One of the greatest folk groups ever, The Kinston Trio
Program Titles
- Grammy Award Winners
- Interspersed the songs with stories, jokes and band history
Bob Shane / The Kingston Trio, one of the greatest “Folk” groups ever has been entertaining audiences for over 50 years. Using only acoustic guitars and banjos, and singing simple yet memorable melodies, they revolutionized popular music, reawakening America to its own rich folk music heritage.
Consumers are looking for high value for their precious entertainment dollars. What’s better than a time-tested, quality experience like seeing – and hearing – an amazing band from your youth?
Many people are not only returning to see their prized Trio, but are taking their children and grandchildren in their wake.
As founding member Bob Shane put it, “There is a tremendous demand for our type of acoustic music, and not just from those who remember The Kingston Trio. All people want is for us to sing a song, tell a story, and make it good.” Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard formed the original Kingston Trio in 1957.
The Kingston Trio was the number one vocal group in the world, a musical and cultural phenomenon whose record sales and concert draws were matched only by The Beatles.
In a feat yet to be surpassed, BILLBOARD magazine listed four Kingston Trio albums in their Top 10 at the same time.
The group has also collected two Grammy awards and numerous gold records.
The Kingston Trio has appeared on countless variety shows and performed at some of the most famous venues in the country, including Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
Some of their instantly recognizable hits include:
“Tom Dooley,”
“MTA,”
“Scotch and Soda” and
“Tijuana Jail.”
The Kingston Trio’s trademark three-part harmony and clean, crisp sound keeps them touring. The Kingston Trio today consists of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.
The Kingston Trio is one of the few groups today that has survived the many changes in the world of music. They have remained consistent in their sound, which probably explains their resurgence in popularity.
Using only acoustic guitars and banjos, and singing simple yet memorable melodies, they revolutionized popular music, reawakening America to its own rich folk music heritage.
The release of “Tom Dooley” in October of 1958 began the “folk music revival” and set the stage for Dylan, Baez, Peter, Paul & Mary.
In 1976, after working for 9 years as the New Kingston Trio with various members, Bob purchased the rights to the name “Kingston Trio” and the group, which at the time consisted of Bob Shane, Bill Zorn and Roger Gambill, carried on.
“We were devastated by the loss of Roger,” says George Grove, “but the Kingston Trio as a group is a musical institution that had to go on…”
The addition of Rick’s beautiful voice has made the current lineup the most vocally complete group since the original days.
The Kingston Trio’s trademark three-part harmony and clean, crisp sound keeps them touring.
George Grove’s orchestral arrangements allow The Trio to perform with symphony concerts, which have become a fan favorite. The Trio’s busy touring schedule has resulted in an increasing number of new fans, both young and old.
As Bob Shane put it, “There is a tremendous demand for our type of acoustic music, and not just from those who remember The Kingston Trio. All people want is for us to sing a song, tell a story, and make it good.”
Rick Dougherty has many years of experience as a guitarist, songwriter, performer, arranger and director but he is best known for his soaring tenor voice. Besides possessing a beautiful voice, Rick is a seasoned entertainer. He plays the banjo, guitar, bass and piano superbly; he is also a songwriter and arranger, and possesses a flair for comedy which fits in perfectly with that facet of The Kingston Trio’s appeal.
“On normal Summerfest Sundays, you can look through the crowd and see the other end” of the park, the director of the festival said. But this Sunday afternoon, the crowd was a dozen people deep in any direction, feet tapping to the tunes of the biggest act to ever grace the festival’s program, The Kingston Trio.
The group, broadly credited with bringing folk music to a mainstream audience in the late 1950s, sang homey tunes about nights in Tijuana jails and life on the road.
The Trio, which actually consists of four players, George Grove, Rick Dougherty, Bill Zorn and Paul Gabrielson took the stage to rowdy applause. Their coordinated outfits spoke to an earlier time in popular music, as did their songs, which remain faithful to the original tunes, some recorded decades ago.
Zorn interspersed the songs with stories, jokes and band history.
“Looking at this crowd, you all probably remember that one from the album,” Zorn said after one tune, taking a jab at the age of many of the concertgoers.
None of the four musicians on stage Sunday was a part of the original Kingston Trio, which came onto the national stage in 1957. As the original players stepped down for various reasons, other players took their place, slowly morphing it to what it is today.
An estimated 3,000 passes were sold for this year’s Summerfest, for recreation program. Having the Kingston Trio as the headliner certainly brought more people out for the Summerfest.
Kingston Trio Keeps Folk Alive: Where have all the years gone?
But not so many years have gone by that people have forgotten the Kingston Trio. The proof was 3,574 people at the Grand Rapids Symphony’s Chase Picnic Pops.
Still, 50 years is a lot of years since 1957, when the Kingston Trio first put folk music on the map, garnering the success, while paving the way for Peter, Paul and Mary and others who followed in the 1960s.
George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty are keeping the folk music revival revived with such rollicking tunes as “M.T.A.” and ballads as “Tom Dooley.”
” Grove deadpanned to the audience.
In fact, fans of all ages were out in force.
Zorn, who snapped not one but two guitar strings during the show, filled Shane’s shoes, singing “Scotch and Soda” with his stentorian baritone.
Dougherty, a former second-generation member of The Limeliters, gave the Kingston Trio its signature three-part harmony with his gravity-defying tenor voice.
Where have all the years gone? At least for a couple of hours, they melted away. The crowd joyfully sang along. They sang of riding on the (Boston) “MTA,” perhaps the group’s signature recording, and “Early Morning Rain.”
They heralded in an era of popular folk music and have left a trail of memorable tunes as they continue to perform across the country. The crowd was mixed age wise. But most grew up with the group and many brought their children and grandchildren.
A concert is an experience to be enjoyed by young and old.
The Kingston Trio today consists of Bill Zorn, George Grove and Rick Dougherty. They are continuing the Kingston Trio legacy with fantastic reviews, command performances and standing ovations wherever they perform. As a fan put it, “Our generation might not live forever, but I’ll bet The Kingston Trio will!”
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