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 The Gateway Singers
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The Weavers had been a long-established folk group in America, with traditional ties and a purist approach to their material. They might be considered to be the foundation stone on which the whole commercial boom of the fifties and sixties rested. But with their roots and orientation, there was almost a lining which separated them from the structure they came to “support.”
If there was to evolve a West Coast version of the eastern group, it was bound to be innovative, splashy and contemporary - as one would expect from anything to spring from California soil.
And those are exactly the qualities which characterized The Gateway Singers, the quartet which represented the vanguard of a movement that successfully swept across America during the next decade and a half.
Mentors to the Kingston Trio, among others, The Gateway Singers can be credited not only with popularizing folk music but also, taking it beyond the coffee houses and putting it on the concert stage - modifying, re-shaping, reworking folk material to make it more acceptable to contemporary ears.
Whereas they became known to the world in 1957 through their first LP, “Puttin' on the Style,” the group was actually founded over three years earlier by someone who was not on that album at all.
He was Jim Wood, who originally collaborated with Jerry Walter and (the not yet legendary) Lou Gottlieb to put together music for a pilot TV western. Although they were unable to meet the tight deadline, the three musicians decided to stick together and form a vocal trio.
That moment in history was the Big Bang of the modern folk era.
Besides the idea of doing something exciting with folk music, one of their earliest decisions was to expand into a quartet, and they knew exactly what they wanted - a female voice which was rich, strong and elastic to execute the challenging arrangements Lou Gottlieb was developing. There were numerous experimentations. Even the renowned blues and folk singer Barbara Dane sang with the gentlemen, and considered joining.
However, when the voice of Elmerlee Thomas was brought into the mix, it was rather akin to when Glenn Miller heard that unique something in a memorable rehearsal, and there was instant acknowledgment on all sides that the Gateway Singers sound had been established.
Jim Wood departed the quartet to embark on a solo career at the end of 1955, and was replaced by Travis Edmonson, who like the leader, graduated from The Gateway Singers in 1958 to become part of a beloved act on the folk scene (Bud & Travis), Lou Gottlieb departing to pick up his PhD in musicology from the University of California before later forming The Limeliters.
For the Gateway Singers, he initiated inventive arrangements across an incredible breadth of material. The jazz overtones, the jocular humor and messages in many of their songs made The Gateway Singers genuine pathfinders for the hundreds of groups which followed them. Because they had no specific formula beyond an emphasis on pure quality, they were an influence for just about every single act which trailed in their echo.
In actual fact, The Gateway Singers had the intention of patterning themselves on what The Weavers were doing, but with a wish to add a raft of trimmings to the extant folk songbook, which when they came together, was, in practice, still only a slim volume. For this reason, in some circles, they had become nicknamed “The Reweavers.”
But The Gateway Singers offered no hand-me-downs with a few patches to cover the threadbare spots. Their product was genuine couture. The source material might have been classic, but there was no trace of the dated or quaint in their songs - rather amazing arrangement and performance genius which allowed the authenticity of the originals to shine through within a fresh, but never artificial or contrived form.
Their thoroughly modern approach had a popular appeal which quickly landed them the opening spot in San Francisco's about-to-become legendary hungry i, where they further sharpened their punchy show, which ranged from the reverent to the riotous, never failing to dazzle, even when that flame was turned down to a subtle glow for a moment of tender feeling.
But most of the time, it was a soaring sound which rocked the room, one molded and shaped by the radiant voice of Elmerlee Thomas, around whom the often intricate vocal arrangements were built.
Or as Stan Wilson succinctly expressed it, “she was the glue which held the act together. She was their gemstone, but at the same time, incredibly, a liability to their success in the dark ages that the fifties were. It could be said that another of their `innovations' was their racial mix, but the fifties were not yet ready for an integrated group, and this proved a boulder in their path again and again at numerous venues. When booked to perform on the top national TV variety program (“The Ed Sullivan Show”), their appearance was cancelled at the last minute when the network refused to put on a racially mixed group. But The Gateway Singers were never daunted by such prejudice, and opened many doors ajar for other black artists. It was a part of their mission.
They always took their craft and product very seriously, no matter how much fun they appeared to be having (and sharing) on stage. Getting under the skin of the old and newer folk tunes necessitated research, experimentation and heightened perception to bring out the heart and soul of the material they were uncovering.
Part of their ethos was to bridge the gap between what was considered `folk' and that which was regarded as `popular' music. The one being on the charts and lips of the younger generations, the other often tired from time or dormant in archives.
