The Limeliters

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The Limeliters
The Limeliters (1963).jpg
The Limeliters (1963)
Background information
Origin Los Angeles, California
United States [1]
Genres Folk, roots
Years active1959–1965, 1981–present
Labels Elektra, RCA Victor, Warner Bros., Stax, Essex, GNP, Folk Era, Brass Dolphin, West Knoll, Taragon/BMG
MembersDaniel Boling
Steve Brooks
Andy Corwin
Past members Alex Hassilev
Darcie Deaville
Lou Gottlieb
Glenn Yarbrough
Ernie Sheldon
Red Grammer
Rick Dougherty
Bill Zorn
Mack Bailey
John David
Geoffrey Pike
Roger McGuinn
Gaylan Taylor
Don Marovich
Website Limeliters official site

The Limeliters are an American folk music group, formed in July 1959 by Lou Gottlieb (bass violin/bass), Alex Hassilev (banjo/baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (guitar/tenor). [2] The group was active from 1959 until 1965, and then after a hiatus of sixteen years, Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb reunited and began performing again as The Limeliters in reunion tours. On a regular basis, a continuation of The Limeliters group is still active and performing. Gottlieb died in 1996 (aged 72), Yarbrough died in 2016 (aged 86), and Hassilev died in 2024 (aged 91). Hassilev, the last founding member, who had remained active in the group, retired in 2006, leaving the group to carry on without any of the original members.

Contents

Origins

Gottlieb performed with the Gateway Singers in the mid-1950s but moved to California to complete his PhD in musicology. Later when he was working as an arranger for the Kingston Trio, Gottlieb was in the audience one night when Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough appeared on stage to sing a duet together at the Cosmo Alley Coffee Shop in Hollywood. Gottlieb originally suggested that the three of them work together to arrange some material for the Kingston Trio, but they discovered their voices blended well and decided to try to get work on the folk circuit. Journalist John Puccio wrote: "They had the uncanny knack of making three voices sound like six...and thanks to their velvet harmonies, making a trio sound like a choir." [3]

They went to Aspen, Colorado to work at a club called "The Limelite", [4] which Yarbrough and Hassilev had purchased after singing there during the previous ski season. [2] After a short period of perfecting their act, they set off for the "hungry i" in San Francisco, which at the time was the California nerve center for the mushrooming contemporary folk movement. [4] The owner had just had a group with three long names strung together and was not about to put "Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb" up on the marquee. But the group had not yet decided on a name. They chose "The Limeliters".

After a strong showing at the Hungry i, the Limeliters signed with Elektra Records and released their first self-titled album in 1960, and later signed with RCA Victor. The trio's first album for RCA Victor, Tonight in Person, was recorded live at the Ash Grove in Hollywood and reached number five on the Billboard album chart. Writing in the All Music Guide, Cary Ginell noted, "this album is a winner all the way and one of the shining examples of the best of the urban folk revival of the early '60s". [3]

The reissue in 1961 of their earlier Elektra album made the top 40 and spent 18 weeks on the charts. Their third release, The Slightly Fabulous Limeliters, made the top ten in the same year, [2] charting for 36 weeks. Another album with staying power was one of folk songs for children of all ages, Through Children's Eyes. It remained charted for 29 weeks and peaked at #25. Although they did not have a true chart-topping hit record at the time, they were well known for their repertoire of rousing songs, including such as "There's a Meetin' Here Tonight," "City of New Orleans," "A Dollar Down" (their only charting single, peaking at #60 in 1961), "Have Some Madeira M'Dear," "Lonesome Traveler," "Wabash Cannonball," "Whiskey in the Jar," and many others which are performed on their more than 25 record albums and in their concerts.

The Limeliters featured in a number of television commercials, including their rendition of the jingle "Things Go Better with Coke," which became a national hit, and other commercial work for L&M cigarettes. The group also toured extensively with a range of performers, including stand-up comic Mort Sahl and jazz singer Chris Connor, and made appearances on the TV show Hootenanny . Gottlieb recalled that "we were singing for Coca-Cola...the record royalties were good...so it was a very profitable thing." [3] At this time, their personal appearances totaled more than 300 performances a year. [5]

In 1963, the Limeliters recorded songs for the John Wayne film, McLintock! , released later that year.

