Bob Flanigan, founding member and original lead singer of The Four Freshmen, died Sunday, May 15th at his home in Las Vegas of congestive heart failure. He was 84. A tenor, Mr. Flanigan was the group’s longest-serving member. He performed with the Freshmen from their origin in 1948 until 1992 — besides singing, he played trombone and string bass with the group — and afterward was its manager for five years. In retirement, he remained involved as a mentor and musical adviser. Surrounded by his friends and family when he died, he was serenaded by a group of eight trombone players a few hours before his death.

Ross Barbour, 82 and now the group's last surviving original member, said in a statement: "Flanigan's voice was indestructible. He could drive all day and all night without stopping between gigs, and when our voices were on the edge, Bob was still in full form."

The elegantly intricate jazz-style harmonies of The Four Freshmen strongly influenced the likes of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, the Lettermen, Manhattan Transfer and many others. "Bob Flanigan and The Four Freshmen were my harmonic education," Wilson said last Monday through his manager. "I saw them at the Cocoanut Grove in Hollywood in 1958. My dad and I went backstage and met the Freshmen. I was nervous because they were my idols. They were so nice to me. I was just 15 years old. I'll forever miss his friendship."

In early 1948, brothers Ross and Don Barbour, then at Butler University's Arthur Jordan Conservatory in Indianapolis, Indiana, formed a barbershop quartet called Hal's Harmonizers. The quartet soon adopted a more jazz-oriented repertoire and renamed itself the Toppers. At first, they were influenced by Glenn Miller's The Modernaires and Mel Tormé's Mel-Tones, but soon developed their own style of improvised vocal harmony. In September 1948, the quartet went on the road as The Four Freshmen, and soon drew the admiration of jazz legends such as Dizzy Gillespie and Woody Herman.

In 1950, The Four Freshmen got a break when band leader Stan Kenton heard the quartet and arranged for an audition with his label, Capitol Records, which signed the group later that year. In 1952, they released their first hit single "It's a Blue World". Further hits included "Mood Indigo" in 1954, "Day by Day" in 1955, and "Graduation Day" in 1956.

The current configuration of the group is still active and continues to tour throughout the year.