a Summer Night” for Mitch Miller which reached #8 on the Billboard pop chart. While in 1957, Allen and Stillman had another hit for the Four Lads titled “Who Needs You?” which peaked at #9. They also had Top Ten hits that year for Johnny Mathis with “Chances Are” and “It’s Not For Me To Say”. In 1958, they wrote “There’s Only One Of You”. It reached #10 on the Billboard Pop chart. While a song recorded by Pat Boone titled “If Dreams Came True” climbed to #7 on the Billboard pop chart. In 1958, Allen cowrote “Everybody Loves A Lover”, a #6 hit in 1958 for Doris Day. Robert Allen died in 2000 at the age of 73.

Albert Irving Silverman was born in Manhattan in 1901. His first hit record was a recording by Freddy Martin and His Orchestra titled “Tell Me That You Love Me”. It peaked at #7 in 1935. In 1937, Tommy Dorsey took “You And I Know” to #11 on the US pop charts. In 1938, Jan Garber and His Orchestra and a #8 hit with “Bambina”. The next year “Many Dreams Ago” was a #11 hit for Artie Shaw and His Orchestra. But in 1940, Al Stillman wrote one of his biggest hits, “Say Si Si”, a #4 hit with the Andrews Sisters. Later that year, Jimmy Dorsey took “The Breeze And I” to number-one. In 1942, Stillman’s “Jukebox Saturday Night” was a #7 hit for Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. And in 1946, “In The Middle of May” was a Top 15 hit for both Freddy Martin, and the Pied Pipers. Stillman cowrote his biggest hit, “I Believe”, which was a #2 hit for Frankie Laine in 1953. It was the #10 song of the year according to Billboard magazine. He died in 1979 at the age of 77.

“Happy Anniversary” is the theme title for the 1959 film Happy Anniversary. The film starred Mitzi Gaynor, David Niven, Carl Reiner and Patty Duke. The plot involved a couple celebrating their 13th anniversary. In the midst of getting gifts from family and friends, it slips out that the married couple had pre-marital sex a year before getting married. In 1959, this was a very edgy topic.

As a theme song, “Happy Anniversary” simply celebrates the relationship: “here’s to you, here’s to me, here’s to a happy anniversary.” The singer looks forward to being able to say ‘Happy Anniversary’ for years to come.

A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date that a wedding took place. Couples often mark the occasion by celebrating their relationship, either privately or with a larger party. Special celebrations and gifts are often given for particular anniversary milestones (e.g., 10, 15, 20, or 25 years). In the film Happy Anniversary, the couple are celebrating their 13th anniversary. According to custom in the United States, the traditional gift is lace. Brides.com writes, “Lace is the traditional 13th-anniversary gift, symbolizing the intricate beauty of your relationship and the special care it needs to keep it intact. The modern gifts are fur and textiles, representing the warmth and comfort of a loving partnership.”

“Happy Anniversary” peaked at #1 in Hull (QC), Schenectady (NY), and Pasadena (CA), #2 in Farmington (ME), #3 in Eau Claire (WI) and Las Vegas, #4 in San Diego, #5 in Milwaukee, #6 in Albany (NY) and Chicago, #7 in Minneapolis/St. Paul, and #10 in Buffalo.

“Happy Anniversary” was also recorded by Jane Morgan, and Joan Regan. Morgan’s version outpaced the Four Lads on the Billboard Hot 100, climbing to #57, while the Four Lads recording stalled at #77. Over in the UK, Maureen Evans had a non-charting effort with the song.

However, the Four Lads still had staying power with their smash Top Ten hits from the 1950’s. In 1960 they were interviewed by Houston DJ, Paul Berlin at KNUZ. In answer to a question in Billboard magazine, “What type of recording artists makes the most effective guest for an on-air interview?” As reported on January 16, 1961, Paul Berlin said “My most interesting interview was with the Four Lads. Usually interviewing a group is most difficult, but these guys came equipped with musical jingles that they used most effectively… During our interview I had a Sears commercial. They took the spot and sang it, and you can’t imagine how effective it was, not only from the station’s standpoint but from the sponsor’s as well. Give a jockey a “showman” and you’ll get a good interview.”

Connie Codarini left the Four Lads in 1962. From the early 1980’s, in Medina, Ohio, Connie Codarini owned a restaurant called Penny’s Poorhouse, named after his wife. When Connie and Penny first came to Medina they were showing Great Danes. He kept Penny’s Poorhouse until 2007. Cashbox Magazine Canada reports that “Codarini was well known in the area for being an authentic bartender by making drinks from scratch and not taking short cuts.” Connie Codarini died in 2010.

John Bernard Toorish left the Four Lads in 1970. However, seventeen years later, in 1987, he reformed the Four Lads. Since the early 1970’s Toorish became an insurance underwriter with Equitable Insurance whose headquarters are in Manhattan’s financial district at 120 Broadway. As of 1992, Toorish was still working for Equitable Insurance, and doing some gigs with the Four Lads.

James Arnold left the Four Lads in the 1981, he founded the James Arnold School of Voice. Living in Sacramento, California, he taught voice lessons from his living room from the mid-80’s until his death. Arnold’s tenor was a key part of the Four Lads sound and helped them get Top Ten hits. James Arnold also led a children’s choir for seventeen years. He also was called upon to sing the American national anthem for the Sacramento Kings home games.

With a changing lineup, the Four Lads have continued to perform in concert for 65 years with concert dates as recently as 2015, including Frank Busseri as an original member. In 1984, the New York Times ran a story with the headline: Swinging With The Big Band Sound. At the time Frank Busseri was managing one of the incarnations of the Four Lads. Busseri also had recently produced an album showcasing the vocals of his love interest of six years, Lynn Roberts, titled Harry, You Made Me Love You. Busseri had ceased to be in the Four Lads lineup in 1978, choosing to manage them. Decades later he rejoined the lineup. On their website, the most recent concert by the Four Lads was in Palm Springs on March 28, 2017, at the McCallum Theatre.

October 28, 2024
Ray McGinnis

References:
“James Arnold, 72, Singer in the Four Lads,” New York Times, July 5, 2004
“The Four Lads Inducted 1984,” Canadian Music Hall of Fame, 1984
Paul Berlin – KNUZ-AM in Houston, Programming Panel, Billboard, January 16, 1961.
“‘Four Lads’ Ladle out Hits to Fans at Swingos’ Eatery,” Lakewood Sun Post, August 6, 1992
“Proudly Canadian: The Four Lads,” Cashbox Magazine Canada
Alvin Klein, “Swinging With The Big Band Sound,” New York Times, January 29, 1984.
“Robert Allen, 73, Whose Songs Were Sung by an Array of Stars,” New York Times, October 5, 2000.
“Al Stillman,” Wikipedia.org.
Dick Manning, Wikipedia.org
Al Hoffman, Wikipedia.org
The Four Lads Itinerary, Four Lads.com
“The 31 Best 13th-Anniversary Gifts to Mark a Momentous Occasion,” Brides.com.

CKCH 970-AM Hull (QC) Top Ten | January 9, 1960