Kingston Trio was one of the most popular American folk groups of the late 1950’s and early 1960’s. Five of the group’s first six albums reached number one in sales. Many of the trio’s other albums also made the charts.
The Kingston Trio projected a clean-cut image in their music. That made them more commercially acceptable than such politically controversial performers of the 1950’s as the Weavers and Woody Guthrie . The trio’s popularity helped open the door for many folk music performers of the 1960’s, including Joan Baez , Judy Collins , Bob Dylan , and the trio Peter, Paul, and Mary.
The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 in San Francisco by Bob Shane (1934-2020), Nick Reynolds (1933-2008), and Dave Guard (1934-1991). They all sang and played guitar. Shane and Guard also played banjo. The trio performed in San Francisco coffee houses for several months before signing with Capitol Records. The group gained national popularity with the recording “Tom Dooley” (1958), the trio’s only number-one single. The trio concentrated on American folk songs during its early years but later included some protest songs. Their hit singles included “The Tijuana Jail,” “A Worried Man,” and “The M.T.A.” (all 1959) and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” (1962). Since 1961, various other musicians have performed and toured as the Kingston Trio.
