Formed at the University of Oregon in the wake of
the Kingston Trio's massive early-'60s success by banjo player Charlie Oxama and guitarist Pete Apo, both from Hawaii, and mainland bassist Dick Shirley,
the Travelers 3 recorded three albums for Elektra Records, of which this is the first. Sticking pretty close to the
Kingston Trio template,
the Travelers tackled the usual traditional folk material, although Oxama's hyper-charged banjo playing gave them a relatively more aggressive feel, and tracks here like the opener, "Roll Along," and the zippy "Bowling Green" have a charming, headlong kinetic edge lacking in most of the so-called "suit and tie" harmony trios prevalent during the folk revival. No bonus material was added to this reissue, however, so it all comes in at around 30 minutes in length, making it a pretty brief collection by CD-era standards. The Travelers 3 left Elektra for Capitol, where they added a drummer and tried their hand at folk-rock. Eventually Oxama and Apo returned to Hawaii and formed
Na Kama Hele (Hawaiian for "the travelers"), releasing a couple of albums themed around traditional Hawaiian music. ~ Steve Leggett