The Folk Music Revival, 1958‐1970: Biographies of Fifty Performers and Other Influential People

Scholars of American music have written extensively about the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. Many feel that the Kingston Trio began the peak of the folk‐pop boom when their recording of the old folk song Tom Dooley became a top hit in 1958. The group was considered a significant factor in creating a commercial and mainstream audience for folk‐styled music where little had existed prior to their emergence. It became a time when many college students were eager to play the guitar and the coffeehouse was a favorite social venue. The spirit of the movement changed radically...