The Chad Mitchell Trio, later known as The Mitchell Trio, were an American vocal group whose peak years were during the 1960s. They performed traditional folk songs and some of John Denver's early compositions. Of all the groups to emerge during the folk era of the 1960’s, The Chad Mitchell Trio was unequivocally the best.
Their complex harmonies, sense of comedic timing and stage presence were unique to the folk movement. They didn’t enjoy the commercial success of some other groups because their material made political and social statements that radio and television refused to air. They were wildly popular, though, on college campuses through America during this turbulent time and fostered political and social awareness among thousands of young men and women as they faced the tumultuous era ahead.
Like many people my age, the Chad Mitchell Trio had a huge influence on me as a kid growing up in a small, conservative community during the 1960’s. More than any other music, folk music has been a significant historical influence in American history. It played a significant role in American life through the Great Depression, World War II, the post-war McCarthy blacklists, and the tumultuous ‘60’s.
The crux of the story is that these are two guys who have polar opposite personalities. Those differences led to Chad’s departure from The Trio in 1965, and John Denver’s emergence as Chad’s replacement. They didn’t speak for twenty years.
Then a woman attempted to arrange a reunion appearance. They both said, essentially, I will if he will. Despite the animosity that led to their divorce, the one thing that was sacred to both of them was the quality of the music.
Read also: Political Satire in Folk
As their friend Tom Paxton noted, “Sometimes the only thing people have in common is musical talent.
The Chad Mitchell Trio at the University of Michigan, c.
Formation and Early Years
The original group was formed in 1958 by William Chadbourne "Chad" Mitchell (from Portland, Oregon, born December 5, 1936), Mike Kobluk (from Trail, British Columbia, Canada, born December 10, 1937), and Mike Pugh (from Pasco, Washington) when they were students and glee club members at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, United States. They were encouraged by Spokane Catholic priest Reinard W.
Originally formed in 1958 on the campus of Gonzaga University, Mitchell, Kobluk, and original member Mike Pugh presented generally traditional folk fare arranged for three voices. including songs like "Lizzie Borden" and "Super Skier", and over the course of just a couple of years, incorporated a politically Left-leaning stance with songs like "Barry's Boys" and "The John Birch Society", but also included some of the prettiest ballads of the day.
The key people who helped the trio were musical arranger Milton Okun and star performer/singer Harry Belafonte. Okun provided a professional polish to their performing skills, which helped them gain both a key booking at New York City's Blue Angel club and radio appearances with Arthur Godfrey and television appearances with Pat Boone.
Read also: Dark Humor in Folk Music
Musical Style and Political Commentary
After recording mostly conventional folk songs, the trio released a then-daring satire of the John Birch Society, which established their ability to perform more controversial material. Their departure from Belafonte Enterprises in 1962, followed by their move to Mercury Records in 1963, gave them more freedom to add aggressively political songs to their body of folk, love, and world-music songs.
The Trio's first recordings for Colpix were similar to the conventional folk songs that were gaining popularity then as an alternative to the early rock-and-roll genre. Their next Kapp album contained "The John Birch Society".
The trio's Mercury albums continued its trend to record topical and controversial songs.
- "Twelve Days" imagined a group of former Nazis singing new lyrics to the old Christmas carol; a similar theme would be explored later in the "I Was Not A Nazi Polka".
- "Barry's Boys" ("You too can join the crew/Tippecanoe and Nixon, too"), a song from Julius Monk's "Dime a Dozen, which portrayed a view of the followers of conservative Republican 1964 Presidential candidate Barry Goldwater.
- "A Dying Business" went after funeral costs and customs, while "The Draft Dodger Rag" (by Phil Ochs: "Sarge, I'm only eighteen/I got a ruptured spleen/And I always carry a purse") explored the beginnings of resistance to the Vietnam War.
- "What Kind of Life Is That" pondered on celebrity fame (specifically, that of Elizabeth Taylor).
While the Mitchell Trio became best known for such songs, they also produced a solid body of work which showed that folk music could be "polished" yet remain close to its roots. They recorded shanties numbers like "Whup Jamboree" and "The Golden Vanity", as well as folk dance numbers like "Hello Susan Brown". Their rendition of the southern traditional prison work song “Ain’t No More Cane On This Brazos” combines lyrics from several different established versions from over the years.
