The Kingston Trio

     I must admit, this was a rather unpleasant week. This week I had knee surgery to remove a cyst that was slowly crawling its way toward my kneecap. Medical procedures are my downfall, and I delay them until I must handle the offending issue. Well, I have been putting off the removal of this cyst for about six years now, and after much convincing from family and friends, I finally conceded and scheduled an appointment to have the cyst removed. As normal, I crept into the operating room waiting for someone to appear to examine my leg. A friendly doctor burst into the room alongside a nurse to begin the procedure. Unfortunately, I become panicked when I know a scalpel is slicing my leg like melted butter. So, as I was lying there pouring sweat, the doctor and nurse took pity on me, and struck up a conversation.

                                              Click here to learn about The Kingston Trio 

     

     Time flew as we talked, and soon the procedure was over. Meanwhile, however, I learned a few interesting things. The nurse who had been assisting me is a relative to a member in the American folk group, The Kingston Trio.  When I came home, I looked The Kingston Trio up on the internet, and learned that they were a folk group popular during the late 1950's and 1960's. Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds formed The Kingston Trio in 1957, however, they had been friends since their youth. Many of their songs included arrangements of public domain folk music. Some of their songs were created using a 5-string, Pete Seeger, long-neck, open-back banjo, a Martin acoustic guitar, and occasionally, even a ukulele. These pioneers in folk music opened a new genre of music that would be further popularized by Peter,Paul,and Mary, Fleetwood Mac, and The Letterman. During The Kingston Trio's peak years, they  recorded the song, Tom Dooley, which would sell over three-million copies. The Kingston Trio also reached Billboard's Top 100, fourteen of which ranked in the top 10, and five of which took the number 1 spot. Since the band's creation, they have also won a Grammy Award. While their initial fame may have ebbed by the mid-1960's, the group has continued to progress, and today has new members playing the original music of The Kingston Trio. I guess operating rooms aren't all that bad. 

The Kingston Trio, Thanks for visiting Blues Bluegrass and Beyond! Image courtesy of www.amazon.com

                                           

                                            Click here to visit The Kingston Trio's Website 

Below are two of The Kingston Trio's more famous songs; Tom Dooley, and Greenback Dollar. 

                                                                         Tom Dooley 

                                                                    Greenback Dollar 

Images courtesy of www.amazon.com; videos courtesy of YouTube.