John Stewart, the former member of The Cumberland Three and The Kingston Trio, suffered a stroke and died on Saturday at the age of 68. Although he was a respected musician within the folk scene and now regarded as a vital player in the roots-rock movement, I know very little of his work outside of The Kingston Trio of which he became a member in 1961, replacing founder Dave Guard. He did, however, release a single in 1979 that captivated me and fueled my dreams of escape as my transition to high school brought me a few steps closer to freedom."Gold" was all over the radio in Baltimore during that summer, aided by the witchy-wailing of Stevie Nicks and the guitar work of Lindsey Buckingham which managed to conjure both the feeling of a warm LA breeze blowing through my hair as I cruised Santa Monica Boulevard care free in a convertible and the sense that the floorboard was alive with snakes. I couldn't wait to get there and began searching for a Saint Patrick medal.
Oddly enough, when I did get around to cruising Santa Monica Boulevard, it was exactly as I had imagined except for the convertible. And the snakes. Probably because I had two Irishmen in the car.
