SAN DIEGO - Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio who jump-started the revival folk scene of the late 1950s and paved the way for artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, has died. He was 75.
David "Pop" Winans, April 9: The gospel music patriarch -- BeBe and CeCe are his kids -- was twice nominated for Grammys, in 1989 for his album with wife Delores, pictured, and again in 1999 for a solo album. He died at a Nashville hospice, seven months after suffering a heart attack and stroke.
Arnold Turner, WireImage / Getty Images
Bud Shank, April 2: The alto saxophonist and flutist died at age 82. He was most famous for his work with acts like the Mamas and the Papas and his flute work can be heard on their song 'California Dreamin'.'
GAB Archive / Redferns / Getty Images
Hal Durham, March 29: He was a fixture on the Grand Ole Opry stage, working at the famed country music institution for 32 years. He was 77.
Donnie Beauchamp, Gaylord Entertainment / AP
Dan Seals, March 25: The singer, who scored a number of pop and country hits, died at 61 of leukemia. Seals was half of the pop duo, England Dan and John Ford Coley, best known for the ballad, 'I'd Really Love to See You Tonight.'
Beth Gwinn, Retna
Uriel Jones, March 24: One of the original members of the Funk Brothers, a Motown group that played with Marvin Gaye and The Temptations, Jones died after suffering complications from a heart attack. He was 74.
Tabatha Fireman, Redferns / Getty Images
Darnell "King Tut" Brittingham, March 18: The rapper most notable for his association with Harlem hip-hop group Dipset took his own life during a confrontation with police. He was 23.
Courtesy of MySpace.com
Hank Locklin, March 8: For half a century, the Grand Ole Opry star masterfully fused the Honky Tonk and Nashville sounds, making timeless hits like 'Please Help Me I'm Falling' and 'Send Me the Pillow You Dream On.' Locklin died at his home in Alabama of undisclosed causes. He was 91.
Frank Driggs Collection / Getty Images
Randy Bewley, Feb. 25: The Pylon guitarist suffered a heart attack while driving. His Athens, GA band inspired many others, including R.E.M., with their distinctive, danceable pop sound.
Chris McKay, Retna
Kelly Groucutt, Feb. 19: He provided the bass end to classic ELO hits such as 'Mr. Blue Sky,' 'Do Ya' and 'Livin' Thing.' Groucutt died after having a heart attack, his management confirmed. He was 63.
Fin Costello, Getty Images
Louie Bellson, Feb. 14: The American big band drummer, composer and bandleader was 84.
Evans / Three Lions / Getty Images
Reynolds had been hospitalized with acute respiratory disease and other illnesses, and died Wednesday in San Diego after his family took him off life support, said son Joshua Reynolds.
"Dad was so happy he turned people onto music in a way that people could really approach it, in a simple and honest way," Josh Reynolds told The Associated Press. "He was a very gracious and loving performer. He was a devoted family man."
The Kingston Trio's version of the 19th century folk song "Tom Dooley" landed the group a No. 1 spot on the charts in 1958, and launched the band's career.
Born on July 27, 1933, in San Diego, Nicholas Reynolds demonstrated an early love of music and did sing-alongs with his two sisters and their Navy captain-father, who taught him to play guitar.
He graduated from Coronado High School in 1951 and attended the University of Arizona and San Diego State University before attending Menlo College, a business school near Palo Alto. He graduated from Menlo in 1956.
It was during the mid-1950s that Nicholas Reynolds met Bob Shane, who introduced him to Stanford student Dave Guard. Guard and Shane knew each other from playing music in Guard's native Hawaii. The three formed the Kingston Trio.
In 1958, "Tom Dooley" earned Reynolds, Guard and Shane a trophy for best country and western performance at the first Grammys. The group, defined by tight harmonies and a clean-cut style, went on to win a Grammy the next year for best folk performance for its album "The Kingston Trio At Large."
Later member John Stewart joined the group in 1961, replacing Guard. Stewart died in January, also in San Diego.
After leaving the Kingston Trio in 1967, Reynolds moved to Oregon, where he stayed until the 1980s and took a break from music to raise his family, his son said.
Reynolds moved back to California in the mid-1980s and rejoined Stewart for one album. In 1991, Reynolds rejoined Shane in a reconstituted version of the Trio. He remained with the group until retiring in 2003, his son said.
Reynolds is survived by his wife Leslie, sons Joshua and John Pike Reynolds, daughters Annie Reynolds Moore and Jennifer Reynolds, and his two sisters.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
