The Arbors (US pop group)

The Arbors were an American pop vocal group formed in 1964 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The members, two sets of brothers, met at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, and began playing local shows in Michigan before moving to New York City. They recorded a single for Mercury Records which garnered little attention, but their next single, "A Symphony for Susan" (recorded for Carney Records), was reissued nationally on Columbia Records subsidiary, Date Records and hit No. 51 on the US chart; they followed with the singles "Just Let it Happen" and Graduation Day (US No. 59). In 1968, they recorded the song "Valley of the Dolls", written for (but not actually used in) the movie of the same name. Despite an endorsement from the original book's author Jacqueline Susann, the Arbors' tune was overshadowed by Dory Previn's title song from the movie and was not a national hit (it did manage to make the top ten at WAAM radio back in Ann Arbor). They bounced back with a 1969 version of "The Letter", which had been a hit two years before for The Box Tops. The cover became their biggest hit, reaching No. 20 on the US singles chart, and they followed it with the release of an album that included their interpretations of Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone", The Doors' "Touch Me", Blood, Sweat & Tears' "I Can't Quit Her" (US No. 67), and Simon & Garfunkel's "For Emily, Whenever I May Find Her". It was the group's last recording for Columbia, and afterward, they began writing and playing music for commercials, and continued to do so for some 30 years thereafter. Vocalists Tom Herrick Scott Herrick (born Paul Scott Herrick, 1937 – November 7, 2018; died at his home in Ajijic, Jalisco, Mexico, after suffering a stroke) Edward "Ed" Farran (June 17, 1937 – January 2, 2003; died of kidney failure, at the age of 65) Frederick "Fred" Farran (June 17, 1937 – August 29, 2011; died after a bout of pneumonia, at the age of 74) The Farran brothers were identical twins. Manager Art Ward A Symphony for Susan (Date Records, 1967) US No. 144 The Arbors (Date Records, 1968) Featuring: I Can't Quit Her - The Letter (Columbia Records, 1969) Track listing The Arbors (Arbors Music/No Label, 1977) So Fine (Arbors Music/No Label, 1978) List of sibling groups Three Former Glee Club Members In Vocal Group Called 'The Arbors', The Michigan Alumnus, November 1974, Vol. 81, No. 3, p. 29 "Paul Scott Herrick 1937-2018". Carbon County News. January 10, 2019. Retrieved February 9, 2020. Edward J. Farran, 65 - Singer was member of the Arbors Chicago Tribune, accessdate July 22, 2018 Fred Farran, 1937–2011 Chicago Tribune access-date July 22, 2018 Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top LPs, 1955–1996. Record Research. p. 12. Retrieved July 10, 2025. "The Arbors – Featuring: I Can't Quit Her - The Letter". Discogs.com. 1969. Retrieved April 14, 2020. The Arbors at Allmusic.com The Arbors discography at Discogs