The New Christy Minstrels is an American folk music group that came to prominence in the 1960s. The name deliberately evoked Christy's Minstrels, an enormously popular 19th century blackface minstrel group founded by Edwin Pearce Christy.

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Career

Formed by Randy Sparks in 1961, the group had several Top 40 folk music hits, including "This Land Is Your Land", "Green, Green", "Today" and "Ramblin'". Current members of the group include Randy Sparks, Clarence Treat, Jackie Miller Davidson, Art Podell, Dolan Ellis, Becky Jo Benson and Bill Boycott.

The New Christy Minstrels' film score for the 1964 comedy movie, Advance to the Rear , featuring Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens, was the first complete soundtrack ever made in the folk music style. The score is notable for the hit standard "Today" and several others, including "This Old Riverboat" and "Company of Cowards" (the original title). The soundtrack album has been re-released on CD as Today .

Past members

Some of the group's most famous alumni include:

• Kenny Rogers
• The Byrds' Gene Clark (d. 1991)
• Kim Carnes
• The Association's Larry Ramos
• Baxter Taylor (ex-The Wayfarers Trio)
• Barry McGuire of Eve Of Destruction fame
• Peggy Conolly
• Karen Dugan
• Gayle Caldwell (d. 2009)
• Larry Gallagher ^[1]
• Karen Gundersen
• Ann White
• Tom Ryan (presently with Cubensis)
• Nick Woods (d. 1971)
• Barry Kane
• Karen Black
• Keith Barbour
• Terry Anne Meeuwsen, former Miss America
• Thelma Camacho
• Mike Settle
• Terry Williams

The last three were original founders of The First Edition, along with Kenny Rogers. In the early 1970s, the group's roster included future Broadway stars Christine Andreas and Linda Hart.

Partial discography

• Presenting The New Christy Minstrels
• The New Christy Minstrels In Person
• The New Christy Minstrels Tell Tall Tales! (Legends and Nonsense)
• Ramblin
• Merry Christmas
• Land of Giants
• Today and Other Songs from 'Advance to the Rear
• Live from Ledbetter's
• Quiet Sides of the New Christy Minstrels
• The New Christy Minstrels Sing and Play Cowboys and Indians
• Amore Ritorna... (released only in Italy)
• Chim Chim Cher-ee and Other Happy Songs
• The Wandering Minstrels
• My Own Little World (released only in Japan)
• The New Christy Minstrels' Greatest Hits
• In Italy...In Italian
• New Kick!
• Christmas with the Christies
• On Tour Through Motortown
• Big Hits from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (with Arthur Treacher)
• The New Christy Minstrels a San Remo (released only in Italy)
• The New Christy Minstrels (released only in Japan)
• You Need Someone to Love
• Keep Japan Beautiful (released only in Japan)
• The Great Soap Opera Themes
• Merry Christmas, Volume II

Footnotes

1. Cdbaby.com