Dramtreeo has been a popular folk group performing throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the United States since the early 1980's. Beginning as a trio heavily influenced by the Kingston Trio in 1981, the original members took their name from the story of the "Dram Tree," a legend about an old cypress tree in the harbor of Edenton, NC. According to this tale, sailors would gather at the tree prior to their voyages to have one last dram of rum for good luck. Ships returning to the harbor would refill the casks, keeping the tradition alive. Finding a welcome home on the festival circuit and in the small folk clubs in and around their home base of Norfolk, Virginia, Dramtreeo built a solid and loyal following as their style developed and personnel shifted. The nautical themes of the group's music had particular appeal along the mid-Atlantic seaboard. The trio had mutated into a quartet by the time of Dramtreeo's first album in 1984, with banjoman Meade Stith the sole original member. With multi-instrumetalist Jerry Cronin, string bass player Marty Sachs and guitarist Chip Vogan completing the lineup, Dramtreeo was a rousing recorded introduction to their tight vocal harmonies and acoustic musical craftsmanship. Following Sachs' death late that year at the age of twenty nine, Carlton Lillard joined on electric bass guitar. Waterside was released in 1987, continuing the mix of sea shanties, Irish ballads and Kingston Trio-like folk songs displayed on the debut. Dramtreeo 3 followed in 1992 with the same lineup. Stith left following the release of the third album, and Dramtreeo expanded to a quintet with the addition of fiddle virtuoso Andy Cleveland and harmonica man Jim Crutchfield. The 1995 release, Storm, included originals, traditional folk and gospel songs, the Merle Travis classic "Sixteen Tons," Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land," and Stephen Foster's "Hard Times." Throughout Dramtreeo's career, the group's thick multi-part vocal harmonies and fine musicianship have helped create a user-friendly, family-oriented style rarely found since the folk boom of the early '60s. The albums have been consistently strong, and taken together form a timeless body of work with broad appeal. Recordings are available from Southern Branch Music, 1026 Raleigh Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23507. ~ Jim Newsom, All Music Guide