Title: Kingston Trio Records
Inclusive Dates: 1956-1986

Creator:

• Kingston Trio

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 16

Quantity:

• 3.4 cubic ft. (6 boxes including 1 audio cassette; 1 audio reel; 2 videocassettes)
• 2 film reels
• 2 digital files (4.54 GB)

Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

This collection consists of materials related to the Kingston Trio and founding member and group leader Dave Guard. It documents the history of one of the most popular and influential music groups in American history. Beginning in the spring of 1957, the Kingston Trio launched a career into popular music that would top the charts for over the next several years with dozens of top selling records and number one hits. This collection documents the rise and continued success of the Kingston Trio with news articles, promotional materials, photographs, ephemera, and a series of interview transcripts with group members and associates.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0016

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The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 when three college students/musicians in Palo Alto, California--Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane--joined together to perform folk music at fraternity parties and college nightclubs. At one such college club, the Cracked Pot in 1956, they were discovered by Frank Werber, who that same night became their manager. In the four years following, with top hits like "Tom Dooley," "Tijuana Jail," "Scotch and Soda," "MTA," and "Where Have All the Flowers Gone," the trio was one of the top musical acts in America. During this period, the trio recorded ten albums, toured almost non-stop, made several television appearances, including television commercials for 7-UP and dramatic roles in the Playhouse 90 movie Rumors of Evening in 1958. They also earned their first of several gold records, their first of two Grammy awards, and the Cash Box awards for Most Promising Pop Vocal Group in 1958 and Most Programmed Song (for "Tom Dooley") in 1959. More significant than this commercial success was the fact that the Kingston Trio had become a major influential force in the American music scene by bringing folk music to the forefront of popular music.

By 1961, Dave Guard, the creative force of the group, had grown unhappy with several aspects of with the group and felt stagnated by the direction the band had taken. He left the Kingston Trio that year and formed Dave Guard and the Whiskey Hill Singers, with whom he toured and recorded several songs. Five of their songs were featured in the soundtrack for the film How the West was Won, which won an Academy Award for Best Music Score. In 1962, Guard moved to Australia where he stayed active musically and from 1963 to 1965, hosted a musical variety show in Australia called Dave's Place. In 1968, he created a unique guitar instruction method called Colour Guitar, which he marketed with little success. He returned to America in 1969 and became an author of several children's books, as well as musical instruction books throughout the 1970s. He continued to work in music into the 1980s, including the Kingston Trio Reunion Show on PBS in 1981. He also continued to make recordings, one of which was Dave Guard, Up & In in 1988, a critically acclaimed eclectic work of folk, rock and country music. Unfortunately, it was to be one of his last. In 1991, Dave Guard died of lymphoma.

After Dave Guard left the group, the Kingston Trio enlisted John Stewart, a long-time folk singer, songwriter and friend of the group as a replacement. They continued to tour and record with this line up releasing several records and performing on television on a regular basis. In 1962, the trio filmed an unsuccessful pilot for a television series called Young Men in a Hurry. They continued to record and tour until 1967, when the popularity of folk music had given way to rock and roll and the appeal of the trio had become mostly nostalgic. It was then that they decided to disband.

In the early 1970s, original member Bob Shane reintroduced the Kingston Trio with Pat Horine and Jim Conner as The New Kingston Trio. Later, Roger Gambill joined the lineup with various other members, until in 1977, current trio member George Grove signed on. In 1985, Gambill passed away and was replaced by Bob Hayworth. In 1988, original member Nick Reynolds replaced Hayworth and was a member until he retired in 1999, when Hayworth rejoined the group. The current lineup includes Bob Shane, George Grove, and Bob Hayworth. They continue to schedule shows at smaller venues throughout the country.

A bright spot for music fans in the post folk era came in 1981, when the Kingston Trio came back together to perform a reunion show for PBS. The show, which featured both the original and then current members of the group, was hosted by comedian and folk musician Tom Smothers and featured Mary Travers of Peter, Paul & Mary.

The only audio recording in the collection is an audio reel copy of the 1965 LP Something Else, which also includes an audio cassette tape copy.

Members of the Kingston Trio

1956-1961	Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane
1961-1967	Nick Reynolds, Bob Shane, John Stewart
1972-1977	Bob Shane, Jim Conner, Pat Horine
1977-1985	Bob Shane, Roger Gambill, George Grove
1985-1988	Bob Shane, George Grove, Bob Hayworth
1988-1999	Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, George Grove
2000-	Bob Shane, George Grove, Bob Hayworth

For additional information on the Kingston Trio, visit the Kingston Trio official Web site at: www.kingstontrio.com.

