Kingston Trio comes to Artpark

Niagara Frontier Publications, July 12, 2007

The Kingston Trio, a legendary ensemble that helped make acoustic folk music the mantra of the 1960s generation, is riding a resurgence in popularity that brings the group to Artpark this Saturday, July 13, at 8 p.m.

It’s not only baby boomers who know the classics of the Kingston Trio’s repertoire, although they comprise the generation for whom the tunes will unlock a treasure trove of memories. The words to such classics such as “Tom Dooley,” “Greenback Dollar” and “Scotch and Soda” will be familiar to many of those who grew up in the ’60s. The tunes are timeless.

The Kingston Trio is one of the few groups today that has survived the many changes in the world of music. They have maintained a consistency of sound, even though none of the original members is in today’s edition of the trio.

Current members George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty all have good “folk cred,” having sung with the original trio members or serving as members of folk groups that were inspired by the original ensemble.

Originally begun in 1957 by Dave Guard, Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds, the Kingston Trio appealed to the college crowd with music rooted in American pop culture. They added their own refreshing, comic twist and the result was a gold record, with “Tom Dooley” in 1958.

Voila! The folk revival was born.

Then came the Limeliters, the Brothers Four, Chad Mitchell and the Smothers Brothers. They set the stage for Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Peter Paul and Mary and – some would say – the protest movement of the ’60s.

Today’s edition carries on the tradition with solid roots to the past. Zorn, who hails from Bridgeport, Conn., says his first band, The Win’jammers, included two future members of the New Christy Minstrels. Zorn, himself, became a New Christy Minstrel, and met original Kingston Trio member Shane. In 1973, he, Shane and Roger Gambill became the New Kingston Trio.

George Grove, of Hickory, N.C., is now working on his 31st year with the Kingston Trio, longer than any other member with the exception of Shane. “For me, the singing of ‘Tom Dooley’ every night is not just the repetition of a song, but a devotion to a concept known as The Kingston Trio.”

As a youngster, he learned the exact parts, vocally and instrumentally, of every song the Trio recorded.

Dougherty, originally from La Grange, Ill., said he was told that when he was a baby, his mother would hum lullabies to him in the cradle, and that he would hum along with her. “Probably because I didn’t know the lyrics,” he quips.

By the time he reached high school, folk music was in full swing, and he devoured every record he could get his hands on. He learned the guitar and started singing at open mics, jam sessions, parties and “everywhere I could get a moment.”

In 1971, be began playing in small clubs in the San Francisco area. In 1990, he joined the Limeliters. In 2002, he and Zorn joined a folk reunion tour, singing with the Brothers Four and the Kingston Trio. Finally, he got a call to join the Kingston Trio.

“The rest of the story has yet to be written,” Dougherty says, “but I can only see a very bright future ahead – bringing the music I have always loved to yet a new generation of listeners.”