When we first went to New York we copied everyone under the sun.  I wanted ot emote like Belafonte.  He was it, as far as I was concerned.  The vibrancy of the Kingston Trio appealed to me as well.

It was that way for some time.  One of my first creative thoughts with the Trio, the one that really started me moving toward the more exciting possibilities of folk music, was "Johnny."  I had heard the Irish song "Johnny, I Hardly Knew Ye" and it had a tremendous impact on me.  I came to Milt Okun, our musical director, with the idea of combining it with "When Johnny Comes Marching Home."  It was the contrast that moved me.  At the time, I had not yet become involved in the anti-war movement.

Finally, something truly exciting had sprung up.  It was the first time I realized that we could combine traditional and contemporary songs to express a political and social point of view.  For me, it was the ideal marriage fo the legacies of Lyle Moore and Woody Guthrie.  I suppose that without consciously knowing it, this was my moment of decision.  I wasn't going to be a doctor.

When Joe Frazier and our new manager, Frank Fried, joined the group, my convictions became more defined.  Joe challenged me with strong opinions that forced me to respond.  In the process, many of the ideas I had been searching for started to take form.

There was much dissension in the group during these formative years.  There was a real danger of breaking up but we hung on. In this setting of the conflicts, the group found its identity... without any of us sacrificing individuality.  Artistic sureness flowed naturally out of personal belief.

When I think of the hours of discussion and the ideas that were involved in each piece of material we developed, I hope the Trio will be remembered not only for our musicality and humor, but also for the overall message of our performances.