Sun Sep 22, 2019 @ 7:00 pm

The Kingston Trio with The Brothers Four and The Limeliters

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Three groups at the center of the 1960s Folk Revival continue to delight fans with their smooth musical sounds: The Kingston Trio (“Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “Tom Dooley”), The Brothers Four (“Try to Remember”) and The Limeliters (“Take My True Love by the Hand”).

Background

THE KINGSTON TRIO began with Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane and Dave Guard in 1955… Home base: San Francisco. The three founded what turned out to be the most influential music band to emerge from the 1950’s, only to be outdone by The Beatles. With talent and tenacity, they rose to become the undisputed kings of an acoustic musical genre that exploded onto the American scene, and still exists today!

They were never actually folk singers but more a musical and vocal group that performed a variety of styles. Audiences worldwide agreed. Recently, the Kingston Trio received the “Grand Grammy” of all Grammys: The Lifetime Achievement Award. Reserved for those select few who have attained spectacular success in the music business over an extended career, this honor places the Trio among a heady pantheon of names like Frank Sinatra, Charlie Parker and The Beatles.

With their signature-striped shirts, banjos, bongos, guitars and charismatic personalities, they became the most outstanding singing and recording act of their time.

Fans of legendary folk icons The Kingston Trio will soon have an opportunity to re-discover their timeless music and mark the group’s 60th anniversary on a national tour performing many of the Trio’s best-loved songs.

All three current members, Mike Marvin, Tim Gorelangton and Don Marovich have intrinsic links to and experience with the original group: Mike is the adopted son of founding member Nick Reynolds, who was also his musical mentor; Tim, a close friend since boyhood, is one of the few musicians outside the Trio who has recorded with Nick Reynolds; and Don Marovich who has performed with the Trio and who plays the guitar, banjo and mandolin.

Many of their personal memories recall the iconic trio’s performances and journey as folk music made its extraordinary ascent to the pinnacle of popular culture – and the top of the music charts.


THE BROTHERS FOUR

Now in their 60th year of performing and recording, The Brothers Four continue to delight millions of fans worldwide with their smooth, musical sounds. Folk songs from America, Ireland, Scotland, Africa, Japan and China round out a repertoire of acoustic tunes old and new.

Since the early 1960s The Brothers Four have played thousands of college concerts, sung for U.S. presidents at the White House, appeared at countless Community Concerts, performed with symphony orchestras and jazz stars and toured dozens of foreign countries. They are truly “America’s Musical Ambassadors to the World.”

Musical million-sellers for The Brothers Four include such releases as “Greenfields”, “Seven Daffodils”, “Try to Remember”, “Across the Wide Missouri” Their hit recording of “The Green Leaves of Summer” from the motion picture “The Alamo” was nominated for an Academy Award and they performed the song at the awards presentation for the network telecast.

The Brothers Four were global pioneers in the musical movement which came to be known as the “folk revival”, and of the few groups from those times still performing today, they remain one of the best known and most popular. Their all-acoustic presentation consists of guitars, banjo, upright bass, and of course the trademark rich blend of their four voices. An evening with this quartet is an unforgettable time of pure, acoustic music and entertainment.

The full-time lineup of The Brothers Four — as solid as ever — includes Mike McCoy, Karl Olsen, Mark Pearson and Bob Flick.

Mike McCoy is a veteran folk performer and singer/songwriter. He is a native of Washington State has performed with The Brothers Four on special recording projects and occasional stage presentations since the late 1960s. He joined the Brothers Four full time in 2004.

Washington native Karl Olsen is a folk performer, choral director, writer and arranger. Karl is the latest addition to the group having joined in 2008, blending his sparkling vocal and guitar skills smoothly into the sound of The Brothers Four.

Washington State’s Mark Pearson is a guitarist, banjo player extraordinaire and singer/songwriter who has been a strong and consistent part of the Group’s signature sound since he originally joined in the late 1960’s.

Bob Flick is a Founding Member of the Brothers Four. He is a Seattle native, bass player, group leader and singer/songwriter.


THE LIMELITERS

For 50+ years the Limeliters have entertained standing-room-only crowds with their incredible musical talent and zany sense of humor. They first made their mark in folk clubs and on college campuses during the height of the folk music boom of the early 60′s, which led to numerous TV appearances. With different configurations over the years, the group has preserved their signature vocal sound.