The group's career nearly came to an end in 1962 when they suffered a plane crash in Provo, Utah while on tour. [6] [5]

The Limeliters break up

Yarbrough left the group in 1963. [2] Gottlieb and Hassilev continued the Limeliters but only as a recording act, recruiting former Gateway Singers tenor Ernie Sheldon [5] as Yarbrough's replacement. Sheldon wrote the lyrics for what became Yarbrough's biggest solo hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall." [2]

When the trio's RCA Victor contract expired in 1965, Gottlieb and Hassilev formally retired the act. By then, Yarbrough was a successful soloist on records and in concert. Hassilev became a producer with his own recording studio and pressing plant, while Gottlieb headed the Morningstar Commune on a ranch he purchased near San Francisco.

The group re-formed briefly in 1968 to record an album for Warner Bros. Records. [5]

The Limeliters return

During the 1970s, the Limeliters embarked on a series of yearly reunion tours with Yarbrough, who said early [that] "the one prerequisite for the reunion...was that it be brief". [7] The intention was for the tours to get shorter each year because the group had other interests and were tired of touring. Yarbrough wanted to do more sailing, Gottlieb had established a commune in Maui and Hassilev, with his own recording studio, was planning on doing some producing. Yarbrough said that a vacation between tours resulted in more excitement for them as performers, and concerts that were mostly sold out showed they still had a lot of support from their fans. [8] While on tour, the group came into the CBS television studio in Vancouver, "picked up instruments supplied for them by the network, spent perhaps 90 seconds tuning them...then, pure and simple, flawless, just as if someone had put a record on, out came There's a Meetin' Here Tonight". [9] One review of a 1975 reunion concert noted that the audience, which appeared to be middle-aged old fans, gave "vigorous applause [to] the opening bars of the old hits", and concluded that while "nostalgia...was a little more prominent than vocal skills...the Limeliters still have a lot of the old magic". [10]

Stax Records released a reunion recording in 1974, [5] , and in 1976, the group released two concert albums on their own Brass Dolphin Records. These were so successful that in 1981, Hassilev and Gottlieb decided to reform the group and get them back into the mainstream of entertainment. With the addition of tenor Red Grammer and John David they again began performing. [11] [5] Around 1981 they were joined by multi-instrumentalist Fred Sokolow and pianist Jay Snyder. This iteration of the group did a month-long tour of Israel.[ citation needed ]

After eight productive years, Grammer left the group to pursue a solo career as a children's artist. In 1990, he was replaced by another tenor, Rick Dougherty, whose wide-ranging musical background and bright stage presence brought a fresh dimension to the group. [12]

After Gottlieb's death in 1996, Bill Zorn, a former Kingston Trio member, took over his high baritone role.

In 2003, Zorn and Dougherty left the group to join The Kingston Trio (until 2017), and in early 2004, tenor Mack Bailey and comedian baritone Andy Corwin joined the group. [5] In 2006, Hassilev retired and left the band. Soon afterward, Gaylan Taylor joined in 2006. In 2012, Don Marovich joined up with the Limeliters, but in 2019 he joined the Kingston Trio. [13]

Glenn Yarbrough died from complications of dementia in Nashville, Tennessee, on August 11, 2016, at the age of 86. [14]

Impact on the music scene

The Limeliters have been described as a folk group who managed to "successfully integrate smooth harmonies, light political satire and general humor into a national spotlight...[and]...at a time when popular music was beginning to gain an edge, the music of the Limeliters portrayed a simpler, jollier America where educated wisecracks and sing-alongs could suffice as entertainment." [15] Another music critic said that the group was unique because their individual vocal talents were never lost while singing together and Gottlieb as MC, [peppered] "the act with scholarly witticisms, wry asides, and zany non sequiturs." [16] It has been noted that the Limeliters were recognized more for albums than singles and became widely known after their shift to RCA Victor, which resulted in many of their successful albums. [17]

Reviewing a performance by the group in 1981, Harry Sumrall in The Washington Post said [that] "a strong gust of musical nostalgia blew into town last night, straight out of the hootenanny days of the early '60s...[and]...there are those cantankerous, persnickety souls who would say that '60s folk was the nadir of American music - and they would be right. But folk is also entertaining and downright fun. And in both senses, the Limeliters were true to the style." [18]

