The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley | - 1958

: The Kingston Trio’s version traded the graphic details of the original "love quadrangle" for "Appalachian atmospherics," turning a gritty tragedy into a polished pop-folk hit. Cultural and Commercial Impact

Released in 1958, "Tom Dooley" became a "mammoth hit" that reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts and sold over three million copies. The Kingston Trio - Tom Dooley - 1958

The song is based on the 1866 murder of in Wilkes County, North Carolina. The man convicted of the crime was Tom Dula (pronounced "Dooley" in the local dialect), a Confederate veteran and farmhand. : The Kingston Trio’s version traded the graphic