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In the late 50’s and early
60’s folk music was very popular, led by The Kingston Trio, Harry
Belafonte and Bud and Travis. Tom and Dick Smothers tried to sing folk
songs, but they couldn’t play it straight. Fortunately, the comedy
boom was on, and along with Homer and Jethro and Allan Sherman, Tom and
Dick Smothers became best-selling musical comedy stars. Although Tom was
actually the older brother, he played the goofy, undisciplined kid…the
class clown. 1962’s “Two Sides of The Smothers Brothers”
album had one side of comedy and one side of straight music. The rest
of their albums – and they averaged one every year – were all
comedy, and most of it built on attitude, not jokes. The fun was mostly
in watching Tom’s trouble-making personality.
Sibling Revelry, The Best of the Smothers Brothers,
Rhino Records, 1998.
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