Editing Alex Hassilev (section)

==The Limeliters==
Between 1961 and 1963, [[the Limeliters]] made many appearances on television, recorded several albums and toured exhaustively.{{R|All music}} Early in the career of the Limeliters, Hassilev said that the group didn't perform "just any old folk songs&nbsp;... [but the kind]&nbsp;... that might be looked on as a form of group therapy for unashamed eggheads." In the same article, however, he did confirm that the Limeliters were "collectors of authentic folk music&nbsp;... [maintaining]&nbsp;... that the real function of the folk song is a social function; serving as a comment, as a kind of group reflection on events".{{R|Music for eggheads}} Hassilev was seen at the time as the "dark-haired, banjo-playing baritone&nbsp;... a combination musician, actor and linguist&nbsp;... [switching on stage]&nbsp;... from the guitar to the five-string banjo with the relaxed ease of a virtuoso".{{R|Virtuoso}} It is claimed that on a national tour with [[Mort Sahl]] in 1961, the Limeliters performed for an audience of 125,000 in 30 cities in the United States. Hassilev noted that it was surprising how three such diverse personalities got together and continued to play their music successfully. The author of the same article, said that in spite of violating "the folk-singing code of haberdashery&nbsp;... instead of slacks and Ivy League shirts&nbsp;... [appearing in]&nbsp;...natty suits, white shirts and dark ties&nbsp;... as contradictory as these ingredients might seem against the tested formalae of success, the Limeliters&nbsp;[were] a thumping hit".{{R|Natty dressers}}

After a 1963 concert in [[Saskatchewan]], a local newspaper said the Limeliters "won over all of the huge audience&nbsp;... [and]&nbsp;... were called back for a solid 30 minutes of encores". It was noted that during the show, Hassilev looked exhausted until he performed the song "The Monks of St. Bernard" in a "relaxed and polished manner&nbsp;... punctuated by hilarious interjections from the other two-thirds of the trio".{{R|At the Arena}}

The group survived a near-catastrophic plane crash in 1962,{{R|Plane Crash}} and this resulted in Yarbrough reassessing his priorities and leaving the group soon after. Ernie Sheldon filled in for Yarbrough before the group finally disbanded in 1965.{{R|All music}}

By 1964 with the future of the Limeliters uncertain, Hassilev, while continuing to see himself as a performer, said he was not interested in folk music as a career, instead moving to acting and singing on Broadway – including musical comedy, something he saw as "a logical extension of his career". He admitted to being confused about his vocal style after the Limeliters broke up and his first solo album ''Alex Hassilev Man of the World'' was a blend of jazz, pop and folk. He accepted that his new direction might be difficult for his fans to come to terms with, and for it to succeed, he needed "a little luck, talent, self-discipline and a lot of guts".{{R|Possible career change}} Hassilev returned to acting in 1966 with a role as a character called Christopher in an episode from the ''[[Get Smart]]'' TV series called "The Only Way to Die",{{R|Get Smart}} and in 1966 as a character called Hrushevsky in the movie ''[[The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming]]''.{{R|Russians are coming}}{{R|Photos and quotes}}

The original group did get back together temporarily to record an album, ''Time to Gather Seeds'' in 1966. A reviewer said that Hassilev had recorded the tracks using top session musicians at a studio in his home, resulting in "a batch of songs that lack the unity and cohesion that defined the combo's former selves&nbsp;... [and that]&nbsp;... some longtime fans and enthusiasts of the early Limeliters were undoubtedly nonplussed when faced with the band's attempts to revise their image." The same writer concluded that "during their hiatus, folk music would become diffused as one of the myriad of components informing late-'60s rock & roll. The Limeliters' modernization leans on concurrent styles, trends, and conventions. The results were understandably mixed and simply unable to live up to the anticipation or hype of the reunion".{{R|Time to gather seeds}}

The Limeliters had numerous reunion tours throughout the 1970s. Despite having only rehearsed for a short period of time, in 1973 their music was said by one critic to be "tighter than ever&nbsp;... one supposed it's like tennis or riding a bike - as long as you don't try anything tricky, the basic skill stays with you". In the same article, Hassilev's intelligence was described as "vivacious and extremely energetic&nbsp;... [and]&nbsp;... the way he picks up his banjo - like putting a leash on a trained and trusted dog - makes you wonder how he's going to sustain interest in any but the money (and nostalgic) aspects of the tour".{{R|Songs by the old group}} Before a reunion concert scheduled for June 1973 at Tampa's McKay Auditorium in St. Peters, Hasseliv said he didn't recall playing there with the original group almost 10 years previously, noting that those times were "unsettling" for the group, but "now things have changed" and he was looking forward to the venue. He also explained how the group now had nine members and the show was called Glenn Yarbrough and the Limeliters Reunion, 1974, not that it was being nostalgic, but the band had been added to "back up Glenn's voice and to bring the show musically into the 20th century."{{R|Tampa concert}} Of the reunions, Hassilev commented in 1975 that the Limeliter's freshness resulted from "one of our main assets since we began - the energy we put out on stage&nbsp;... I think this energy and the fact that we are all schooled musicians are the main incentives behind our reunion".{{R|Frisco folkies reunited}}

After the end of the 1973 tour, Gottlieb in his role as a critic, reported in the ''[[San Francisco Examiner]]'' that Hassilev had been working with [[Mike Settle]] and [[Dave Guard]]. After seeing their show, Gottlieb concluded that "working with Dave and Mike has had a miraculously rejuvenatory effect on Alex&nbsp;... his contribution to the work of this unit is evident - a secure sense of form - I mean, a spacing in their arrangements of the presentations of ideas which makes for the greatest possible clarity".{{R|Masters together}}

In the early 1980s, Hassilev and Gottlieb wanted to keep the Limeliters together on a more full-time basis and brought on tenor [[Red Grammer]] to replace Yarbrough.{{R|Grammer in}} The Limeliters asked to perform at a series of Sunday night folk concerts known as Bound for Glory in 1985, an attempt according to Hassilev, "to start making contact with the folk and acoustic music community, which we've never had&nbsp;... we kind of shot to stardom and were never part of that whole folk music scene, so we decided to go back to a more folky and socially relevant kind of show, playing folk clubs".{{R|Continuing in 1985}}

By 2000 the Limeliters had undergone considerable changes. In about 1990, Grammer left to devote more time to a career as a singer of children's songs, and was replaced by Rick Dougherty who was a multi-instrumentalist and experienced performer. In 1996, Gottlieb died of cancer and [[Bill Zorn]] who had played for the [[Kingston Trio]] and [[the New Christy Minstrels]], joined the group.{{R|Changes by 2000}} Dougherty and Zorn left in 2003.{{R|All music}} After Zorn and Dougherty left the group, Hassilev brought on Mack Bailey and Andy Corwin to take their spot in the Limeliters.