Dave Guard, Nick Reynolds, and Bob Shane formed the Kingston Trio in Palo Alto, California in June 1957.

The single's success helped propel their debut album to the number one spot of the Billboard Pop chart.

"Tom Dooley" was the Trio's second single—the first was "Scarlet Ribbons" b/w "Three Jolly Coachmen" —and it would remain on the charts for five months and earned the group their only gold single.

Guard is quoted "We are not students of folk music; the basic thing for us is honest and worthwhile songs, that people can pick up and become involved in...

[7] In an AllMusic retrospective summary, Bruce Eder calls the Kingston Trio's debut album less polished than contemporary folk music groups such as The Easy Riders, but feel they made up for it "with youthful spring, exuberance, freshness, and a number of song choices that spoke of a new generation of folk singing."