A recent issue of AARP The Magazine had a nice story about Carlos Santana, the iconic Latin rock guitarist whose career has spanning more than half a century and who, if his father had had his way, might best be known as a famous violinist — or maybe even a fiddler. I enjoyed reading it.
But If there’s a better, more compelling story of American grit, determination and initiative than the one being written and performed song-by-song by a group of polished, veteran musicians known as the Folk Legacy Trio, I’d like to see it.
I hope the magazine will take a look at George Grove, Rick Dougherty and Jerry Siggins, all of them in the 70s, for what they’ve been able to build. Because if you were trying to show readers what folks our age can do to restart their work lives after a disheartening turn of events, and produce a superb new product that is wowing audiences wherever they go, it’s these guys.
I’ll admit to some bias here. George Grove is from Hickory, a North Carolina boy who went to Wake Forest, served in the Army and became known as one of the best bluegrass and folk music players in the business. He played for years at the Grand Ole Opry before becoming a four-decade member of The Kingston Trio, still performing after more than 60 years. And I’ve gotten to know George, Rick and Jerry, as well as the fabulous bass player Paul Gabrielson, at the Americana Folk Music Camp held each year at Scottsdale, AZ.
Grove and the other members of The Kingston Trio were just about to have dinner before a performance two years ago when they found out their jobs had been sold and they’d soon be out of work.
Grove, a member of The Kingston Trio for 41 years, had been the de facto musical director of the trio as well as an accomplished banjo and guitar player for decades; Rick Dougherty, an Irish tenor whose soaring voice gave the trio a sound that kept audiences spell-bound, and Bill Zorn, a powerful singer, were in their early 70s — and devastated. They found themselves jobless with nowhere to go. And no wish to retire.
The decision by The Kingston Trio owner to sell the brand was a stunner — and may become a textbook case of how not to run a business. The Grove-Dougherty-Zorn version of The Kingston Trio — by one count the 11th version of the group in its 60-year history — was regarded by many as the best combination of talent, stage presence, timing, poise and musical entertainment since the Trio first burst onto the music scene in the 1950s.
It’s worth remembering that The Kingston Trio for a time was the most popular musical group in the world, according to William Bush in his book “Greenback Dollar: The Incredible Rise of The Kingston Trio.” They had a smash hit with “Tom Dooley,” placed 14 albums in the Billboard Top 10, “with their first five studio albums reaching number one (a feat unmatched by any other act — before or since.”
Grove, Dougherty and Zorn wrapped up their careers as Kingston Trio members in September 2017. Zorn began playing with other performers while Grove and Dougherty, both of whom had exceptional musical training and experience, began trying to figure out their futures. Dougherty had two children in college already, and while he had other skills including information technology, he and Grove didn’t want to give up. They wanted to keep performing music — but how?
They thought they might play as a duo, occasionally doing concerts with such icons of music of the folk era as Noel Paul Stookey or Tom Paxton. But Grove and Dougherty soon concluded they needed a third singer as part of the act. After a round of auditions they found Jerry Siggins, a former Disney performer who had been the lead singer for 27 years with the doo-wop group The Diamonds. Siggins noticed something right away: the new trio became fast friends almost instantly. “I’m very fortunate to be with two guys who really know what they are doing,” he said.
The first song they rehearsed, “Road To Freedom,” by John Stewart — a stirring anthem seemingly tailored for the Civil Rights Movement in the ‘60s — told the tale, Grove said. “We heard that ethereal “4th voice” beyond the three of us. The enthusiasm, the harmony, the talent, the timing, the timbre of the voice caused something to happen — it’s hard to explain, but it’s extraordinary and rarely occurs.”
Performing as the Folk Legacy Trio, the three have shunned the earmarks of The Kingston Trio. “We didn’t want to wear striped shirts. We didn’t want to look like The Kingston Trio,” Grove says. They don’t. Out of respect for the music and for the mature audiences that flock to the concerts of the new group, they wear matching vests and shirts, sometimes with ties, and they deliver a rollicking good time singing the best of the Great American Folksong Book and talking of its history and the artists of the era who are longtime friends.
As Dougherty puts it, “We’re sort of the elder statesmen of the folk music genre. There are not many folk groups left. We’re keeping alive the music we have loved to play all our lives.”
You can find the Folk Legacy Trio easily on the internet, along with their upcoming schedule of concerts. My advice is to find a concert you can get to, and go to it. You will enjoy every minute of their shows.
