Bob, I think you do a great job of explaining the intricacies of the Trio performances. I say this having never seen the Trio with you as a member, although I have heard KT recordings that included your contributions. I am among those who believe the visual aspect of the KT was almost as important as their sound and I always thought Nick was the catalyst of the "look." Obviously, I'm talking about performance energy and Nick was a master.

Personally, I was always partial to the Nick, Bob and John trio, but that's probably because I was a couple of years too young to have appreciated the original group other than liking Tom Dooley and MTA. I thought that the image the NBJ group portrayed was all about having fun---and being cool. Nick and John obviously, to me anyway, had a chemistry that was contagious. Nick had a great quality to his voice.....his ability to hit the high notes with a fullness to his voice made the sound unique.

As the Trio has evolved over the years, the sound has changed. It changed drastically during the "New KT" days, then returned to closer to the original sound as George, Roger and Bob H.came and went. Bob Shane's voice was the anchor to the sound---his is the voice that cannot be replaced. This because of his unique sound and the fact that his "sound" was the lead on most songs.

I'm probably not qualified to comment on the instrumental changes....(probably not qualified to comment on the vocals either)

There is always talk about the "tribute" band aspect of the KT. I always felt that as long as there was at least one original member, it was still the Kingston Trio. Today's group is made up of three fine singers and instrumentalists who perform Kingston Trio songs.