This collection consists primarily of records related to the promotional and business aspects of the Kingston Trio from their inception in 1956 to their latest line up as of 1986.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of promotional materials which include news articles from newspapers and various other publications including Look and Life magazines, advertisements and announcements for performances and record releases and assorted ephemera. Along with these items are a set of photographs, which record the various lineups of the group from 1957 to circa 1974. Also included are correspondence records with business correspondence of the group's management, personal letters of group members and fan mail.

The parts of the collection attributed to Dave Guard include three of his personal scrapbooks, which contain news articles, performance and record advertisements, as well as record sales rankings charts from Billboard, Variety and other music trade magazines. Also included is some of his original sheet music and various ephemera. One of the more interesting elements of Guard's contribution to this collection is the Colour Guitar system, an innovative method of musical instruction he developed for guitar, as well as other instruments, which utilized a color coding system to identify which notes would work together in chordal patterns.

A significant element of this collection is a set of interviews by Richard W. Johnston, a Milwaukee scholar who conducted research on the Kingston Trio during the early to mid 1970s. These include interviews with the three original members of the group, as well as later members, business associates, friends, and musical associates of the group, including such notable artists as Jane Bower, Pete Seeger and Mary Travers. Also a part of Johnston's research is a chronology of the group to 1967, a discography and a chronological listing of television show appearances.

The balance of the collection is comprised of miscellaneous business and promotional materials. These include business contracts and financial statements, group itineraries, television show scripts, show announcements and tickets, newsletters, postcards, promotional booklets and other ephemera. Also included are two Cash Awards Plaques from 1958 and 1959, a 16 mm film of a 1962 television pilot, Young Men in a Hurry, featuring the then current members of the group, and a 16 mm film of four 7-UP commercials done by the original members of the group.

The files are organized alphabetically by personal name or by subject, then chronologically.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

Access Restrictions

The original films, audiocassettes, and videocassette dub are restricted. Users must access the digital versions available on the network drive. There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39). The Archives owns but does not hold the copyright to any of the materials in the Kingston Trio records collection. The Archives does not have specific information regarding who holds the copyright to most of the materials. The Archives will provide researchers with fair-use copies of paper and photographic materials from the collection, but it cannot and will not authorize, license, or control any specific uses of these materials.

The Archives will not provide researchers with copies of the television pilot and commercials, which are copyright CBS Broadcasting, Inc. and Dr. Pepper/7 UP, Inc., respectively. Researchers wishing to view these items may do so in the Archives.

Further copyright information may be available from:

Copyright Office
Room LM401
James Madison Memorial Building
101 Independence Ave., S.E.
Washington, DC 20540

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Archives by Richard Johnston between 1974 and 1977. Information about Johnston has been included in a folder in the case file. Additional materials were acquired after 1986 from an unknown source.

Processing Information

The collection was initially processed by unknown persons. It was reprocessed in 1999 by Bob Carter.

