Bob Shane - the last surviving member of the Kingston Trio - has passed away. Dwight is your go-to guy for obits, and he doesn't disappoint here. He mentions Charlie On The MTA which was a huge hit in New England when I was a kid in the 1960s. Of course, every kid asked the sarcastic question: if his wife can hand him a sandwich through the window, why doesn't she just hand him a nickel?
It still is a hit there, actually almost mythical. In 2004 the MBTA rolled out an electronic ticket card that they named the Charlycard, and the Kingston Trio played this song at the unveiling ceremony. If you take the T from Logan airport into town you'll get one of these, a bit of the legend become concrete.
Interestingly, it is said that the song is loosely based on the song The Wreck Of Old 97 which we've seen here before.
Rest in peace, Mr. Shane.
Sad that they're all gone.
ReplyDeleteHeard "MTA" it once on radio in the '70s, and fell in love with it instantly. Stickin' it to The Man is always in style.
"He's the man who never returned...
He's the man who never returned...
Et tu, Charlie?...
How many people will know the reference to the Scollay Square station?
ReplyDeleteThat song was a lot of fun.