The Cumberland Three Vinyl Record Albums

John Stewart (b. Sep. 5, 1939, San Diego, CA) started out playing professionally in rock & roll in the late '50s. He moved toward folk music while in college, however, and hooked up with John Montgomery. They formed a banjo/guitar duet, John & Monty, and in 1960 added bassist Gil Robbins (b. Rubin) to their lineup, forming the Cumberland Three, a group modeled after the Kingston Trio, and signed to Roulette Records. Every label was looking for its own Kingston Trio, but the Cumberland Three succeeded better than most by virtue of the talent involved -- their first album showed promise, but it was their second and third albums, Civil War Almanac Vol. 1: The Yankees and Civil War Almanac, Vol. 2: The Rebels, both issued in 1960, that have lingered longest in memory.