Bob Flick, John Paine, Mike Kirkland, and Dick Foley met at the
University of Washington, where they were members of the
Phi Gamma Delta fraternity in 1956 (hence the "Brothers" appellation). Their first professional performances were the result of a prank played on them in 1958 by a rival fraternity, who had arranged for someone to call them, pretend to be from Seattle's Colony Club, and invite them to come down to audition for a gig. Even though they were not expected at the club, they were allowed to sing a few songs and were subsequently hired. Flick recalls them being paid "mostly in beer". They left for
San Francisco in 1959, where they met Mort Lewis,
Dave Brubeck's manager. sold over one million copies and was awarded a
gold disc by the
RIAA. Their first album,
The Brothers Four, released toward the end of the year, made the top 20. The
British Invasion and the ascendance of edgier
folk rock musicians such as
Bob Dylan put an end to the Brothers Four's early period of success, The group, in a business partnership with Jerry Dennon, built a radio station in
Seaside, Oregon (
KSWB) in 1968. The station was subsequently sold in 1972 to a group from Montana, and later to a self-proclaimed minister, and finally merged into a larger conglomerate of radio stations. Mike Kirkland left the group in 1969 and was replaced by Mark Pearson, another University of Washington alumnus. In 1971, Pearson left and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who stayed until 1985 and was replaced by a returning Pearson. Dick Foley left the group in 1990 and was replaced by Terry Lauber. The group is still active after years in the business. Founding former member Kirkland died of cancer on August 20, 2020, at the age of 82. Dick Foley died after a long illness on March 15, 2026, at the age of 85. == Selected discography ==