The Kingston Trio Story: Wherever We May Go

Movie / Show Details

Amazon.com

Calling the Kingston Trio “the Beatles of their time,” as one of the talking heads in The Kingston Trio Story – Wherever We May Go puts it, might sound outlandish, but in fact it’s no exaggeration. Starting in 1957 (and continuing today, albeit without any original members), the Trio brought folk music to the masses long before Dylan, Baez, or Peter, Paul and Mary made the scene, and many of their songs (“Tom Dooley,” “M.T.A.,” “Scotch & Soda,” “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?”) remain just about as popular as “Blowin’ in the Wind.” TV and concert performances of those and other tunes are here, of course, along with interviews with most of the musicians who passed through the group’s ranks and other folks who knew, worked with, or are related to them. The emphasis, as it should be, is on their first ten years, during which Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds were partnered with Dave Guard and then John Stewart (when Guard departed in ’61, one of those who auditioned to replace him was Roger McGuinn, who later co-founded the Byrds). They were not only hugely successful, but ground-breaking as well; the Trio dabbled in pop, calypso, Hawaiian, and other styles before anyone called it “world music,” and when they won a Grammy for “Tom Dooley” in ’58, there was no such thing as a folk music category, resulting in their being classified as country & western. Sure, in these hipster times their music sounds pretty square. Although they emerged during the beatnik era, the Trio’s image was wholesome and Ivy League, and many of the songs are over-earnest tales of lusty men traveling the road to freedom. Still, Wherever We May Go is entertaining and informative, and the copious bonus features–including pieces on the stories behind the songs, the group’s extensive “family tree,” some passionate and slightly nutty fans, and their manager, plus bonus performances and more–are top-notch. –Sam Graham