From the Worcester Telegram and Gazette by Paula Owen GARDNER — Members of the Overtones — sometimes they were called the Fourtones — were considered by those who knew them as true musicians who all had a great sense of humor. Dozens of the jazz ensemble’s friends, many of whom had the group play at their wedding receptions more than 50 years ago, gathered Saturday for a dedication ceremony at the former Colonial Hotel, where the group used to play almost every Saturday night downstairs in the Can Can Room. A room in the building, once a bar and later a barbershop, was dedicated to the group’s four members: Jimmy Murphy, Lennie Bjorson, Ronnie Trudeau and Ray Boucher. They had their heyday back in the 1940s and 1950s. All played and sang popular big band music in the group. Ask Ed L. Lepkowski, 81, of Gardner, why he and his friends went to the Can Can Room and he’ll say, “It’s where all the guys came to meet the girls and dance,” with emphasis on the word “all.” Mr. Lepkowski was a close friend of Mr. Murphy, who started the jazz trio and played drums, trombone and bass in the group. He died last fall at 79. From a plaque presented in the group’s honor at the event, Mr. Lepkowski read, “In recognition of their talents, years of dedication and commitment to bringing music, joy and entertainment to the Gardner area.” A quote at the bottom reads, “Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” “You know, we didn’t only have music here,” Mr. Lepkowski added. “We danced, had a few beers and had a good time.” Larry A. Buckley, a piano player from Waltham who says he never tells his age, said he played gigs with Mr. Murphy about 30 years ago at a lounge in Concord. On Saturday, he played old standbys including “Satin Doll,” and “Smile.” Mr. Murphy’s wife, Louise Murphy, sang to the latter song. “I’d be home waiting for Jim or sitting with him and see all the people who came to see him,” she said. “My husband was a magnificent fellow. We both loved music.” When Mr. Boucher, 82, from Hubbardston, joined the group, the name would switch to the Fourtones. He just retired from playing the guitar professionally after 40 years, he said. “I worked here a long time,” he said of the Can Can Room. “We were players of music. Those were the fun days. Once you leave it, it’s not the same thing. The music they play today, I wouldn’t go back to. ” Though Mr. Trudeau, who played the bass in the group couldn’t make it, he sent a letter from his home in Florida that he asked to have read at the event. In it is his definition of an Overtone: “a very subtle musical sound that surrounds all musical tones … a second note … Or as I prefer, an Overtone is a handsome musician synonymous with the great Can Can Room at the Colonial Hotel in Gardner.” Mr. Murphy’s daughter, Sherrill Murphy, said all of the group’s members were handsome — especially her dad. “My dad adored music,” she said. “He played and sang until the day he passed away. My mother was a singer and they fell in love over music, playing in jazz clubs in the area.” He also had a great memory, she said, and still remembered more than 50 years later the song of one of his friend’s who came to the Can Can Room to hear the Overtones play. “Dad had the best memory in the world,” she said. “I told him that I saw Jenny Barrieau and she wanted to know if he remembered what her song was when she and her friends came into the Can Can Room in the ’50s. He said, ‘Perdido.’ He remembered that last year.” Mary J. Capman, 76, of Gardner, said the Overtones always remembered her song, too — “Please Release Me.” “They just knew everybody so well,” she said, smiling. James J. Minns, 83, from Gardner, had the Overtones play at his wedding reception in 1952 and said he remembers all of the group’s members as “everybody’s friends.” “They were all young guys and very good musicians,” he said. “We’d all come here and then go across the street to the Paramount Café and then go home. There was no trouble. It was a social thing. At that hour there wasn’t many places to go. When you walked in the door, you knew everybody.”