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The Brandywines burst into the national spotlight in 1962 after winning the first National Intercollegiate Music Competition held at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. They have since performed at over 350 colleges and universities throughout the United States and Canada, as well as major night clubs, state fairs and festivals from coast to coast. They have appeared on many top network television shows including ABC's "Wide World of Entertainment" and the folk music show-of-shows, "Hootenanny." Club appearances range from the Copacabana in New York City to Harold's Club in Reno. Their 1966 engagement at the prestigious "Plaza 9"—Julius Monk's famed review at the Plaza Hotel in New York— was extended six weeks as a result of enthusiastic public response to the group.

Twin brothers, Rick and Ron Shaw, were the founding members of the Brandywine Singers while undergraduates at the University of New Hampshire. Les Clark joined the group in 1965. When Rick was sent to Vietnam, the Brandywines disbanded and Ron joined the successful Pozo Seco Singers on Columbia Records. Les went on to perform for several years with the New York Opera before embarking upon a career in law.

None of the Brandywines has strayed far from his music in the ensuing years. Rick and Ron were members of the Hillside Singers who in 1972 recorded the smash hit I'l Like To Teach The World To Sing—otherwise known as the CocaCola song. More recently, the brothers recorded an album for RCA Records and have since toured the world as the Shaw Brothers. Les has continued to perform while pursuing a successful law practice. And now, with the undeniable resurgence of interest in popular folk music, a much heralded reunion is at hand. With the addition of newest member, Taylor Whiteside, the Brandywines are back on the concert trail. Accompanying themselves on a variety of acoustical instruments, the Brandywine Singers present their own unique blend of traditional and contemporary music interspersed with humor, poems and stories. With their delightful wit and easy charm they establish a quick rapport with any audience. The result is pure magic. Banjos, quitars and impeccable harmonies ring again!

The Brandywine Singers, the Shaw Brothers, and Taylor Whiteside are three artists whose musical legacy spans 30 years, and entwine's their careers with the lives of many, many fans. Nearly fourty years ago, the Brandywine Singers burst into the national spotlight provided by the folk boom of the 60's. With critically acclaimed albums, three singles riding the national charts, and a host of Television, college, and nightclub performances, the Brandywine Singers crafted a lasting legacy during the heights of folk's popularity, and they crafted it with their skills as entertainers, performers, and musicians.

When the Vietnam War sent the Brandywine Singers into what became a thirty year hiatus, two members of the group, Rick and Ron Shaw, collectively known as The Shaw Brothers, eventually began working together as a duo, basing their sound on the sound of the Brandywine Singers, but crafting their own impeccable reputation. The Shaw's album THE SHAW BROTHERS: COLLECTION documents the sound and the style they created, capturing the Shaw's rich harmonies, moving writing, and lasting interpreations of songs from across the acoustic spectrum.

Finally, when circumstances, fortunes, and interest allowed Rick and Ron to reunite with Les Clark, (the third of the four original Brandywine Singers) they needed only one more voice to recreate the sound that started the legend, and New England songwriter Taylor Whiteside was called upon. Taylor had been performing for several years with the Maine based group the Northeast Winds and developing a find reputation as a musician, songwriter, and performer. Together, the four recorded WORLD CLASS FOLK and brought the Brandywine Singers back to life.

Taylor Whiteside: Martin Greigh & Other New England Favorites

Taylor also was working on debut solo release, MARTIN GREIGH & OTHER NEW ENGLAND FAVORITES, and now all three of these reocordings, MARTIN GREIGH, THE SHAW BROTHERS COLLECTION, and the Brandywine Singers WORLD CLASS FOLK can be found on Folk Era Records.

"An engaging directness in their performances, an honest exuberance in their songs. I don't like to appear on a program with the Brandywine Singers. I'd rather be in the audience, anytime!" Oscar Brand

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