The Kingston Trio’s status in American music history is secure — so much so, the seminal modern folk trio was awarded a lifetime achievement Grammy in 2011.
The trio burst onto the national stage in 1958 with an updated take on the traditional Appalachian tune “Tom Dooley.” The song is based on the true story of a Confederate army veteran named Tom Dula who was condemned to hang in 1866 for the stabbing death of Laura Foster, one of the rakish North Carolinian’s three lovers.
The song hit No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts.
“We like to call it ‘the murder that sold 100,000 guitars,’” quipped Buddy Woodward, a member of the current Kingston Trio, which will play tonight at the Palace Theater in Hilo. “Because of that, Martin had to build a whole new factory that was twice as big, just to keep up with all the orders. They were like, a month, sometimes a year or two back-ordered for Martin guitars — and that’s mostly because of the college folk boom that came out of the Kingston Trio.”
The original trio, which formed in the San Francisco area, included two graduates of Honolulu’s Punahou School, Dave Guard and Hilo-born Bob Shane, plus Nick Reynolds.
In 1961, Guard was the first to leave the trio, and he went on to form the short-lived but critically acclaimed Whiskeyhill Singers and produce albums for slack-key legend Gabby Pahinui. He was replaced by John Stewart, who wrote “Greenback Dollar” for the trio.
Shortly before leaving the trio, Stewart penned “Daydream Believer” — a No. 1 pop hit for the Monkees in 1967 and crossover country-pop hit for Anne Murray in 1980. In the late 1970s, Stewart himself charted with “Gold” and “Lost Her in the Sun.” Both songs featured harmony vocals by Stevie Nicks.
None of the originals nor Stewart are still alive.
The current iteration of the Kingston Trio includes Mike Marvin, adopted son of Reynolds, plus Whittington and Hawaii-born Tim Gorelangton.
They’ll draw from the trio’s extensive body of work, which includes “MTA” — a rollicking number about a man who unwittingly embarked on a seemingly endless trip aboard the Boston subway — plus “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “Scotch and Soda,” “The Reverend Mr. Black,” “A Worried Man” and “Tijuana Jail.”
The trio also plans a special tribute to folk singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie.
The 60-year-old Woodward told the Tribune-Herald that his parents, members of a folk group in college, turned him on to the original Kingston Trio, while his paternal aunt familiarized him with the second version featuring Stewart.
“A lot of the bands that inspired musicians from my generation — like the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills and Nash — all those groups are a direct result of the Kingston Trio,” Woodward said.
Asked about his favorite Kingston Trio song to perform, Woodward pointed to the trio’s original arrangement of “Early Morning Rain,” the Gordon Lightfoot composition that became a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary.
“In ensuing years, the Kingston Trio sort of rearranged the song, made it slower and a little more bouncy and kind of bluegrassy-sounding,” he said.
“But the original version, man, it was just, like, pounding folk-rock. Nick was playing an 8-string tenor guitar, John’s playing the 12-string and Bob is chugging away on his (Martin) D-28. That is prototypical folk-rock jangle right there.
“I love performing that song. When we hit that first line, and on the word ‘rain’ we hit the three-part harmony, that’s when I know it’s party time.”
The Kingston Trio’s current edition — which received rave reviews last December at Kahilu Theatre in Waimea — should provide the audience a triple-shot of pure nostalgia.
“We’ve stripped it back to what it was like seeing the Kingston Trio during their glory days,” Whittington said. “We’re using a central mic stand; we’re not standing at separate mics. We choreograph ourselves around one mic stand, and we’re always moving around, bumping each other and putting our heads together to hit those harmonies.
“It’s not a Beatlemania trip.
“We’re not wearing wigs and pretending to be 25 years old. It looks like an old Kingston Trio show. You get all the hits and you get some cool ‘B’ sides that you might not expect.
“It’s a full multimedia experience with videos at the beginning and at the break.”
Showtime tonight is 7 p.m. with doors opening at 6. Admission is $50 general, $75 orchestra, available at hilopalace.com and at the Palace Box Office. Call (808) 934-7010 for more information.
Email John Burnett at jburnett@hawaiitribune-herald.com.