Kathy and Carol
Encyclopedia
Kathleen Larisch and Carol McComb are American
singers and instrumentalists who performed together in the 1960s as Kathy and Carol. As a duo, they released an acclaimed 1965 folk song album on Elektra Records
, before pursuing separate careers. They have reunited to perform together on several occasions in recent years.
, in the early 1960s. They both played guitar and autoharp
, and claimed influences from Joan Baez
, Gene Autry
, and Tex Ritter
, among others. They worked as a duo in Southern California folk clubs, sometimes opening for the likes of Bill Monroe
, Taj Mahal
and Phil Ochs
, and performed regularly at the Ash Grove
in Los Angeles
. Folk musician Michael Cooney then introduced them to singer Mark Spoelstra
, who in turn recommended them to Elektra producer Paul Rothchild. In mid-1964, after they had performed at the Berkeley
Folk Festival, Joan Baez also recommended them to Rothchild, and he agreed to record a demo
session with them. Elektra label boss Jac Holzman
heard the recordings and agreed that they should make an album, which was recorded, with Rothchild producing, in the winter of 1964-65.
Their only album, Kathy & Carol, was released in April 1965. It contained mostly traditional British and American ballads, apart from one song written by Spoelstra. Paul Rothchild said of their album that it was "the most beautiful Renaissance ballad record I ever heard. It's just perfect. If you like Joan Baez, here's Joan Baez times two, with gorgeous harmony, singing purist songs like angels." Rothchild also said that the extraordinary sound of the girls' voices was due to their virginal nature and by the time they returned to record a second album this phase of their lives was over and the magic had gone. Critic Richie Unterberger
stated that "what made it stand out most from similar releases of the time were the pair's extraordinary close, high, and haunting harmonies." McComb said later: "We would hear somebody like Bonnie Dobson
or Joan Baez or Judy Collins
do a song, and we would decide that we would want to do that song. But we never wanted to do anybody else's versions of the song. So we'd... find ourselves the best set of words we could, and we'd copy out various different melodies out of the songbooks... We would put together the best melody we could find with the best lyrics we could find, and that would be the Kathy & Carol version. We just didn't want to do it like anybody else did it."
The album was released shortly before the Newport Folk Festival
, where the duo performed a song by Richard Fariña
which was later released as part of the CD of the festival. They also began work to record a second LP, writing some of their own material and preparing to perform with a rock band - it is not known which one. However, in early 1966 Paul Rothchild was imprisoned on drug charges, and the album was never recorded. The pair did record for the small Folk-Legacy label, but that work was also unreleased because the duo's songs, by that time, were going beyond the traditional folk material in which the label specialised. Further material produced by Larry Murray of the band Hearts & Flowers
was not released, and the duo also recorded unreleased material with both Linda Ronstadt
and Rusty Young, later of Poco
. In the late 1960s, the duo split up when Larisch decided to pursue a fine arts degree.
. She has exhibited work in the media of painting, printed textiles, prints on paper, and photography.
Carol McComb continued to be an active performer. She played and toured with Mimi Fariña
between 1969 and 1971, and released a solo album, Love Can Take You Home Again, in 1975. Between 1975 and 1980 she fronted a band called Moonstone, who released one album. Her solo albums included Tears into Laughter (1990) and Little Bit of Heaven (2000). She wrote and published the instructional book Country and Blues Guitar for the Musically Hopeless (1991), and has run folk guitar workshops in Palo Alto, California
, as well as teaching guitar, harmony singing, voice and songwriting in the San Francisco Bay Area
and at summer music camps nationwide. She also formed the Gryphon Quintet, and later the Gryphon Carollers with Ed Johnson and student members of a harmony singing class at Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Both the Quintet and the Carollers released albums, including They All Laughed (1983), Undecided (1985), Gryphon Quintet - Live! (1987), Winter's Gift (1997), and One December Night (2004).
They released a new album, Keepsake, on Hazelwood Records in 2010. The album consists of traditional folk songs, some originally recorded by the Carter Family
, and others written by McComb.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singers and instrumentalists who performed together in the 1960s as Kathy and Carol. As a duo, they released an acclaimed 1965 folk song album on Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
, before pursuing separate careers. They have reunited to perform together on several occasions in recent years.
