51°
The Kingston Trio occupy a unique, preeminent position in American musical history. Formed in 1956 by Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and Dave Guard (replaced by John Stewart in 1961), in 1958, The Kingston Trio stepped forward in candy-striped shirts and delivered “Tom Dooley,” which sold over three million copies and was awarded the very first GRAMMY in the Country & Western Performance category. Other smash hits followed, including (but not limited to) "M.T.A. (The Man Who Never Returned)," "Where Have All The Flowers Gone,” “Tijuana Jail,” “Greenback Dollar,” and “Five Hundred Miles,” which cemented the commercial viability of acoustic music and forever change the entire music landscape.
Credited for sparking the "American Folk Revival" that would usher in artists like Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, and more, The Kingston Trio released 19 albums that made Billboard's Top 100 (14 of which ranked in the top 10, and five of which hit the number one spot). Four of the group's LPs charted among the 10 top-selling albums for five weeks in November and December 1959, a record unmatched for more than 50 years. The group still ranks in the all-time lists of many of Billboard's cumulative charts, including those for most weeks with a number one album, most total weeks charting an album, most number one albums, most consecutive number one albums, and most top-ten albums.
The Kingston Trio is one of the longest-operating bands touring today. Though its founding members have since passed away, the music of The Kingston Trio lives on through three new members with intrinsic ties to the original: Mike Marvin (“adopted” son of founding member Reynolds), Tim Gorelangton (friend of Reynolds since boyhood and one of the few to record with him), and Buddy Woodward (who toured with the original Trio)—all three who remember the iconic trio's performances as folk music made its extraordinary ascent to the pinnacle of popular culture.
For more information on The Kingston Trio ‘Keep The Music Playing’ Tour and tickets, please visit www.kingstontrio.com.
