HEAR TODAY DOOLEY NOTED: THE KINGSTON TRIO IS BACK.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

They were from Squaresville, strictly L7.

In 1958, three clean-cut young men known as the Kingston Trio recorded a simple, century-old North Carolina folk tune called ``Tom Dooley.'' In less than a year, they had the best-selling album in the U.S.

With no less than 14 Top 10 albums, including five that reached No. 1, the Kingston Trio was one of the biggest pop acts of the late '50s and early '60s, winning two Grammy Awards and jump-starting the folk movement. Hits like ``Scotch and Soda,'' ``M.T.A.'' and ``Tom Dooley'' paved the way for the likes of Peter, Paul & Mary, the Highwaymen, the Limelighters, the Byrds and Bob Dylan.

The Kingston Trio revival starts here with the release of ``The Essential Kingston Trio'' (Shout! Factory; $24.98), a two-disc set of 40 of the group's biggest songs and fan favorites from the prime years 1958 to 1964. Also now available is ``The Kingston Trio Story: Wherever We May Go'' (Shout! Factory; $19.98), a DVD (also being shown on PBS) that sheds light on the largely unknown 50-year history of the group through performance footage and interviews with band members and friends.

The original fellowship of the guitar-strumming trio was Bob Shane and Dave Guard, who met while attending high school in Hawaii, and San Diego native Nick Reynolds. John Stewart replaced Guard in 1961, and stayed until the lineup disbanded in 1967 as the folk movement waned.

We reached the spry 72-year-old Shane, now retired, at his home in Phoenix.

Q: Who was Tom Dooley?

A: His real name was Tom Dula. He was a poor Confederate veteran who got caught up in a love triangle with two women in 1866. One of the girls, Laura Foster, was murdered, and Dula took the rap out of chivalry, even though most people knew the other girl actually did the murder. He stayed in prison for three years before they strung him up. Then, a local poet named Thomas C. Land wrote the lyrics.

Q: What was the appeal of the Kingston Trio?

A: We sang stuff that was easy to pick up on with easy melodies. Anyone could pick up a guitar and sing these songs. In fact, the Martin Guitar Co. said we put them several years behind on production because so many people ran out and bought guitars like ours.

Q: You guys always wore striped shirts and nice pants. And you seemed to be on TV every week of my entire childhood.

A: We liked the striped shirts because we could buy 'em off the rack. We were going for an Ivy League look, so we went for button-down shirts and slacks. We never played ``Ed Sullivan,'' but we constantly did every other variety show you can name. They called us folk singers, but we never thought of ourselves as folk singers until someone handed us a check for a million dollars and said we were folk singers. When that happened, we said, ``You bet we're folk singers!''

Here is a sample of other new releases in stores this week:

`Modern Times'' (Sony; $18.98) is Bob Dylan's first new album in five years.

Clive Davis signed teen Latin-dance sensation Paula DeAnda on the spot. Listen to ``Paula DeAnda'' (Arista; $12.98) and judge for yourself.

A new 40th-anniversary edition of the Beach Boys' ``Pet Sounds'' (Capitol; $29.98) comes in a green, fuzzy package with bonus features.

Heard on TV's ``Rescue Me,'' gruff-sounding singer Ray LaMontagne issues ``Till the Sun Turns Black'' (RCA; $18.98).

Jessica Simpson's ``A Public Affair'' (Sony; $18.98) touches on her breakup with Nick Lachey.

ALSO IN STORES:

``The Underdog/El Subestimado,'' Tego Calderon (Atlantic; $15.98)

``Broken Bridges,'' soundtrack (Show Dog; $18.98)

``Undisputed,'' Beenie Man (Virgin; $18.98)

``Game Theory,'' the Roots (Def Jam; $13.98)

``4:21 ... The Day After,'' Method Man (Def Jam; $13.98)

``This Binary Universe,'' BT (Digital Sound; $17.98)

``Best Thang Smokin','' Young Dro (Atlantic; $18.98)

``Kiss of Death,'' Motorhead (Sanctuary; $18.98)

``Long Night Moon,'' Catie Curtis (Compass; $17.98)

``Blow the Whistle,'' Too Short (Jive; $18.98)

``Supremacy,'' Hatebreed (Roadrunner; $18.98)

``The Sunny Side of the Street,'' John Lithgow (Razor & Tie; $16.98)

``The Lost Crowes,'' Black Crowes (Rhino; $24.98)

``Big Iron World,'' Old Crow Medicine Show (Nettwerk; $17.98)

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(1 -- 2) no caption (Kingston Trio album covers)