The Limeliters were formed in July, 1959 by Louis Gottlieb (bass), Alex Hassilev (baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (tenor). It was springtime in Los Angeles, and “Cosmo Alley” was the nightclub to frequent. Lou Gottlieb, fresh from obtaining his Ph.D in musicology, just happened to be in the audience when Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough appeared on stage to sing a duet together. It was a chance meeting . . . and a legendary one. Lou, who was then working as a vocal arranger, originally thought that “these two guys” could help him make some demos for The Kingston Trio. However, when the three started working together, they could not restrain the magic.

Soon, they packed up and headed to Aspen, Colorado, to work at a ski lodge called “The Limelite,” which Glenn and Alex had purchased after singing there during the previous ski season. After a short period of perfecting their act, they set off for the “Hungry i” in San Francisco, which at the time, was the West Coast nerve center for the mushrooming contemporary folk movement. The owner had just had a group with three long names strung together and wasn’t about to put “Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb” up on the marquee!! But the group hadn’t really decided on a name yet. So where had they last been playing? When they answered “The Limelite,” he said, “that’s your name from now on!”

Their success was immediate. Only two days after their professional debut, the group received offers from three recording companies and in early 1959, they released their first album on Elektra. Soon after, they signed with RCA and a string of best selling albums followed, making the Limeliters a household name.

The Limeliters’ album, “Tonight in Person” reached number 5 in the U.S. charts in 1961. Their second album made the top 40, and their third release, “The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters,” made the top ten in the same year. But their one album with the longest staying power is undoubtedly their album of folk songs for kids of all ages, “Through Children’s Eyes”

For three years, The Limeliters were the musical representatives for Coca-Cola. Their rendition of the jingle, “Things Go Better with Coke” became a national hit.

More than all the albums, what The Limeliters are truly famous for is their trademark “Limeliters sound.” Never having a true chart-topping hit record, they are loved for a large collection of rousing songs including such audience-pleasers as “There’s a Meetin’ Here Tonight,” “City of New Orleans,” “A Dollar Down,” “Have Some Madeira M’Dear,” “Lonesome Traveler,” “Wabash Cannonball,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” and many others which are performed on their 25+ record albums and in their exciting concerts.

Glenn Yarbrough left the group in 1963. For about two years, Ernie Sheldon (who wrote the lyrics for what became Yarbrough’s biggest solo hit, “Baby the Rain Must Fall”) filled in for Yarbrough.

In 1965, at the pinnacle of their success, the highly individualistic members of the group decided to take a break. For the next few years they pursued their own individual interests; Glenn Yarbrough as a successful soloist on records and in concert; Alex Hassilev as a producer with his own recording studio; and Lou Gottlieb as owner of a commune ranch in Northern California.

During the seventies, in response to an ever-greater demand from their many fans, starting in 1976, The Limeliters embarked on a series of yearly reunion tours with Glenn Yarbrough. These were so successful that in 1981, Alex and Lou decided to reform the group and to get back into the mainstream of entertainment. With the addition of the soaring tenor of Red Grammer they once again began thrilling audiences with the unique sound that made them famous.

After eight very productive years, Red left the group to pursue a solo career as a children’s artist. In 1991, he was replaced by another outstanding tenor, Rick Dougherty, whose wide-ranging musical background and bright stage presence brought another fresh dimension to the group.

Lou Gottlieb’s passing in 1996 was a great loss for the group, but his high baritone part was taken up by a former Kingston Trio member, Bill Zorn, a banjo-player extraordinaire with the powerful vocals needed to complete the group’s unique sound.

In 2003, Bill and Rick left the group (both are currently members of The Kingston Trio) and in early 2004, tenor Mack Bailey and comedian baritone Andy Corwin joined “the limes”, bringing new energy, enthusiasm and musical material to the group…

Today, after 6 decades in the music business,  The Limeliters are still one of the most exciting  and entertaining vocal acts touring the country.  With the addition of newest members, C. Daniel Boling and Steve Brooks, The Limeliters are poised to “pass the music on” to new audiences, young and old.

Our Mission

Mayo Performing Arts Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, presents a wide range of programs that entertain, enrich, and educate the diverse population of the region and enhance the economic vitality of Northern New Jersey.

MPAC is grateful to the following donors whose major support helps to sustain the general operating needs of our organization:

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