John Fred Gourrion (May 8, 1941 – April 14, 2005) was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He was a blonde blue-eyed soul singer. His trademark song was Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) but his first hit was 1958's Shirley, recorded with his band John Fred and the Playboys. He appeared on Alan Freed's show, but when Dick Clark asked him to sing on American Bandstand, Fred had to turn him down because he had to play in a basketball game.

In 1967 Fred and band member Andrew Bernard co-wrote Judy in Disguise, a parody of the popular Beatles song Lucy in the Sky (With Diamonds). The song became enormously successful, ultimately knocking another Beatles song (Hello Goodbye) out of the #1 chart position for two weeks in January 1968 . Although Fred actually had a well-rehearsed and talented group honed by years on the road (by this time known as John Fred and the Playboy Band), he was branded as a "novelty act" and never had another success. Only after years of struggles did Fred obtain full legal rights to the song and its royalties.

He continued to perform in bands, coached high school basketball, remained a fixture at concerts and shows in his hometown, and hosted a popular local radio show, "The Roots of Rock'n'Roll". In 2002 he released his final CD, Somebody's Knockin. In 2004 his health began to fail and he received a kidney transplant. Complications ensued, culminating in a long hospital stay, and finally, death. Fred was survived by his wife, Sandra, and a son.

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