Trifecta of Folk: The Kingston Trio, The Brothers Four & The Limeliters

obtaining his Ph.D in musicology, happened to be in the audience when Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough appeared on stage to sing a duet together. It was a chance meeting...and a legendary one. Lou, who was then working as a vocal arranger, originally thought that “these two guys” could help him make some demos for The Kingston Trio. However, when the three started working together, they could not restrain the magic. Soon, they packed up and headed to Aspen, CO to work at a ski lodge called “The Limelite.”

After a short period of perfecting their act, they set off for the “Hungry i” in San Francisco, which at the time was the West Coast nerve center for the mushrooming contemporary folk movement. The owner had just hosted a group with three long names and wasn’t about to put “Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb” on the marquee. But the group hadn’t really decided on a name yet. So where had they last been playing? When they answered, “The Limelite,” he said, “That’s your name from now on!”

Their success was immediate. Two days after their professional debut, the group received offers from three recording companies and in early 1959, they released their first album on Elektra. Soon after, they signed with RCA and a string of best selling albums followed, making the Limeliters a household name.

The Limeliters’ album, Tonight in Person reached number 5 in the U.S. charts in 1961. Their second album made the top 40, and their third release, The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters, made the top ten in the same year. But their album with the longest staying power is undoubtedly their album of folk songs for kids of all ages, Through Children’s Eyes.For three years, The Limeliters were the musical representatives for Coca-Cola. Their rendition of the jingle, “Things Go Better with Coke” became a national hit.

What The Limeliters are truly famous for is their trademark “Limeliters sound.” They are loved for a large collection of rousing songs including such audience-pleasers as “There’s a Meetin’ Here Tonight,” “City of New Orleans,” “A Dollar Down,” “Have Some Madeira M’Dear,” “Lonesome Traveler,”

“Wabash Cannonball,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” and many others.

Glenn Yarbrough left the group in 1963. For about two years, Ernie Sheldon (who wrote the lyrics for what became Yarbrough’s biggest solo hit, “Baby the Rain Must Fall”) filled in for Yarbrough. Then in 1965, at the pinnacle of their success, the group decided to take a break. For the next few years they pursued their own individual interests; Glenn Yarbrough as a successful soloist on records and in concert; Alex Hassilev as a producer with his own recording studio; and Lou Gottlieb as owner of a commune ranch in Northern California.

During the seventies The Limeliters embarked on a series of reunion tours with Glenn Yarbrough. These were so successful that in 1981, Alex and Lou decided to reform the group and get back into the mainstream of entertainment. With the addition of the soaring tenor of Red Grammer they once again began thrilling audiences with the unique sound that made them famous.

After eight very productive years, Red left the group to pursue a solo career as a children’s artist. In 1991, he was replaced by another outstanding tenor, Rick Dougherty, whose wide-ranging musical background and bright stage presence brought another fresh dimension to the group.

Lou Gottlieb’s passing in 1996 was a great loss for the group, but his high baritone part was taken up by a former Kingston Trio member, Bill Zorn, a banjo-player extraordinaire with the powerful vocals needed to complete the group’s unique sound. In 2003, Bill and Rick left the group, and in early 2004, tenor Mack Bailey and comedian baritone Andy Corwin joined “the limes”, bringing new energy, enthusiasm and musical material to the group.

Today, after 6 decades in the music business, The Limeliters are still one of the most exciting and entertaining vocal acts touring the country. With the addition of newest members, C. Daniel Boling and Steve Brooks, The Limeliters are poised to “pass the music on” to new audiences, young and old.