Journalist T.W. McGarry observed in the Los Angeles Times that in 1985 the Limeliters were still the biggest names to appear in a series of Sunday night folk concerts called Bound for Glory. However, there was a time when no "100-seat lounge, like the bar at the Sportsmen's Lodge, could afford to book the trio, one of the most popular groups in the heyday of folk music in the late 1950s and early '60s." [19] In the same article, Gottlieb was quoted as saying (with regard to folk music), "If there is a common denominator in this music, it is that it is primarily acoustic, with almost no electrically amplified instruments, and 80% of it was composed by the performers." [19] The Limeliters were contemporaries of the Kingston Trio in their style and level of popularity and were one of the top touring college acts in America that "helped mold the folk style and genre for a generation." [20] In 2015, Andy Corwin told the Kokomo Tribune that the vocal harmonies and sense of humor of the group had not changed and live performances were like a party to which the audience was invited. He noted that "we do this because we love it and love passing the music on... a continuation of an act that’s been around for 56 years. The comedy we throw in is intended to keep things lively and moving along." [21]

In 2021, it was noted that for over fifty years, the Limeliters had entertained "standing-room-only crowds with their incredible musical talent and zany sense of humor...[and]... with different configurations over the years, the group has preserved their signature vocal sound", [12] and were still regarded as one of the most "exciting and entertaining vocal acts touring the country." [22]

Discography

Albums

[5]

Compilations and box sets

Singles

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Our Men in San Francisco is a live album by the American folk music group, The Limeliters, a trio made up of Lou Gottlieb, Alex Hassilev, and Glenn Yarbrough. It was recorded at a live performance at the Hungry I nightclub in San Francisco. It was released in 1963 on the RCA Victor label.

References

  1. ↑ "History". The Limeliters. Retrieved 13 February 2022.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. pp. 755/6. ISBN   1-85227-745-9.
  3. 1 2 3 Lankford, Jr, Ronnie D. The Limeliters Folk Group. Encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 7 October 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Show 19 - Blowin' in the Wind: Pop discovers folk music. [Part 2] : UNT Digital Library". Pop Chronicles . Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969-05-25. Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Strong, Martin C. (2010). The Great Folk Discography Vol. 1: Pioneers and Early Legends. Edinburgh: Polygon Books. p. 172. ISBN   978-1-84697-141-9.
  6. ↑ "Limeliters, 3 Others Hurt In Plane Crash". Deseret News. 13 December 1962. Archived from the original on 26 June 2022. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  7. ↑ "'New' Limeliters Will Return For Reunion Show in Fresno". The Fresno Bee (Fresno, California). 9 March 1973. p. 30. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Bollinger, Brad (17 July 1974). "More reunions planned: Fans are digging the Limeliters". The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California). p. 18. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Craig, Jamie (6 April 1973). "Remember?...Folk songs by the old Limeliters". The Vancouver Sun (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada). p. 94. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Bargreen, Melinda (5 November 1975). "Middle-aged fans, Limeliters have grand old reunion". The Daily Herald (Everett, Washington). p. 28. Archived from the original on 12 January 2025. Retrieved 13 January 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Elwood, Philip (1 February 1982). "Limeliters better than ever". The San Francisco Examiner (San Francisco, California). p. 49. Archived from the original on 13 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025– via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 "Biography The Limeliters". highresaudio.com. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  13. ↑ "Tribute to The Limeliters - Then & Now!". limeliters.net. Archived from the original on 15 May 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  14. ↑ Fox, Margalit (12 August 2016). "Glenn Yarbrough, Folk Singer With the Limeliters, Dies at 86". The New York Times . p. A14. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "The Limeliters". Napster. Archived from the original on 28 August 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  16. ↑ Ginell, Cary. "Biography: The Limeliters". ALLMUSIC. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  17. ↑ Sorrentino, Bob. "The Limeliters Biography". IMDb. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  18. ↑ Sumrall, Harry (22 May 1981). "The Limeliters". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  19. 1 2 McGarry, T.W. (3 November 1985). "For Limeliters, the Folk Music Goes On". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  20. ↑ Rhoten, Josh (6 October 2014). "Longtime folk group The Limeliters kick off Cheyenne Concert Association series this Tuesday". Wyoming Tribune Eagle. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  21. ↑ Slagter, Martin (6 May 2015). "The Limeliters look to 'Pass the Music on' in Kokomo". Kokomo Tribune. Archived from the original on 23 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  22. ↑ "The Limeliters". Kerrville Folk Festival. 2021. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  23. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Singles - July 7, 1973" (PDF).

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