Greenback Dollar
The Incredible Rise of The Kingston Trio
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- 64,99 €
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- 64,99 €
Publisher Description
How big an act was the Kingston Trio? Big enough that the their first 19 albums not only reached Billboard's Top 100, but 14 of them entered the top 10, with five albums alone hitting the no. 1 spot! At the height of their popularity, the Kingston Trio was arguably the most popular vocal group in the world, having single-handedly ushered in the folk music boom of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. Their meteoric rise quite literally paved the way for Bob Dylan; Joan Baez; Peter, Paul & Mary; and the many acts that followed in their wake. With the release of their version of “Tom Dooley” in fall 1958, the Kingston Trio changed American popular music forever, inspiring legions of young listeners to pick up guitars and banjoes and join together in hootenannies and sing-alongs.
In Greenback Dollar: The Incredible Rise of The Kingston Trio, the first in-depth biography of America’s first recording super-group, William J. Bush retraces the band members’ personal and professional lives, from their rapid rise to stardom to their early retirement in 1967. Through interviews with Trio members, their families, and associates, Bush paints a detailed portrait of the Trio's formative early years and sudden popular success, their innovations in recording technology, pioneering of the college concert and intensive tour schedule, their impact on and response to the ‘60s protest movement, the first break-up of the Trio with Dave Guard’s departure, and its re-formation with John Stewart.
Lovers of folk music and students and scholars of the history of popular music and the music business, the counterculture movement, and the American folk tradition will find in Greenback Dollar a remarkably detailed view of the musical and cultural legacy that resulted in the Kingston Trio receiving a 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Guitar expert and folk music aficionado Bush's in-depth biography of the Kingston Trio, one of America's premier folk acts, may not be all that revelatory to devotees, but to those only familiar with hits like "Tom Dooley", the group's contributions and resounding legacy may come as a surprise. Drawing from multiple interviews with band members, friends, and family, Bush chronicles the group's quick rise from early performances at cafes and bars to multiplatinum success in the late '50s and '60s. Though hardly members of the Beat Generation, the Kingston Trio cut their teeth in a number of jazz clubs, rubbing elbows with giants like Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Dave Brubeck. This exposure helped lay the groundwork for the success sparked by their hit "Tom Dooley" and opened the door for a litany of other folk performers. Despite a lily-white appearance, the group's live shows were often laced with caustic commentary that lent a vaudevillian aspect to their performances. Readers hoping for a lurid tell-all will find the book to be exceedingly tame; still, this is a warm and fitting appreciation of an act that's often been overshadowed by those who followed in their footsteps.