Early career and recordings
Kathy Larisch and Carol McComb began singing together when in high school at Vista, CaliforniaVista, California
Vista is a city in north San Diego County, California. It was incorporated January 28, 1963 and became a charter city on June 13, 2007. Located just seven miles inland from the Pacific Ocean in northern San Diego County, the City of Vista has a Mediterranean climate...
, in the early 1960s. They both played guitar and autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
, and claimed influences from Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
, Gene Autry
Gene Autry
Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...
, and Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
, among others. They worked as a duo in Southern California folk clubs, sometimes opening for the likes of Bill Monroe
Bill Monroe
William Smith Monroe was an American musician who created the style of music known as bluegrass, which takes its name from his band, the "Blue Grass Boys," named for Monroe's home state of Kentucky. Monroe's performing career spanned 60 years as a singer, instrumentalist, composer and bandleader...
, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal (musician)
Henry Saint Clair Fredericks , who uses the stage name Taj Mahal, is an American Grammy Award winning blues musician. He incorporates elements of world music into his music...
and Phil Ochs
Phil Ochs
Philip David Ochs was an American protest singer and songwriter who was known for his sharp wit, sardonic humor, earnest humanism, political activism, insightful and alliterative lyrics, and haunting voice...
, and performed regularly at the Ash Grove
Ash Grove (music club)
The Ash Grove was a folk music club located at 8162 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, founded in 1958 by Ed Pearl and named after the Welsh folk song, "The Ash Grove."...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Folk musician Michael Cooney then introduced them to singer Mark Spoelstra
Mark Spoelstra
Mark Warren Spoelstra was an American singer-songwriter and folk and blues guitarist.He was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri. He began his musical career in Los Angeles in his teens and migrated around to wind up in New York City in time to take part in the folk music revival of the early...
, who in turn recommended them to Elektra producer Paul Rothchild. In mid-1964, after they had performed at the Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
Folk Festival, Joan Baez also recommended them to Rothchild, and he agreed to record a demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
session with them. Elektra label boss Jac Holzman
Jac Holzman
Jac Holzman was the founder, chief executive officer and head of both Elektra Records and Nonesuch Records.-Biography:He founded Elektra Records in his St. John's College dorm room in 1950 and Nonesuch Records in 1964...
heard the recordings and agreed that they should make an album, which was recorded, with Rothchild producing, in the winter of 1964-65.
Their only album, Kathy & Carol, was released in April 1965. It contained mostly traditional British and American ballads, apart from one song written by Spoelstra. Paul Rothchild said of their album that it was "the most beautiful Renaissance ballad record I ever heard. It's just perfect. If you like Joan Baez, here's Joan Baez times two, with gorgeous harmony, singing purist songs like angels." Rothchild also said that the extraordinary sound of the girls' voices was due to their virginal nature and by the time they returned to record a second album this phase of their lives was over and the magic had gone. Critic Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger
Richie Unterberger is a US author and journalist whose focus is popular music and travel writing.-Life and writing:Having worked as a DJ at WXPN in Philadelphia, he started reviewing records for Op magazine in 1983...
stated that "what made it stand out most from similar releases of the time were the pair's extraordinary close, high, and haunting harmonies." McComb said later: "We would hear somebody like Bonnie Dobson
Bonnie Dobson
Bonnie Dobson is a Canadian folk music songwriter, singer, and guitarist, most known in the 1960s for composing the songs "I'm Your Woman" and "Morning Dew"...
or Joan Baez or Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Judith Marjorie "Judy" Collins is an American singer and songwriter, known for her eclectic tastes in the material she records ; and for her social activism. She is an alumna of the University of Colorado.-Musical career:Collins was born and raised in Seattle, Washington...
do a song, and we would decide that we would want to do that song. But we never wanted to do anybody else's versions of the song. So we'd... find ourselves the best set of words we could, and we'd copy out various different melodies out of the songbooks... We would put together the best melody we could find with the best lyrics we could find, and that would be the Kathy & Carol version. We just didn't want to do it like anybody else did it."
The album was released shortly before the Newport Folk Festival
Newport Folk Festival
The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival in Newport, Rhode Island, which began in 1959 as a counterpart to the previously established Newport Jazz Festival...