They could do rousing gospel music numbers like "You Can Tell The World", "I Feel So Good About It (Sin Bound Train)", and "One Day When I Was Lost (Easter Morn)". They were the first folk group to record many of the songs of Tom Paxton, such as "The Marvelous Toy", "What Did You Learn In School Today?", and "We Didn't Know".
Read also: Explore the music of The Chad Mitchell Trio
They also sang the work of Woody Guthrie ("The Great Historical Bum (Bragging Song)"), Shel Silverstein ("The Hip Song (It Does Not Pay To Be Hip)", "Yowzah" "Three Legged Man"), and Bob Dylan ("Blowin' in the Wind" (they were in fact the first to release it, but Peter, Paul and Mary's subsequent rendition became the best-known cover version), "With God On Our Side", "Mr.
Chad Mitchell Trio
Changes in the Lineup
Pugh, at one point, left the group, and was replaced by Joe Frazier, and these three were the group combination most fans recall. Chad left to go solo in the mid-60's, to be replaced by a yet-to-be-discovered John Denver. Mitchell left the trio in 1965 to embark on a solo singing career. Another audition process replaced him with the young (and unknown) singer/songwriter John Denver.
Frazier's departure from the trio in 1966 brought in replacement David Boise. Mike Kobluk, Joe Frazier and David Boise later left the music industry; Chad Mitchell released a number of solo albums before retiring from music; Denver's time with the trio became the springboard to his successful solo career.
The Mitchell Trio also did the first major recording of John Denver's later hit "For Baby (For Bobbi)" and also handled his "Leaving on a Jet Plane". Their final album offered a soft, harmonized version of The Beatles' "She Loves You". Johnny Cash cited their version of "Four Strong Winds" as a stylistic influence and included it on his Artist's Choice album of favorites.
Reunions
Michael Johnson recorded more than 15 albums as a solo artist; he died at his Minneapolis home on July 25, 2017. The Mitchell/Kobluk/Frazier trio and John Denver united in 1987 for several concerts, some broadcast on PBS.
The Mitchell/Kobluk/Frazier trio reunited again in 2005 for a short program, as part of a concert also featuring Tom Paxton and The Kingston Trio's current lineup, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mitchell/Kobluk/Frazier reunited again for a one-night performance on October 6, 2007, in Spokane, home of their alma mater, and where Mitchell and Kobluk live about two blocks apart.
For several years they continued to tour with artists like Tom Paxton and performed for President Obama at a 40th anniversary celebration in Washington D.C. for Representative Dave Obey, who is a fan of the group.
Lost Album
Early in 1963, The Chad Mitchell Trio was hired to perform on a comedy album recorded at RCA Victor studios in New York City. Comedian Wally Cox wrote a script poking fun at the controversy raging at that time over what could be legitimately called a folk song and who could be considered pure and unsullied folk singers.
Along with the Belafonte Singers, the trio recorded several songs used on the album. At one point, Cox suggests that folk songs were not solely the province of hillbillies. He suggested people with urban rootscitibilliescould also share in folk music traditions. The Ballad of Murder Incorporated was written by Ernie Lieberman, who performed under the name Ernie Sheldon. Ernie replaced Lou Gottlieb in The Gateway Singers in 1958. He later joined The Limeliters as Glen Yarbrough in the Limeliters.
Once Coxs album was recorded, it received a cold reception from RCA. The project never got out of the studio and only three copies of the album were pressed.
I didnt think the whole thing worked at all, Mike said. The album just wasnt funny. So I didnt show it to anyone. during one of their interview sessions for We Never Knew Just What It Was The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio. That was the first time Chad ever heard the recording.
The album might not have been funny, but this song is, and it was performed superbly by Mike, Joe and Chad accompanied by Paul Prestopino on guitar.
Discography
Here is a list of albums released by The Chad Mitchell Trio:
| Album Title | Year |
|---|---|
| Mighty Day on Campus (Kapp) | 1961 |
| At the Bitter End (Kapp) | 1962 |
| In Action (Kapp; re-issued as Blowin' in the Wind) | 1962 |
| The Best Of (Kapp) | 1963 |
| Singin' Our Mind (Mercury) | 1963 |
| Reflecting (Mercury) | 1964 |
| Slightly Irreverent (Mercury) | 1964 |
| Typical American Boys (Mercury) | 1965 |
| Alive! The Chad Mitchell Reunion... | N/A |
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