During the commercial folk surge of the late 1950s, numerous ensembles enjoyed only brief careers, and the Gateway Singers proved no exception. Their original roster featured Jerry Walter on vocals and banjo alongside Elmerlee Thomas on vocals, Lou Gottleib on bass, and Travis Edmondson on guitar; Gottleib himself was born on 10 October 1923 in Los Angeles, California, USA, and died on 11 July 1996 in Sebastopol, California, USA. Building on the earlier trail blazed by the Almanac Singers and the Weavers, the quartet emerged as one of the more prominent American acts within the genre. After issuing two albums on Decca Records, Gottleib departed in 1959 and was succeeded on lead guitar by Ernie Sheldon. The group disbanded in 1961, precisely when the folk revival reached its peak. For a period thereafter, the Gateway Trio—formed by Milt Chapman on bass and vocals, