FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: The Grand Ticketing Services
409.765.1894; 800.821.1894
Email: tickets@thegrand.com
Press Contact: Robyn Bushong,409.744.7848
Email: rbush1147@aol.com
KINGSTON TRIO TO PERFORM AT GALVESTON’S
GRAND 1894 OPERA HOUSE DECEMBER 22nd
GALVESTON ISLAND, TEXAS ( 1 November 2012). One of the world’s most beloved trio
of entertainers – The Kingston Trio – will take center stage at The Grand 1894 Opera House in a
Galveston Passport to Holiday Magic event on Saturday, December 22nd at 8pm. This dynamic
trio didn’t invent folk music – rather they made it a world-wide phenomenon. With a
combination of banjo, acoustic guitar, and tight vocal harmony, audiences can look forward to an
evening of such toe-tapping favorites as “Tom Dooley” and “Where Have All the Flowers
Gone”.
Pioneering pop/folk music, their influence is still being felt some 45 years after their first big hit
“Tom Dooley” in 1958. Formed at Stanford University in 1956, the original Kingston Trio
consisted of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. The original group broke up in 1967.
Under the direction and urging of Shane, the group reformed – initially as the New Kingston
Trio. Over the next four decades, the Trio’s popularity ebbed and flowed, and changes in the trio
occurred – with the current Kingston Trio comprised of Bill Zorn, George Grove, and Bob
Haworth.
In the history of popular music, there are a relative handful of performers who have redefined the
content of the music at critical points in history: Blind Lemon Jefferson, Benny Goodman & His
Orchestra, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin -- people whose music left the landscape, and
definition of popular music, altered completely. The Kingston Trio was one such group,
transforming folk music into a hot commodity and creating a demand -- where none had existed
before -- for young audiences by strumming acoustic guitars and banjos and singing folk songs
and folk-like novelty songs in harmony - of which the Trio themselves were the defining
ensemble.
On a purely commercial level, from 1957 until 1963, the Kingston Trio was the most vital and
popular folk group in the world. Their record was incontestable - one of the most popular acts in
the history of Capitol Records and the American record industry - making them the most popular
folk group in history. Equally important, the trio -- Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane - made folk music immensely popular among many millions of listeners who previously had
ignored it.
The group's success transcended their actual sales. Without the enviable record of popularity and
sales that they built up for folk music, it is unlikely that Columbia Records would ever have had
any impetus to sign an unknown singer/guitarist named Bob Dylan, or to put Pete Seeger under
contract; or for Warner Bros. to record the Greenwich Village-based trio Peter, Paul & Mary.
Awards garnered over the years, include recognition as “NPR’s 100 of the most important
American musical works of the 20th century”, inductees in the 2000 Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Foundation, and as the 2011 recipient of the “Lifetime Achievement” Grammy. Come spend a
“grand” evening and sing along as today’s Kingston Trio entertains you with their greatest hits.
Galveston is the "Winter Wonder Island" of Texas, offering visitors more than 1,000 magical
holiday events to enjoy during the holiday season. The Grand 1894 Opera House is a proud
participant in Galveston's new Passport to Holiday Magic celebration, where visitors can access
a downloadable "passport" to keep track of the island's many events and have a chance to win a
Disney Cruise for 4. To get your passport, visit www.galveston.com/holidaymagic.
Ticket prices start at $20. Call for pricing on Box Seats. Special discounts for group and senior
tickets may be available. For information about this and other performances scheduled,contact
The Grand's Box office at 409.765.1894, 800.821.1894, or visit The Grand's website at
www.thegrand.com. The theatre, located at 2020 Postoffice Street in historic downtown
Galveston, is recognized as "The Official Opera House of the State of Texas." All major credit
cards accepted.
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