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POPULAR FOLK MUSIC TODAY, SPRING 1991

Here are the key members in the history of the famous, popular folk singing organization — The Kingston Trio. The group rose to the top of the charts performing folk songs in the late fifties and throughout most of the sixties.
Shown (left to right) are John Stewart, George Grove, Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane.

THEY ARE ALL SEARCHING By Jack Wentling

I never met Dave Guard; never shook his had. I saw him in person only once, in 1988. Yet, when I read of his passing I was saddened, the same as if a close relative had died. There was no chock with the news. All his fans have been kept apprised as to his condition and knew that the ultimate odds were against him. Then why should this relatively obscure man have such a profound effect on me?

His personal thoughts are unknown to me. How did he feel about things. His professional words can be Interpreted from his Interviews and writings. But how did the man fed? Was he proud of his children? How did his divorce from Gretchen affect him? To my knowledge, he never responded in public about the conflict that caused him to leave the Kingston Trio. Was he proud or remorseful of his accomplishments?

My knowledge of the man is slight: The Kingston Trio; the Whiskeyhill Singers; "How the West Was Won;" Australia; the 1982 reunion;  "Up & In;" his cancer.

The core of Dave Guard was the Kingston Trio. He was It's creator and was the driving force during the early years. Dave, along with Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds, were children of the Eisenhower era: a feel good time of general prosperity; their music struck the right chord. It was mainstream America, songs of our past. The music was fun; it made you feel good. It continued as the perfect theme for the New Frontier feeling of the Kennedy years.

The darkness that America fell into after the Kennedy assassination did not absorb the Kingston Trio, which is, perhaps, why they didn't survive it. Their image was one of brightness: positive, clean cut. It made you feel good. There were those who embraced the darkness and became a part of it. Some survived and grew, and others thrived and became spokesmen for the dark. The Trio stayed in the light, but they were of the few. Their following had gone. The times had changed.

Dave Guard had left the Trio before this, when it was at it's zenith. It was almost as if he knew what was ahead. It's perhaps significant that he never repeated his success with his other projects. This brilliant, talented man who could perform, compose, produce, arrange, write prose, never equaled his earlier achievement. He gave a solo performance at that 1988 concert. I commented to a friend at the time that he appeared to be searching for a style.

He was searching. But he was looking for something more than style.

And what of Bob Shane. The Kingston Trio is now his and he's been successful in resisting any evolution in style and sound. Except for solos, no new songs have ever remained as a continuing part of their act. Bob, too, is searching.

"I haven't got a thing to prove," Nick Reynolds said at the time of the 25 year reunion. Nick left his Oregon ranch after 20 years and has returned to California. He's performing again and is now back with the Kingston Trio.

Even John Stewart, who replaced Dave Guard, has had limited success on his own. The most prolific of all the Trio members, he has never strayed too far from his roots. They are all searching.

When we received word that Dave and John were going to join Bob and Nick, and along with current member George Grove (a class act on his own), have a reunion tour, it appeared that at last the searchers were coming together. Take a look at the promotional pictures in POPULAR POLK MUSIC TODAY. Look at that grin on Dave Guard's face. That's more than a professional pose: that's pure joy. Even Bob. Nick, John and George look genuinely pleased. The Kingston Trio was to be reborn. It had managed to stay in the light.

Dave didn't make it. The reunion, it goes on (and it should go on), should set a theme; "We are the Kingston Trio. We are a group of the light. We sound good, and we will make you feel good." And the people will respond. They will respond because America is coming out of the darkness. At long last America is coming back to the tight.

And what about Dave Guard? Dave is now a part of the Light. Every time you hear a banjo player, whether it's folk, bluegrass, dixieland, or just some mountain picker playing an old song, Dave will be guiding his fingers. When you hear singing in harmony, whether It's barbershop or choral; solo, duet, or trio; folk, pop, country, or whatever: Dave will be a part of it. And if you listen, if you listen hard, you'll be able to hear him as his spirit enters the musicians and their music. And as these performers play in the light, Dave will be with them. And you will hear him more and more.

We all will.

FAREWELL TO THE LEADER OF THE BAND By Ben Blake

When I was young and dreams were new, I mean no disrespect when I say that I worshipped a "holy trinity" decidedly different from the one most people worshipped. Right after Elvis and just before the Beatles, the Kingston Trio turned the music world on its ear, and my life (and probably yours) was forever changed. Now, the leader of the band is gone.

I'm certain Presley and Lennon have been holding a spot for Dave Guard In Rock and Roll Heaven, and by now they're probably having some second thoughts about having done sol I dare say Mr. Guard is putting the through their paces, honing their "rough edges" and working on the harmony.

Dave Guard was a unique and brilliant human being. He was a natural leader, an Old Soul, a lifetime student of everything. From the opening notes of "Three Jolly Coachmen" to the final fade-out of "Nucalypso," Dave was an innovator who would not (and could not) stand still. He is one of only a handful of individuals who have actually changed the course of popular music for all time.

Elvis Presley and John Lennon were larger than life in the eyes of the public, and the tabloids still refuse to let them rest in peace. Luckily for us, we won't have to read about Dave's brain being stolen by extraterrestrials or sighting of Dave with Bigfoot in Altoona. He somehow managed to be a genius without becoming a curiosity. While Elvis and John were larger than life, Mr. Guard was just about the right size.

Almost three decades after he left the Kingston Trio, Dave Guard has now taken leave of us all. But with the lasting legacy of his art, and the continuing brilliance of the countless artists he touched, he leaves us in good spirits and inspired hands.

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