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Williams, Poncé to pay tribute to Bob Flanigan
In an era when the name Bob Flanigan is at risk of disappearing from Greencastle, a Tuesday downtown concert will again shine a light on the vocal music innovator.
As a founding member of vocal group The Four Freshmen, Flanigan had untold influence on generations of musicians who came after him, most notably Brian Wilson and the Beach Boys.
The Four Freshmen were true innovators, introducing jazz concepts to the vocal group tradition that dominated the airwaves in the middle of the 20th century, unconventionally using Flanigan’s high tenor as the lead voice and also all being instrumentalists in addition to their vocal duties.
Yet Flanigan’s name is almost nowhere to be found in his hometown these days. When the bandshell that bore his name in Robe-Ann Park was replaced five years ago, the new structure paid no tribute to Flanigan. Meanwhile, Greencastle High School contemporary John Wood, whose jazz and pop combo entertained local crowds for 70 years, passed away in 2023. So, too, did Flanigan’s younger sister Maxine back in 2020.
So where do we go to learn more about this important figure in Greencastle musical history?
On Tuesday, listeners will have a chance to go back in time several decades as Sandy Williams and David Poncé present a tribute to Flanigan and The Four Freshmen from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at Music on the Square, 21 N. Indiana St.
Part of the Lunch Box Music Series, the event will feature Greencastle native Williams on guitar, Poncé on vocals and Jack Helsley on bass.
When Williams, a jazz guitar instructor at DePauw University, was asked by the university to perform in the Lunch Box series, he thought it was a great chance to pay tribute to Flanigan, who passed away in 2011 at age 84.
“The opportunity came up, and I thought, ‘What a more perfect thing to do than a tribute to Greencastle’s own Bob Flanigan?’” Williams said.
He brought Poncé on board, following up on the album of standards the duo released in 2021, “Someday Songs.”
“I got a text from Sandy maybe two months ago saying, ‘Hey, we’re getting the band back together,’” Poncé said. “It’s a pretty cool thing and a way for DePauw and its faculty to make some sort of relevant community statement.”
And what a statement worth making. Even in his early days in Greencastle, Flanigan was a natural at musical pursuits. Though he later became known for his vocals, Flanigan was a good enough trombonist that during his senior year at Greencastle High School that he was often called to DePauw to be part of their ensembles.
Later after all three men had served in World War II, Ross and Don Barbour were at Butler University and looking to start a vocal group. They knew they had to get their cousin Bob involved.
Those three, along with Hal Kratch of Warsaw, were the original members of The Four Freshmen.
Stories about the early days and beyond will be explored Tuesday as Williams, Poncé and Helsley not only play some of The Freshmen’s best-known songs, but also discuss Ross Barbour’s book, “Now You Know: The Story of the Four Freshmen.”
And while Flanigan’s generation may be largely gone — he would be 98 years old now — there are still some in the community who remember him.
“For me, there were so many friends in Greencastle who had known Flanigan,” Williams said. “Being a young rock ’n’ roller, I was oblivious.”
Specifically, Williams recalled the Hardwick family, Betty Jo Dunn and Wood telling stories about Flanigan.
“I remember John telling me that they thought the melodies that Flanigan was experimenting with in high school were odd,” Williams said.
“Of course, John ended up loving The Four Freshmen.”
As the lone vocalist in Tuesday’s ensemble, Poncé noted it might seem a bit odd to be doing a tribute to four-part harmonies. The plan is for Williams to take care of the harmonies in his guitar work.
“What Sandy has done is his guitar solos are going to be a reflection of those harmonies,” Poncé said.
Ultimately, this will be a celebration of Flanigan himself as much as it is of the group as a whole.
“We will celebrate the remarkable life of that guy, Bob Flanigan, who grew up in Greencastle, Ind.,” Poncé said.
Tickets for the event are free at https://tinyurl.com/ms83dvjw. An optional lunch from The Whisk will be available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis.
“It’s gonna be fun,” Williams said. “We have some good songs, and we hope people will sing along.”
