Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane and John Stewart: The Kingston Trio
I learned yesterday that Bob Shane passed away Sunday. He was 85. Bob Shane is not a name well known these days -if ever. But sixty plus years ago, in the time between Elvis Presley's induction in the Army and The Beatles' taking the country by storm in 1964, Shane was part of the country's most successful music group: The Kingston Trio.
These days, the trio are mostly remembered by students of Folk music and Pop culture for their string of hits: "Tom Dooley," "MTA (The Man Who Never Returned)" "Greenback Dollar," "Scotch and Soda" and "Reverend Mister Black," to name a few.
Bob Shane sings "Scotch and Soda"
Oddly enough, I had a Kingston Trio moment yesterday, prior to learning of Shane's death.
I was paged over the school's walkie-talkie network as "Custodian Mister Bob." I chuckled because it made me think of the old Kingston Trio song "Reverend Mister Black." It made me wonder what kind of folk song the Trio would sing about me.
It now seems serendipitous to me that I would think about the Trio yesterday afternoon, just a few hours before learning of Shane's death.
The Kingston Trio were fabulously popular with the general public back in the day. They were popular on college campuses but also with the older generation: they represented clean wholesome family entertainment that seemed a welcome respite to Elvis' provocative hip shaking!
As popular as they might have been with TV and personal appearances (as well as cigarette commercials,) they were roundly despised by the Folk purists, for lacking true credibility. With their polished harmonies, matching shirts, and propensity for making money any way they could, they were the bane of "serious" folk enthusiasts who felt they were sell outs, robbing the spotlight from more deserving acts.
In the modern world, I think of the way that Country groups like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryant and Jason Aldean are maligned for not being "real country." That sort of thing is nothing new. Like those current acts, the Kingston Trio met those criticisms by laughing all the way to the bank.
When the Beatles took America by storm, folk groups like the Kingstons went by the wayside. In 1967 the group disbanded and went their separate ways.
In the mid-seventies Bob Shane reformed the group with two new performers, and toured and recorded well into the 1980's. It was during this time I saw them perform on several occasions here in Kansas City as part of an on-going concert series sponsored by Kansas City Parks and Rec. They were fun "Bring your lawn shares and watch out for Frisbees" sort of affairs.
Shane eventually retired from showbiz, but being great at making money, he found a way to stay home and still get paid: he hired three new performers to go out as the Kingston Trio. He owned the name, and sent the musicians out as his employees. He paid them their salaries out of the proceeds from the shows.
Here is Shane performing with the latter day Kingston Trio, doing a song by Chicago-based singer/songwriter Mike Smith, "The Dutchman." Bob Shane and the Kingston Trio: The Dutchman
Shane may never be a household name but he leaves behind a marvelous musical legacy that extends back sixty years.
