When I first began seriously listening to that which we now refer to as “folk music,” there were several musical icons to whom I was seriously addicted. The Kingston Trio, The Chad Mitchell Trio, Tom Paxton, and Peter Paul & Mary were at the top of the list. On Sunday, November 13, 2005 only PP&M were unable to attend the party held at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. The rest of us invited 2,300 of our closest friends to share in the music.

I have never asked Tom Paxton how many songs he has written through the years. I would suspect that a list of those song titles might stretch from Los Angeles to Heaven, but the first few to grab me and shake me sensible would be:

Ramblin' Boy
Bottle of Wine
The Last Thing on My Mind
The Marvelous Toy
I Can’t Help But Wonder Where I’m Bound
Talking Vietnam Potluck Blues
Jimmy Newman
Forest Lawn
What Did You Learn in School Today?

Tom has a careful sense of substance, melody, humor, and joy, and the ability to frame it all between a good musical hook and a memorable lyric. Why am I saying all these wonderful things about Tom? Because they’re true. I was and am in awe of his songs and his talent, but those exist because of his humanity and affability. (By the way, I am a voting member of NARAS, under whose auspices lie the Grammy Awards. Tom has been nominated for a Grammy this year, and I have both voted for him and solicited other voting members to do the same. As one of the great songwriters of our time, Tom deserves this honor as a lifetime achievement award as well as for the specific recording for which he is nominated.)

The Chad Mitchell Trio is a musical entity the whole of which is greater than the sum of its parts. And those parts are very impressive. Chad MItchell’s voice was and is one of the great tenor voices, not just in folk music but in show business. But the clarity of his voice is better defined when contrasted with the singularly intoned voices of Mike Kobluk and Joe Frazier.

In the sixties, the songs they recorded, many of which were written by Tom Paxton, reflected the social climate in which we lived. They were unafraid to approach any subject, and many of their songs, topical as they were, remain favorites of their fans today. Although I would imagine that the fans at Orchestra Hall would have loved to have heard them sing "The John Birch Society" or Barry’s Boys," they felt that they shouldn’t program such topical songs. Still, they chose a program from their vast repertoire that both allowed them to speak from and to our continuing social climate and completely satisfied their fans.

We flew into Minneapolis on Saturday afternoon, and after checking into our rooms we immediately headed for the hotel’s bar where all gathered for some serious and jovial bonding over a glass of wine. I began the evening seated next to Joe Frazier, and neither of us seemed to run out of laughs and stories for the next few hours. Since the initial retirement of the CMT, Joe has become an Episcopal priest, and I know that I would choose absolution from him over any other priest. Joe’s humanity, humor and sincerity are tempered by a lifetime of insights both within and without the framework of show business.

After the Mitchell Trio ceased to tour, Mike Kobluk became the director of the Spokane Civic Center and Opera House, from which he has just recently retired. Through the years I have met Mike and his wife, Clare, at different Kingston Trio concerts, and two nicer people would be difficult to find.

Chad Mitchell’s fans would have liked to have seen his solo recordings reach the wide audience they deserved, but, to put it bluntly (i.e., my way) he was simply too pure a talent for the manner in which the musical times were changing. He did remain in show business, though, by becoming the Entertainment Director for the Delta Queen. For all of his effervescence and quick, intelligent humor, he does have a serious side that is enjoyable to absorb.

I realized early on that this weekend was truly a party. Like any party that you may have hosted, you simply cannot spend enough time with any one person. Add to the mix the presence of my former roommate from my San Diego days, Wade Sanders, and the party was complete and replete with a spicy mix of humanity and talent.

Paul Prestopino And David Ander On Stage
(both photos taken by my telephone camera!)

   Tom Has Some Directing To Do While The Guys Are Getting Settled On Stage  
        (l to r: David Ander (seated), Tom Paxton, Mike Kobluk, Joe Frazier, Chad Mitchell)

As concert time approached, the Green Room became a scene of some apprehension and much laughter. There was some initial concern for the whereabouts of Joe Frazier. He was somewhat late, bearing the excuse of a wardrobe malfunction. With visions of Janet Jackson quickly dispelled, the offensive piece of clothing seemed to be some newly purchased trousers, a problem attended to by Chad.

