Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is a folk music group that emerged from the San Francisco music scene in 1957, consisting of members Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and Dave Guard. Known for their clean-cut image, characterized by button-down shirts and their signature three-part harmonies, the trio quickly gained popularity in the United States. Their rendition of the traditional Appalachian murder ballad "Tom Dooley" became a significant hit, reaching number one on the charts and earning them their first Grammy Award in 1958. The following year, they received another Grammy for their album *The Kingston Trio at Large*.
Unlike many pop acts of their time, the Kingston Trio achieved remarkable success with long-playing records (LPs), releasing ten albums within their first four years and frequently featuring multiple albums on Billboard's Top Ten list. Their influence extended beyond musical success; they played a crucial role in popularizing folk music and shifting industry trends toward album sales over singles. Their impact paved the way for future folk artists in the 1960s, such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, while also changing the music industry's approach to record production and marketing.
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Kingston Trio
Identification Folk music group
Date Formed in 1957
The Kingston Trio led a folk music revival that paved the way for the protest singers who emerged during the 1960’s.
In 1957, three young men—Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and Dave Guard—emerged from the local San Francisco music scene. Dressed in trademark button-down shirts and singing in three-part harmony, the Kingston Trio had a clean-cut, collegiate image that appealed to the American public. Their version of the Appalachian murder ballad “Tom Dooley” put them on the map, going to number one on the charts and earning the trio their first Grammy Award in 1958. The following year they won another Grammy for their album The Kingston Trio at Large.
Unlike the pop acts they followed, the Kingston Trio sold more long-playing records (LPs) than singles. In their first four years, they cut ten albums. At one point Billboard magazine listed four of their albums in the Top Ten, an accomplishment unmatched into the early twenty-first century.
Impact
The music industry took note not only of the appeal of the Kingston Trio’s combination of traditional, gospel, calypso, and folk genres, but also of the willingness of the record-buying public to purchase LPs rather than singles. The Kingston Trio fostered people’s interest in folk music and laid the foundation for the emergence during the 1960’s of people such as Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, but the trio also changed the industry’s approach to making records and marketing their musical groups.
Bibliography
Blake, Benjamin. Kingston Trio on Record. Naperville, Ill.: Kingston Korner, 1986. A comprehensive compendium of interviews, pictures, and commentaries on songs and albums.
Unterberger, Richie, and Mark Brend. Turn! Turn! Turn! The Sixties Folk Rock Revolution. San Francisco: Backbeat Books, 2002. Includes discussion of the rise of folk-rock during the 1950’s.