The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. From its origin as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act through its rise to international popularity fueled by their unprecedented sales of 33 1/3 rpm long-playing record albums, The Kingston Trio helped to alter the direction of popular music in the U.S.   The Kingston Trio was one of the most prominent folk music groups of the era's relatively short-lived pop-folk boom that their success helped to create. Beginning with their first album released in 1958 (which included the hit recording of "Tom Dooley" that sold over three million copies as a single),the Trio released nineteen albums that made Billboard's Top 100, fourteen of which ranked in the top 10, and five of which hit the number 1 spot. Four albums charted during the same week among the Top 10 selling albums in December 1959, a record unmatched for nearly 50 years, and the group still ranks after half a century in the all time top ten of many of Billboard's charts, including those for most weeks with a #1 album (46 weeks for a #6 ranking), most total weeks charting an album (1262 weeks for a #10 ranking), most #1 albums (5 for a #10 ranking),most consecutive #1 albums (4 for a #7 ranking), and most top ten albums (14 for a #9 ranking).   As significantly, the "phenomenal popularity" and massive record sales of the Kingston Trio in its early days made acoustic folk music commercially viable, paving the way for singer-songwriter, folk rock, and Americana artists who followed in their wake.   Origin: Palo Alto, California Genres: Folk, pop Years active: 1957–67 (original lineup; continues to the present with different members) Labels: Capitol, Decca Associated acts: Whiskeyhill Singers, The New Kingston Trio Members: George Grove, Bill Zorn, Rick Dougherty Past members: Dave Guard, Bob Shane, Nick Reynolds, John Stewart, Roger Gambill, Bob Haworth Notable instruments: Martin Guitars, Martin D28 6-string guitar, Martin 0021 6-string guitar, Martin 018T 4-string tenor guitar, Vega Banjos, Pete Seeger model long-neck 5-string banjo, Vega plectrum 4-string banjo   (wiki)