The New Christy Minstrels

When the definitive popular history of post-World War II folk music is written, the chances are excellent that the Kingston Trio will be mentioned prominently along with Peter, Paul & Mary and that the the Brothers Four and the Highwaymen will also rate mentions. Less clear will be the fate of the New Christy Minstrels. The group received precious little respect in folk circles in their own time, despite the fact that -- to a significant number of casual listeners -- the Christys were the most familiar folk group in America. After the Kingston Trio and Peter, Paul & Mary, the Christys' recordings spun on more turntables at the time than any other folk group in America. Most serious folk music fans held -- and still hold -- the New Christy Minstrels in disdain, if not complete revulsion. indeed, few successful music acts have managed to alienate the serious fans of their music in the manner of the Christys, even as they sold millions of records and became top concert and television attractions. Despite the disdain, one cannot exclude the fact that they moved future members of the Byrds, the Association, and the Modern Folk Quartet -- not to mention solo performers like Kenny Rogers and Kim Carnes -- toward future stardom. The problem mostly was one of image and repertory. The original line-up of the New Christy Minstrels boasted some of the top folk musicians in Los Angeles, who were already earning a living and respect for themselves. The group recorded for the top label in the country, Columbia Records, and had superb arrangements, often devised by the members themselves. Their difficulty lay in the fact that, as folk music became more confrontational in the middle '60s, the Christys moved in exactly the opposite direction. It also infuriated some onlookers that they...