Freddie Garrity, 69; British Singer’s Band Hit Big Time in the ‘60s
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Freddie Garrity, 69, whose band Freddie and the Dreamers hit the top of the U.S. charts with the 1965 hit “I’m Telling You Now,” died Friday in a hospital in Wales, his agent said. The singer suffered from emphysema for several years.
A native of Manchester, England, the former milkman formed Freddie and the Dreamers in 1959. His five-piece band came to prominence in the early ‘60s and was signed by Columbia Records.
Some success in Britain prompted work in the U.S. and eventually American television appearances.
His exuberant onstage performance led to a minor dance craze inspired by the band’s hit song “Do the Freddie.”
Garrity disbanded the group in 1969, but it re-formed in 1976 and toured for 25 years.
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