Makin' A Joyful Noise

<p>The Limeliters were the most vibrant urban folk group of the early 1960s second only to the Kingston Trio in popularity at their peak. They were a diverse volatile mix of highly intelligent personalities: Lou Gottlieb a bass-playing comic with a Ph.D. in musicology; Alex Hassilev a debonair virtuoso banjo player fluent in six languages; and Glenn Yarbrough an independent-minded hugely gifted natural tenor. </p><p>They recorded a string of best-selling albums for RCA Victor made TV appearances and commercials and toured North America and Europe 300 days out of the year at the height of the folk revival era. </p><p>In 1963 the three went their separate erratic ways for the next ten years. Alex became a record producer and actor; Glenn went solo had a big hit record Baby the Rain Must Fall but yearned to become a full-time sailor; and Lou had a mid-life crisis grew his hair long took LSD and founded the notorious hippie commune Morningstar Ranch in Northern California. Eventually the trio reunited in 1973 and became a successful touring act surviving with various changes in personnel to this day. </p><p>The saga of Lou Alex and Glenn is also the story of many of the cultural ideas and trends of the second half of the 20th century in America-how they influenced their times and how the times affected them. </p><p>Author Richard S. Ginell who has known and interviewed the trio over a span of more than four decades brings the whole slightly fabulous story of The Limeliters to life for the first time. </p><p><br></p>