by Shirley A. Ramaley
The Kingston Trio played at the Cracked Pot, a college club, in
1957 and quickly became a hit group. Formed by three guys just out of
college, in Palo Alto, California, Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave
Guard, their style of music caught the country by storm. As soon as I
heard their records on the radio I was hooked, and have been ever since.
My favorite songs were “This Land is Your Land,” “Where Have All The
Flowers Gone?” and “Scarlet Ribbons.” I played them over and over when I
was in my teens. I bought all their records, then cassettes, and now, of
course, CD’s. I still play them while driving my car.
My kids, now adults, heard The Kingston Trio music so often, they got hooked on the
style of music too. Now, as adults, they still listen to The Kingston
Trio.
The singers were influenced by The Weavers, another group I loved
listening to. The calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte and The Gateway
Singers also influenced their music.
The Trio was discovered by Frank Weber who heard them sing at the
Cracked Pot. As the Trio packed up their instruments after the show that
night, Weber went up to talk to them. By late that night, they’d signed
a contract with Weber, on a paper napkin. He became their manager and
signed them with Capitol Records.
Appearing at the Purple Onion, the “discovery club” of San Francisco,
they became an overnight success. Originally booked for a week, they
played for months to sold-out crowds. I wished I could have been there!
The first Kingston Trio tour went from Reno casinos to the top
nightclubs. In 1958 they returned to San Francisco and played for four
months, to standing room only crowds, at the famous “hungry i.” This was
considered the “hippest” place in the country for introducing new
singing talent.
Their first gold record was “Tom Dooley,” in 1958, another
favorite of mine. It became the number one song in the nation and won
them the first Grammy award for best Country and Western Performance in
1959. In 1960 they won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or
Traditional Folk Recording category for their album, “The Kingston Trio
at Large.”
I bought all their albums. Record stores were popular places for high
school and college kids in the 50’s and 60’s. Keeping our records in
good condition and always wanting the latest record players and needles
with the best sound was important to us.
At one time in the early 1960’s the Kingston Trio had four albums, all
at the same time, in the Top 10 selling albums, an historical record.
This was reported in Billboard Magazine.
They started a
folk revival, and led the way for The Limeliters,
Brothers Four and The Smothers Brothers. Eventually others followed,
including another favorite group of mine, Peter, Paul and Mary. I bought
the records of all these groups and for years it was the only style of
music I listened to.
The Kingston Trio was invited to appear on many TV shows, including
Dinah Shore, Patti Page, Milton Berle, and Perry Como. Still remaining
loyal their college audience, they continued to play college shows. In
their first four years they made ten albums.
Dave Guard was the first to leave the group in 1961, when he decided to
pursue a different style of music. He was replaced by John Stewart.
Members changed over the years, but remained true to the original style,
while evolving their music. Several who left the group later returned
for awhile.
As of 2006 The Kingston Trio consisted of Bill Zorn, George Grove
and Rick Dougherty, and continued to perform, providing great
entertainment for the all of those who love that style of music.
Of all their records, I think it is “Tom Dooley” that stands out in the
minds of people. That great hit set the stage for a
folk revival,
brought the Kingston Trio into the limelight, and guaranteed that their
style of music will last through the ages. Their songs sound as good
today as in the 1950’s.
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