Album Notes

This CD comes from an old reel-to-reel tape the original Kingston Trio used for rehearsal sessions in 1957 - before they became famous, before the song "Tom Dooley" hit and before they moved across the street to the "big time," the Hungry i nightclub. The Trio would use their old Wollensak to record their rehearsal sessons above the Purple Onion, and sometimes drag it downstairs to record a song or two during their show. You can hear both on this CD. The tape is 53 years old, so we had to do some serious audio forensics to make it listenable. It's a bit rough but certainly a treasure, and includes 5 songs that The Kingston Trio never recorded. This CD gives a rare glimpse into the Kingston Trio that hadn't quite blossomed yet.