Greenback Dollar

William J. Bush is an advertising writer, music journalist, photographer and perennial student of Martin guitars, Buddy Holly and The Kingston Trio. His articles have been featured in Guitar Player, Frets, Acoustic Guitar, Flatpicking Guitar, The Sounding Board (Martin Guitar Company), Pennsylvania Heritage, The Guitar Player Book (Grove Press) and Artists Of American Folk Music (Quill Books). He has also written for EMI/Capitol Records, Folk Era Records, Bear Family Records and Shout! Factory (Sony). In 2006, he appeared in the PBS documentary, The Kingston Trio: Wherever We May Go. His photography of rock legend Dion DiMucci has been featured in New York Magazine and the cover of Dion’s 2006 Grammy-nominated blues CD, Bronx In Blue.

Guitar expert and folk music aficionado Bush’s in-depth biography of the Kingston Trio, one of America’s premier folk acts, may not be all that revelatory to devotees, but to those only familiar with hits like 'Tom Dooley', the group’s contributions and resounding legacy may come as a surprise. Drawing from multiple interviews with band members, friends, and family, Bush chronicles the group’s quick rise from early performances at cafes and bars to multiplatinum success in the late ’50s and ’60s. Though hardly members of the Beat Generation, the Kingston Trio cut their teeth in a number of jazz clubs, rubbing elbows with giants like Thelonious Monk, Bill Evans, and Dave Brubeck. This exposure helped lay the groundwork for the success sparked by their hit 'Tom Dooley' and opened the door for a litany of other folk performers. Despite a lily-white appearance, the group’s live shows were often laced with caustic commentary that lent a vaudevillian aspect to their performances. Readers hoping for a lurid tell-all will find the book to be exceedingly tame; still, this is a warm and fitting appreciation of an act that’s often been overshadowed by those who followed in their footsteps.