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Bob Shane obituary

Lead singer with the folk group the Kingston Trio, whose chart hit Tom Dooley earned them a Grammy

In 1958 the Kingston Trio, a clean-cut American folk group, achieved chart success with the murder ballad Tom Dooley. Based on the story of Tom Dula, executed for murder in North Carolina in 1868, the song was collected by the folklorist Frank Warner from Frank Proffitt, a carpenter and banjo player, in 1938, and was already well-known in folk circles before the Kingston Trio smoothed off its edges, adding a spoken introduction and guitar and banjo accompaniment. Recorded on the group’s eponymous first album, it reached No 1 in the US singles charts and No 5 in the UK, earning them a Grammy. The song’s lead singer was Bob Shane, who has died aged 85, as the last remaining founder member.

For an America coming to terms with rock’n’roll, the Kingston Trio members – Shane, Dave Guard and Nick Reynolds – with their close-cropped hair and matching, usually striped, shirts projected a wholesome college-boy image, appealing to television sponsors and to baby boomers reaching their teens. Although considered rather too slick and commercial by the diehard folk music fans brought up on Woody Guthrie and the Weavers, they raised folk music’s profile to new heights, spawning numerous imitators and inspiring many rock musicians. The Beach Boys’ song Sloop John B came from the trio. Most of the songs were led by Shane, whose baritone voice and accomplished guitar accompaniment were essential to the group’s acoustic sound.

In live performance, the Kingston Trio’s popularity was enhanced by close harmonies and “rehearsed” spontaneity and humour, with Shane, in particular, relishing the opportunity to entertain. Scotch and Soda became Shane’s signature song and the Frank Sinatra song It Was a Very Good Year was originally written for Shane.

The trio was soon appearing on television, as well as at concert halls and nightclubs and on the college circuit. In 1959 they performed at both the Newport jazz and folk festivals and recorded four albums, all of which were in Billboard’s Top 10 at the same time. The pressure of touring and Guard’s and Shane’s different personalities led to conflict between the two men, and Guard left the group in 1961, to be replaced by John Stewart.

Within a few years the American folk music scene had changed, displaying a more political edge, and the Beatles became the new favourites of American teens. The trio continued to release albums and enjoy success but Shane failed to change their musical direction to reflect new trends, and they disbanded in 1967.

After a couple of years playing solo, Shane leased and later bought the trio name from the other two members to form the New Kingston Trio, playing past hits and contemporary songs, but without the earlier success. A reunion gig of the three original members in 1981 was broadcast by PBS in 1982 but plans for further reunions were cancelled when Guard died in 1991. Shane continued to front various lineups of the Kingston Trio until 2004 when he retired following a heart attack.

Shane was born in Hilo, Hawaii, to Margaret (nee Schaufelberger) and Arthur Castle Schoen, who owned a wholesale business, and whose German family had settled in Hawaii. Shane was a phonetic spelling of Schoen, adopted by Bob in 1957. After Punahou school in Honolulu, Shane studied at Menlo college, California, and seemed destined to follow his father into the family business.

Shane met Guard at school in Honolulu, and the two friends learned to play the ukulele and then guitar, continuing their interest in music in California where Guard was a student at Stanford University. At Menlo, Shane met Reynolds and the three men performed together informally in 1956 before Shane returned to Hawaii and the family business. By 1957 Reynolds and Guard were playing as a duo but invited Shane back to form the Kingston Trio, named after the capital of Jamaica to reflect their interest in calypso music.

Shane is survived by his wife, Bobbie Childress, and the five children, Jody, Susan, Brandon, Robin and Jason, from his first marriage, to Louise Brandon, which ended in divorce.

• Bob Shane (Robert Castle Schoen), folk singer, born 1 February 1934; died 26 January 2020