ALAMOSA — Society Hall, 400 Ross Ave., Alamosa, is excited to feature Legendary folk pioneers the Limeliters on Saturday, March 29. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show beginning at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 and are available online at www.societyhall.org or in Alamosa at The Green Spot, 711 State Ave. The concert will also stream live on the Society Hall Facebook page and You-Tube channel. 

For 60-plus years the Limeliters have entertained standing-room-only crowds with their incredible musical talent and zany sense of humor. They first made their mark in folk clubs and on college campuses during the height of the folk music boom of the early 60′s, which led to numerous TV appearances. With different configurations over the years, the group has preserved their signature vocal sound. 

The Limeliters were formed in July, 1959 by Louis Gottlieb (bass), Alex Hassilev (baritone), and Glenn Yarbrough (tenor). It was springtime in Los Angeles, and “Cosmo Alley” was the nightclub to frequent. Lou Gottlieb, fresh from obtaining his Ph.D in musicology, just happened to be in the audience when Alex Hassilev and Glenn Yarbrough appeared on stage to sing a duet together. It was a chance meeting . . . and a legendary one. Lou, who was then working as a vocal arranger, originally thought that “these two guys” could help him make some demos for The Kingston Trio. However, when the three started working together, they could not restrain the magic. 

Soon, they packed up and headed to Aspen to work at a ski lodge called “The Limelite,” which Glenn and Alex had purchased after singing there during the previous ski season. After a short period of perfecting their act, they set off for the “Hungry i” in San Francisco, which at the time, was the West Coast nerve center for the mushrooming contemporary folk movement. The owner had just had a group with three long names strung together and wasn’t about to put “Yarbrough, Hassilev, and Gottlieb” up on the marquee. But the group hadn’t really decided on a name yet. So where had they last been playing? When they answered “The Limelite,” he said, “that’s your name from now on.” 

More than all the albums, what the Limeliters are truly famous for is their trademark “Limeliters sound.” Never having a true chart-topping hit record, they are loved for a large collection of rousing songs including such audience-pleasers as “There’s a Meetin’ Here Tonight,” “City of New Orleans,” “A Dollar Down,” “Have Some Madeira M’Dear,” “Lonesome Traveler,” “Wabash Cannonball,” “Whiskey in the Jar,” and many others which are performed on their 25+ record albums and in their exciting concerts. 

During the seventies, in response to an ever-greater demand from their many fans, starting in 1976, the Limeliters embarked on a series of yearly reunion tours with Glenn Yarbrough. These were so successful that in 1981, Alex and Lou decided to reform the group and to get back into the mainstream of entertainment. 

Today, after six decades in the music business, the Limeliters are still one of the most exciting and entertaining vocal acts touring the country. With the addition of newest members, C. Daniel Boling and Steve Brooks, the Limeliters are poised to “pass the music on” to new audiences, young and old.