Chad Fixes Joe's Trowsers

As the offense was being repaired, Tom shared with me a song of his which he thought would be ideal for the Kingston Trio’s new recording, a song called "Looking For the Moon."

Paxton Singing "Looking For The Moon"

Some lyrics: “Are you looking for the moon? Would you dance with her tonight?” For the next few hours, the answer to both of those questions would be “Yes.” All of us seemed to be searching for the joyous answers to the unnecessary questions, and we were ready for the dance.

An aside: note Tom’s guitar in the pictures above and below. This is a “Tom Paxton Signature Model,” made for him by the Martin Guitar Company. (In this crude blowup of the headstock you can make out Tom’s face and signature cap inlaid beneath the Martin logo.)

Some other photos from backstage include:

Two Of The Great Tenors In Folk Music: Chad Mitchell And Rick Dougherty

Showtime arrived along with 2,300 fans, and Tom and Paul prepared to take the stage.........

........and with that, a wonderful afternoon of music began. Tom weaved his way through the songs of his set, each one insightful in its own way. The highlight for me was his musical testament to the defeat and victory, the sadness and courage of that day we simply refer to as “9/11.” Within the boundary of thirty minutes, Tom carried the entire audience on a travelogue of their lives, his own life, and all the canyons of catharsis through which one journeys in a lifetime.

Tom Paxton And Paul Prestopino

Tom Carries The Audience On A Travelogue

All too quickly Tom’s set was concluding, but the audience was primed for the next act as he made the introduction for the Chad Mitchell Trio. As they took the stage and began their set, all of us in their audience realized that voices of this quality are rarely heard, and we were again carried away to a place that transcends time; at once and as one we were all thinking of our lives as they were forty years ago, as they are now, and as we prepare for what lies in the future.

After an intermission, Tom Paxton took to the stage sans guitar, this time to introduce to the audience The Kingston Trio.

George, Bill, Rick & Maestro Paul

More than once during the preceding months I had struggled with the question of whether or not it was appropriate for the three of us (Rick, Bill and me) to be billed in concert “above” such icons as Tom Paxton and The Chad Mitchell Trio. As one fan put it, “the original people took lower billing to a trademarked name.”

My reason for bringing this up is because, although we are officially sanctioned by Bob Shane as “The Kingston Trio,” we are completely aware of the fact that we are, as Bill says on stage, a second generation group. That doesn’t diminish our love and reverence for the music or our absolute confidence in our individual and collective abilities to perform this music better than any group since the original days. However, it is a question in the minds of some.

With that thought in mind, I think that Paxton would forgive me for quoting him here without his permission. Shortly after the concert he emailed me and, unsolicited, had this to say: “I just exchanged mail with Mike Kobluk and we both agree that this is the strongest Kingston Trio in decades. Thrive, baby!” I am proud of this endorsement, but with the nagging thought of our second generation-ness headlining a concert of icons, I wrote to Tom with that specific question, to which he replied: “Thanks for the thoughts. Upon further review, I say the ruling on the field stands and you will be charged with a time-out. The order was just fine in my book.”

When we, The Kingston Trio, finished our set, we brought out Tom Paxton, with whom we sang his song "Ramblin’ Boy." After that we brought out the Chad Mitchell Trio, and all three acts sang Paxton’s "The Last Thing On My Mind." The show concluded with the singing of "This Land Is Your Land," and the response from the audience could have kept all of us on stage for another hour. However, diminished testosterone levels and lack of coffee persuaded us to finish the show on this high note.

The Kingston Trio With Tom Paxton

All The Guys Sing This Land Is Your Land, A Rousing Finale

No better words could I find for the end of this Concert Chatter than from Tom’s song, "Looking For the Moon:"
“Leaving common sense behind you for a joy that ends so soon..."