, where the duo performed a song by Richard Fariña
Richard Fariña
Richard George Fariña was an American writer and folksinger.-Early years and education:Richard Fariña was born in Brooklyn, New York, of Cuban and Irish descent. He grew up in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn and attended Brooklyn Technical High School...
which was later released as part of the CD of the festival. They also began work to record a second LP, writing some of their own material and preparing to perform with a rock band - it is not known which one. However, in early 1966 Paul Rothchild was imprisoned on drug charges, and the album was never recorded. The pair did record for the small Folk-Legacy label, but that work was also unreleased because the duo's songs, by that time, were going beyond the traditional folk material in which the label specialised. Further material produced by Larry Murray of the band Hearts & Flowers
Hearts & Flowers
Hearts & Flowers was a Los Angeles folk-rock club band, perhaps most significant as one of the groups that launched the career of Eagles' founding member and guitarist-songwriter, Bernie Leadon. The lineup included Larry Murray , Dave Dawson and Rick Cunha . Leadon replaced Cunha on their second...
was not released, and the duo also recorded unreleased material with both Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt is an American popular music recording artist. She has earned eleven Grammy Awards, two Academy of Country Music awards, an Emmy Award, an ALMA Award, numerous United States and internationally certified gold, platinum and multiplatinum albums, in addition to Tony Award and Golden...
and Rusty Young, later of Poco
Poco
Poco is an Southern California country rock band originally formed by Richie Furay and Jim Messina following the demise of Buffalo Springfield in 1968. The title of their first album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, is a reference to the break-up of Buffalo Springfield. Highly influential and creative,...
. In the late 1960s, the duo split up when Larisch decided to pursue a fine arts degree.
Later careers
Kathleen Larisch gave up her career in music, and later became a teacher of fine arts at California College of the ArtsCalifornia College of the Arts
California College of the Arts , founded in 1907, is known for its broad, interdisciplinary programs in art, design, architecture, and writing. It has two campuses, one in Oakland and one in San Francisco, California, USA...
. She has exhibited work in the media of painting, printed textiles, prints on paper, and photography.
Carol McComb continued to be an active performer. She played and toured with Mimi Fariña
Mimi Fariña
Mimi Baez Fariña was a singer-songwriter and activist, the youngest of three daughters to a Scottish mother and Mexican-American physicist Albert Baez .- Early years:Fariña's father, a physicist affiliated with Stanford University and MIT, moved his family...
between 1969 and 1971, and released a solo album, Love Can Take You Home Again, in 1975. Between 1975 and 1980 she fronted a band called Moonstone, who released one album. Her solo albums included Tears into Laughter (1990) and Little Bit of Heaven (2000). She wrote and published the instructional book Country and Blues Guitar for the Musically Hopeless (1991), and has run folk guitar workshops in Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a California charter city located in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. The city shares its borders with East Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Stanford, Portola Valley, and Menlo Park. It is...
, as well as teaching guitar, harmony singing, voice and songwriting in the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and at summer music camps nationwide. She also formed the Gryphon Quintet, and later the Gryphon Carollers with Ed Johnson and student members of a harmony singing class at Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Both the Quintet and the Carollers released albums, including They All Laughed (1983), Undecided (1985), Gryphon Quintet - Live! (1987), Winter's Gift (1997), and One December Night (2004).
Reissues and reunions
Kathy & Carol was reissued by Collector's Choice Music in 2004. Following that, the pair reunited to perform at the California Autoharp Gathering in 2005 and 2006, and have also performed together at other events in California.They released a new album, Keepsake, on Hazelwood Records in 2010. The album consists of traditional folk songs, some originally recorded by the Carter Family
Carter Family
The Carter Family was a traditional American folk music group that recorded between 1927 and 1956. Their music had a profound impact on bluegrass, country, Southern Gospel, pop and rock musicians as well as on the U.S. folk revival of the 1960s. They were the first vocal group to become country...
, and others written by McComb.
Kathy and Carol
- Kathy & Carol, Elektra EKL 289 (Mono) / EKS 7289 (Stereo), 1965
- Reissue, Collector's Choice B00020QWRS, 2004
- Keepsake, Hazelwood, 2010
Carol McComb
- Love Can Take You Home Again, 1975, Bay Records (Carol McComb and Friends)
- They All Laughed, 1983 (Gryphon Quintet)
- Undecided, 1985 (Gryphon Quintet)
- Live!, 1987 (Gryphon Quintet)
- Tears into Laughter, 1990
- Winter's Gift, 1997 (Gryphon Carollers)
- Little Bit of Heaven, 2000
- One December Night, 2004 (Gryphon Carollers)