[2] The group sold millions of records, was in demand at concerts and on television shows[3] and helped launch the musical careers of several musicians, including Kenny Rogers, Gene Clark, Kim Carnes, Larry Ramos and Barry McGuire.
[3] Randy Sparks had been a solo performer, mixing folk music with pop standards and playing club dates on the West Coast and in Manhattan.
Sparks felt that the seemingly perfect sound of such groups lacked the rustic character of actual folk performance.
The group was meant to be a recording act exclusively, and several members joined with the assumption that their commitment would be for occasional studio work.
[6][5] In 1963, the album won a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Chorus[2] and remained on the Billboard 200 chart for two years, peaking at number 19.
Also at Townsend's request, Sparks hired business managers George Greif and Sid Garris[9] to help his large, unproven group secure bookings.
The new lineup debuted their act at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in July–August 1962, which included a mix of folk Americana, vaudevillian humor and solos, duos and trios.
In early December, the group appeared at the Cocoanut Grove with comedian George Gobel and then at Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl with singer/comedian Allan Sherman.
"[3] In April 1963, following a successful appearance at the Latin Quarter in New York, the group recorded another studio album, Ramblin'.
[15][16] In May 1963, Sparks stopped touring to focus on developing material and opening a night club in Los Angeles called Ledbetter's, which he intended as a training ground for future group members.
[20] In 1963, Sparks was contracted to create a film score for Advance to the Rear, featuring Glenn Ford and Stella Stevens.
[23][24] Each episode had an outdoor setting, with two filmed at the 1964 New York World's Fair and three in the Los Angeles area: Disneyland, Knott's Berry Farm, and Pacific Ocean Park.
Ledbetter's became a showcase for performers who later enjoyed great fame, including John Denver, Carpenters, the Hager Twins, Gary Mule Deer, and Steve Martin.
[30] In January 1965, the New Christy Minstrels, now under the leadership of Greif and Garris, embarked on their first European tour, appearing in London, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Amsterdam, and Italy, where they performed the two winning songs at the Sanremo Music Festival 1965.
One of these songs, "Le colline sono in fiore," which featured a romantic duet by Nick Woods and Karen Gunderson,[31] became a No.
Greif and Garris were rooted in the Big Band era and had little interest in the fading folk music genre, so they transitioned the group to more of a variety act with novelty and pop tunes mixed with some comedy.
In 1970, they performed during Super Bowl IV at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, where they were introduced as "young Americans who demonstrate—with guitars.
"[35][36] In 1972, Greif-Garris Management was faced with a revolt when group members demanded more creative control and equitable treatment.