And that's precisely what they did! In their own words, from the liner notes of “At the hungry I”:
“When we first started singing folk music professionally, we were appalled by the fact that the United States was the only country in the world where the "popular" and `folk' music were not the same. Thanks to many fine artists and a growing public realization that folk music is as much a part of our natural heritage as our national parks and forests, this is no longer completely true. In our attempt to make folk music more acceptable to the public, and to offset, as much as possible, the mistaken idea that folk songs are outdated bits of antiquity sung poorly, we use modern musical settings, the beat of present-day jazz, and what we consider to be a very modern method of presentation, without removing the intensity and feeling with which the songs were originally sung.”
In addition to the two afore-mentioned albums, there were four other outstanding LPs, released on the prestige labels Decca, Warner Bros. And MGM: “in Hi Fi,” “on the Lot,” “Wagons West” and “Down in the Valley.”
Though dominated at the onset by Lou Gottlieb's strong and dynamic personality, the group was ostensibly a democratic unit with all members having a final say on those Gottlieb (and later other members') arrangements. Universal approval was invariably the norm.
In contrast with many acts which blend together musically, but not in fellowship, The Gateway Singers were a very happy organization, each individual prizing the opportunity to be part of the whole, and each feeling lucky to belong to this scintillating company.
But the camaraderie was only one more element highlighting the individual importance of each singer to the success of the group. There was also an intense commitment to the music, what it stood for and how it was presented as an expression of their own philosophy, perception and attitude about its content.
Thus developed their rich and extensive repertoire- cutting across a variety of styles, lands, genres and ages (from melodies which went back centuries or stories with the newsprint still moist). Each of the Singers was encouraged, and took the opportunity, to enhance the vibrant catalogue of musical fare which made up their program. All contributed original compositions and adaptations. Jerry Walter was responsible for many Gateway arrangements. Elmerlee Thomas brought spirituals from the black churches. Travis Edmonson introduced melodies from south of the border. Anything of quality that was interesting, charming , unique or timeless was welcome. There were no limitations.
It was said that the only qualifications necessary to be a member of The Gateway Singers was ability, understanding and a contribution to the unity of the whole. In all, eight performers met those simple, but exacting standards.
Lou Gottlieb - bass player, baritone, songwriter, wit extraordinaire, taskmaster extraordinaire, and the creator of fabulous vocal sounds, he is most famous for his years with The Limeliters. Everything he touched was marked by compassion, clarity, intellect and an exacting feel for perfection.
Jerry Walter - co-founder, baritone, songwriter, arranger, banjo player, his rich voice gave power to The Gateway Singers' sound, and flair to the story songs. Also an actor by profession, he spent his life campaigning for human rights and professional ones for his fellow artists.
Elmerlee Thomas - with an electrifying stage presence and a voice which could raise a hush in the largest arena, her warm personality was cherished by all who knew her. Understudy to Marian Anderson, her voice gave layers of color and depth to everything The Gateway Singers did. As much at home in a lab coat doing hormone research, she was deeply loved and respected by all who knew her.
Jim Wood - draftsman by trade, he was the original guitarist in the group.
Travis Edmonson - irrepressible charmer, songwriter, guitarist and singer with a breathtaking vocal range, his years as part of Bud & Travis, when he introduced a wealth of Latin music to North America, have locked him intensely in the hearts of their many fans.
Ernie Sheldon - (who stepped into the shoes of Lou Gottlieb) - guitarist and songwriter, he later became a Limeliter himself.
Marc Richards - (replacement for Travis Edmonson)
Female singer (to be named) - replacement for Elmerlee Thomas
The Gateway Singers enjoyed over a half dozen years of stylish success. In 1960 Elmerlee Thomas left, to be replaced by another female singer. The group disbanded a short while later in January 1961 for the remaining members to follow other pursuits
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  CONTENTS
Clubs
Cosmo Alley by Barbara Dane
Terrea Lea on The Garret
Dolan Ellis on Portofino's
The Troubadour by Dian James
The Cellar Door by Betty Mann
The hungry i by Pat McCaskey
The Golden Bear, Huntington Beach
the Iopan, Santa Barbara
Cosmo Alley by Don Gold
Ice House, Pasadena
People/Groups
Stan Wilson by Travis Edmonson
Bonnie Dobson on Morning Dew
Lenny Bruce by Travis Edmonson
.... And Everything Else
Hootenanny" Show by Dian James
 Be sure and check out the website celebrating the hungry i, great San Francisco club at www.hungryi.net
 You might not have realized that Gateway Singer Travis Edmonson was also one half of the ground-breaking duo Bud & Travis, and that all their great albums were remastered to the highest standard, and are available for purchase on Travis' official site www.travisedmonson.com
Keep the Bud & Travis legacy alive. A must visit for all Gateway fans!
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