PERSONAL APPEARANCE: Hollywood Bowl, Hollywood, CA; Friday, 8:30 pm.
SOURCE: Program offered on ebay on-line auction: "STEREO AT THE BOWL - SEPTEMBER 18, 1959 - KINGSTON TRIO, RAY CONNIFF, ANDRE PREVIN . . . This 53 page program is from the 1st annual "stereo at the (Hollywood) bowl" series... Lots of cool ads for stereo equipment too... Program for the evening was Andre Previn Trio, Kingston Trio and Ray Conniff . . . "

More than three decades after "Tom Dooley" changed American popular music forever, the original Kingston Trio sound with Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, and George Grove will be in concert at West Shore Community College on Saturday, Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. in the Recreation Center Arena.

Shane and Reynolds are original members of the group - Grove became a member of the trio when it was reformed in 1972 after several years of inactivity.

"With Nick rejoining the group (he left in 1967 and rejoined in 1987 after the death of long-time member Roger Gambill), we have the nucleus of the original Kingston Trio sound," said Shane, the trio’s long-time leader and one of the founding members. "It was always Nick and I that really defined the Kingston Trio vocal sound, with me singing lead and Nick harmonizing. So this trio, with George, Nick and myself, sounds very much like the original group with one major difference - this one sounds better!"

The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 by Shane, Reynolds, and Dave Guard while the three were attending college in the San Francisco area. Using only acoustic guitars and banjoes and singing simple melodies, they revolutionized popular music and reawakened America to its rich folk music heritage. The release of "Tom Dooley" in October 1958 began the folk music revival and set the stage for Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul, and Mary; and the entire protest music movement of the 1960s. The Kingston Trio was the number one vocal group in the world, a musical and cultural phenomenon whose record sales concert draws were matched only by the Beatles.

Among their hit songs besides "Tom Dooley" were "Sloop John B," "Lemon Tree," "They Call The Wind Maria," "I’m Going Home," "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," and "Greenback Dollar."

In 1961, after two Grammy awards and numerous gold records, Dave Guard left the group, and John Stewart was introduced, maintaining the trio for another six years. In 1967 Shane, Reynolds, and Steward disbanded the trio to pursue individual careers. "Pop music tastes were changing again," said Shane. "That whole ‘rock revolution’ thing spread from San Francisco across the country and took a lot of our audience with it. But you know, folk is timeless, and I knew it would come around again."

In 1972 the Kingston Trio reformed with George Grove and Roger Gambill joining Shane. They discarded the songs they did not like, kept the rest, and added some new material. For the next decade the trio again traveled the world playing to sold out audiences and recording for Nautilus and Xeres labels.

In 1985 the Kingston Trio line-up changed again following the untimely death of Roger Gambill. "We were devastated by the loss of Roger," Grove said, "but the Kingston Trio as a group is a musical institution that had to go on, just as it has for 30 years. Having Nick Reynolds back in the trio brings it back full circle, which just shows you the power and longevity of our kind of music."

The Kingston Trio’s trademark three-part harmony and clean, crisp sound keeps them touring 35 weeks a year, and Grove has arranged and scored their music for the symphony, enabling them to play approximately 20 major symphony concerts a year. What’s more, they are attracting an even increasing number of new fans, both young and old.

As Shane said in a recent issue of "Frets" magazine, "There is a tremendous demand for our type of acoustic music, and not just from those who remember the Kingston Trio. With more story songs, I think we could attract listeners even among very young children. All the people want is for us to sing a song, tell a story, and make it good."

The concert is a part of the WSCC’s Homecoming, the events for which are open to the public. From 3 until 5 p.m. participants can choose from a live virtual tour of the Indianapolis Zoo, a guided walk on the nature trail, a line dancing demonstration, a demonstration by the Ludington Skate Club, free swimming in the WSCC Recreation Center Pool, various computer workshops, yo-yo demonstration and instruction, and hay rides on a horse drawn wagon. Then there will be food and entertainment from 5 until 7 p.m. on the walkway between the Media Center and Technical Center - the performers will be Sons of Gravity, Kevin Kimes and Centerline, Anisa, Greg Kjholede, and Bob Simms. Also as part of this event, candlelit luminaries featuring the names of the members of WSCC’s graduating classes of 1979, 1989, and 1999 will line the walkways from the Recreation Center after the concert.

Tickets for West Shore Community College’s presentation of The Kingston Trio, which will highlight WSCC’s 1999 Homecoming, are $14 for adults ($16 at the door) and $12 for seniors and children under 12. They are available on campus at the College Bookstore or by calling the WSCC Box Office at 845-6211 or 848-9722, extension 3131.

-- WRITTEN BY: David Yarnell, Assistant to the President - August 1999