PHOENIX (CelebrityAccess) – Bob Shane, the last of the original members of the seminal folk group The Kingston Trio, passed away Sunday (Jan. 26) at the age of 85.
His death was confirmed by his niece Liane Schoen Soer in a Facebook post on Monday.
“I am sad to report that my uncle (Bob Schoen) Bob Shane, founder and sole survivor of The Kingston Trio died last night just 6 days short of his 86th birthday,” Soer wrote. She added: “To me he was just my uncle Bob, while fans around the world adored him as a great singer and fun guy! I saw many of his concerts growing up, and one my favorite songs, that he rarely sang, but did when I was there, was They Call The Wind Maria. That is why I named my first born Mariah. I’m so grateful that life took me to Arizona and I wound up living only 20 minutes away from Bob which and gave me a chance to grow closer to him.”
Shane, Dave Guard and Nick Reynolds, who formed The Kingston Trio in the San Francisco Bay area in the 1950s, were largely credited with sparking the folk music revival. Over the course of its career, the group placed seventeen songs on the Billboard Hot 100, and another 11 titles on the Billboard 200 chart.
Signed to Capitol Records, The Kingston Trio was best known for its 1958 chart-topping hit “Tom Dooley,” which took home a Grammy at the award show’s first-ever ceremony in 1959. For several years, they were the most popular folk group in America.
After disbanding in 1967, Shane launched a solo career. Two years later in 1969, he formed the New Kingston Trio with other members.
In 2011, he received a Lifetime Achievement Grammy award alongside Julie Andrews and Dolly Parton
Shane is survived by his five children and eight grandchildren, among other family members.
