The collection documents Nick Reynolds, a member of the vocal music group, the Kingston Trio.
Content Description:
The collection documents the life and career of Nick Reynolds, one of the members of the Kingston Trio folk music group. Included in the collection are: a scrapbook approximately covering the years 1958-1970, and including such things as articles, photographs, and flyers announcing appearances by the Trio; letters, including fan mail, and a large set of letters and cards sent by member Nick Reynolds to his parents; postcards; business and legal papers, especially relating to a 1981 reunion; programs; songbooks and sheet music; posters advertising appearances; a book about the Trio; articles and miscellaneous printed materials.
Arrangement:
The collection is arranged into two series.
Series 1: Reynolds, Nick, Personal Papers, 1950-2014, undated
Series 2: Kingston Trio Papers and Ephemera, 1956-2013, undated
Biographical / Historical:
The history of the original Kingston Trio and its subsequent permutations has been well chronicled. The group came to national prominence in 1958 during the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. At that time the trio consisted of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds. Their first album released in 1958 contained their first gold record, Tom Dooley. Success continued for the trio but in 1961, Dave Guard left the group and John Stewart joined the group as his replacement. The group continued to have a successful run, their cover of Where Have All the Flowers Gone? and Greenback Dollar made the Billboard Top Ten chart in 1961 and 1963 respectively. The group in its configuration of Reynolds, Shane, and Stewart ceased actively performing in June 1967. Subsequent incarnations of the group performed into the twenty-first century.
Nicholas (Nick) Wells Reynolds, tenor, was a founding member of the Kingston Trio. He was born in San Diego, California on July 27, 1933. His parents were Stewart S. and Jane Keck Reynolds. His father was a commander in the United States Navy. Reynolds attended schools in Coronado, California graduating in 1951 from Coronado High School. He graduated from Menlo College, Atherton, California in 1956.
Reynolds, Bob Shane (1934-2020) and Dave Guard (1934-1991) formed the Kingston Trio in the 1950s. Reynolds left the Trio in 1967 moving to Oregon. He rejoined the Trio in 1988 after recording the album Revenge of the Budgie in 1983, and remained with the group until retiring in 2003. Reynolds died in San Diego, California on October 1, 2008 survived by his third wife, Leslie Yerger Reynolds, and four children.
Sources
Family Search, 1940 United States Census, accessed July 9, 2019.
Obituary, Nick Reynolds, The New York Times, October 2, 2008.
Obituary, Nick Reynolds, The Los Angeles Times, October 3, 2008.
Kingston Trio Legacy Project, (http://kingstontriolegacyproject.com) last accessed July 9, 2019.
Provenance:
Collection donated by the Kingston Trio Legacy Project to the Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution in 2018.
Restrictions:
The collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
