The Limeliters were the most vibrant urban folk group of the early 1960s, second only to the Kingston Trio in popularity at their peak. They were a diverse, volatile mix of highly intelligent personalities: Lou Gottlieb, a bass-playing comic with a Ph.

D. in musicology; Alex Hassilev, a debonair virtuoso banjo player fluent in six languages; and Glenn Yarbrough, an independent-minded, hugely gifted natural tenor.

They recorded a string of best-selling albums for RCA Victor, made TV appearances and commercials, and toured North America and Europe 300 days out of the year at the height of the folk revival era. In 1963, the three went their separate, erratic ways for the next ten years.

Alex became a record producer and actor; Glenn went solo, had a big hit record, "Baby, the Rain Must Fall," but yearned to become a full-time sailor; and Lou had a mid-life crisis, grew his hair long, took LSD, and founded the notorious hippie commune, Morningstar Ranch, in Northern California. Eventually the trio reunited in 1973 and became a successful touring act, surviving with various changes in personnel to this day.

The saga of Lou, Alex and Glenn is also the story of many of the cultural ideas and trends of the second half of the 20th century in America-how they influenced their times, and how the times affected them. Author Richard S.

Ginell, who has known and interviewed the trio over a span of more than four decades, brings the whole slightly fabulous story of The Limeliters to life for the first time. .