Chad Mitchell Trio hit national folk music scene in1960s, reunited for a while decades later

Local author Mike Murphy has written a book on the 1960s folk music group Chad Mitchell Trio. Murphy's book is "We Never Knew Just What it Was: The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio." The book will be released in August.

Section:Gallery

Thu., July 15, 2021

The Chad Mitchell Trio were headliners at the second annual Fold Festival in Spokane on Aug. 24, 1964.

The Spokesman-Review Archive Buy this photo
The original members of the Chad Mitchell Trio, Mike Kobluk, Mitchell and Mike Pugh, arrived in Spokane by plane and immediately went their different ways. Mitchell stayed in Spokane to be with his mother, Florence A. Mitchell, 1315 W. Eighth Ave.; Kobluk headed north to Trail, B.C., to surprise his parents; and Pugh proceeded to Pasco, on a similar mission. They'll all be back in town in a few weeks to entertain the crowds at the sixth annual Sports Show, to be held at the Spokane Coliseum, March 22-28, 1960.

General Artists Corp. The Spokesman-Review Archive
The Chad Mitchell Trio, featuring, from left, Mike Kobluk, Chad Mitchell and Joe Frazier, plus accompanists, at a reunion performance. The photo is dated Nov. 13, 2005.

Chuck Morse
"We Never Knew Just What It Was ... the Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio," book cover, by Mike Murphey

Courtesy
Two out of three remaining members of the Chad Mitchell Trio, who are both Spokanites and met at Gonzaga University, are Mike Kobluk, left, and Chad Mitchell, who pose for a photo on July 12, 2021 with a large poster board from 2009 that commemorated the music group's 50th anniversary. Local author Mike Murphy wrote a book on the 1960's group that also included Joe Frazier and later,John Denver auditioned and was accepted to the group. Murphy's book on The Chad Mitchell Trio is titled "We Never Knew Just What it Was: The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio."

Libby Kamrowski The Spokesman-R
Two out of three remaining members of the Chad Mitchell Trio, who are both Spokanites and met at Gonzaga University, are Chad Mitchell, left, and Mike Kobluk, who pose for a photo on July 12, 2021 in Kobluk's backyard in Spokane. Local author Mike Murphy wrote a book on the 1960's group that also included Joe Frazier and later,John Denver auditioned and was accepted to the group. Murphy's book on The Chad Mitchell Trio is titled "We Never Knew Just What it Was: The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio."

Libby Kamrowski The Spokesman-R
Two out of three remaining members of the Chad Mitchell Trio, who are both Spokanites and met at Gonzaga University, are Mike Kobluk, left, and Chad Mitchell, who are photographed July 12, 2021, with a large poster board from 2009 that commemorated the music group's 50th anniversary. Local author Mike Murphy wrote a book on the 1960s group that also included Joe Frazier and later, John Denver who auditioned and was accepted to the group. Murphy's book on The Chad Mitchell Trio is titled "We Never Knew Just What it Was: The Story of the Chad Mitchell Trio."

Libby Kamrowski The Spokesman-R
Michael D. Kobluk, right, 5908 S. Martin St., has been appointed director of alumni activities at Gonzaga University. The announcement was made Tuesday night by Dr. Lawrence O. Owens, left, president of the GU national executive alumni board, at the board's Christmas party Dec. 16, 1970, in the faculty lounge on campus. Kobluk was cofounder and one of the original singers in the Chad Mitchell Trio, nationally known singers.

The Spokesman-Review Archive