By Ken Paulson
–The New Christy Minstrels, a highly commercial folk ensemble formed in 1962, is perhaps best known today for the musical achievements of alumni, including Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes and Gene Clark.
Former band members went on to play in the Byrds, the Association and the First Edition, a measure of the rich recruiting done by founder Randy Sparks.
Documenting that history is The New Christy Minstrels, 1962-1970, a Real Gone Music collection. The excellent liner notes by Tom Pickles document the path of the group from groundbreaking “folk chorus” to a folk corporation with interchangeable parts.
The New Christy Minstrels were lampooned in the film A Mighty Wind, and a handful of tracks here sound like they could have come from the movie soundtrack. The group’s “This Land is Your Land” conveniently excises Guthrie’s lyrics about the inequity of land ownership.
But other songs are quite notable, including five of their six charting singles and the long-shelved “Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings,” a Mickey Newbury song performed by a young Kenny Rogers.
There’s also the oddity “You Need Someone to Love,” a 1970 release featuring session singers rather than group members. It’s a fun bit of pop that could have come from that Fifth Dimension’s catalog.
For New Christy Minstrels fans, this long-awaited compilation will be a real treat. For others, it offers a glimpse into a time when clean-cut Americans with banjos looked like the next big thing.
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