Box   3 Folder   1	Book, The Kingston Trio, 1960
Box   1 Folder   1	Chronology, 1956-1967
Box   1 Folder   2	Contract, 1957
Box   1 Folder   4	Correspondence, Dave Guard, 1959-1961
Box   1 Folder   3	Correspondence, Fan Mail, 1958-1961
Box   1 Folder   7	Correspondence, Frank Werber, 1958-1967
Box   1 Folder   5	Correspondence, International Talent Associates, 1961-1962
Box   1 Folder   6	Correspondence, Nick Reynolds, 1956-1957
Box   1 Folder   8	Discography, 1958-1969
Box   1 Folder   32	Fan Club Newsletter, Kingston Trio Notes, 1959
Box   6	Guitar Instruction Package, Colour Guitar, 1968
Box   1 Folder   31	Itineraries, 1962
Box   1 Folder   33	Miscellaneous, 1957-1959
	News Articles
Box   2 Folder   1	1956-1958
Box   2 Folder   9	1958-1968
Box   2 Folder   2	1959
Box   2 Folder   10	1959-1967
Box   2 Folder   11	1959-1974
Box   2 Folder   3	1960
Box   2 Folder   4	1961
Box   2 Folder   5	1962
Box   2 Folder   6	1963
Box   2 Folder   7	1964
Box   2 Folder   8	1965
Box   2 Folder   12	1980
Box   1 Folder   34	Newsletter, Kingston Korner, 1984-1986
Box   2 Folder   13	Photographs, undated
Box   6 Folder   1-2	Plaques, Cash Box Awards, 1958, 1959
Box   1 Folder   35	Postcards, undated
Box   1 Folder   36	Press Kit, Reunion Show, 1981
Box   1 Folder   37	Profit and Loss Statement, 1957
Box   1 Folder   38	Programs, 1973-1975
Box   3 Folder   3	Promotional Booklets, An Evening with the Kingston Trio, 1964-1965, 1974
Box   3 Folder   2	Promotional Booklets, The Kingston Trio, 1962
Box   3 Folder   4	Promotional Booklets, The Kingston Trio, Japanese, 1972
Box   4 Folder   1	Scrapbook, Dave Guard, 1956-1958
Box   4 Folder   2	Scrapbook, Dave Guard, 1959
Box   5 Folder   1	Scrapbook, Dave Guard, 1960
Box   3 Folder   5	Sheet Music, Dave Guard, undated
	Something Else, Dub Copy of Record Album, 1965 Access Restrictions: The original audio reel and cassette dub are restricted. Users must access the digital version available on the network drive.
Box   6 Audio   1	Physical Description: Audio reel (¼ in., 15 ips)
Box   6 Audio   1	Physical Description: Audio cassette
Electronic Folder	UWMMss016_Something_Else_1965 Physical Description: 1 digital file (30 min., 10 sec.)
	Television Commercials, circa 1959
Film   2	Physical Description: Film reel (16 mm)
Box   6 Video   2	Physical Description: Videocassette (VHS)
Box   3 Folder   6	Television Script, Dave's Place, 1963-1965
Box   1 Folder   40	Television Show Appearances, 1958-1967
	Television Show Pilot, Young Men in a Hurry, Film, 1962 Access Restrictions: The original film and videocassette dub are restricted. Users must access the digital version available on the network drive.
Film   1	Physical Description: Film reel (16 mm)
Box   6 Video   1	Physical Description: Videocassette (VHS)
Electronic Folder	UWMMss016_Young_Men_in_a_Hurry_1962 Physical Description: 1 digital file (1 hr., 3 min.)
Box   1 Folder   39	Television Show Scripts, 1961-1965
	Transcripts
Box   1 Folder   21	Interview with "The Limelighters", 1977
Box   1 Folder   28	Interview with "The Villagers", 1975
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Artie Mogull, 1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Bert Block, 1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Bess Hawes, 1974
Box   1 Folder   20	Interview with Bob Shane, 1973-1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Charlotte Larson Mason, 1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Cynthia Gooding, 1977
Box   1 Folder   17	Interview with Dave Guard, 1973-1975
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with David (Buck) Wheat, 1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Dick Tong, 1974
Box   1 Folder   23	Interview with Ed Sarkasian, 1974
Box   1 Folder   9	Interview with Enrico Banducci, 1974
Box   1 Folder   29	Interview with Frank Werber, 1973-1975
Box   1 Folder   13	Interview with Gene Cotton, 1976
Box   1 Folder   10	Interview with Jane Bowers, 1974
Box   1 Folder   15	Interview with Joe Gannon, 1973
Box   1 Folder   27	Interview with John Stewart, 1973-1975
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Judy Davis, 1973
Box   1 Folder   22	Interview with K. "Don" McArthur, 1975
Box   1 Folder   14	Interview with Lou Ganapoler, 1974
Box   1 Folder   24	Interview with Louise Shane, 1974
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Mark Forgette, 1973
Box   1 Folder   26	Interview with Mary Travers, 1976
Box   1 Folder   18	Interview with Nick Reynolds, 1973-1975
Box   1 Folder   12	Interview with Paul Colburn, 1973-1975
Box   1 Folder   25	Interview with Paul Stookey, 1976
Box   1 Folder   19	Interview with Pete Seeger, 1976
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Pete Sterner, 1975
Box   1 Folder   11	Interview with Rene Cardenas, 1974-1975
Box   1 Folder   30	Interview with Ron Lenger, 1973
Box   1 Folder   16	Interview with Voyle Gilmore, 1973-1976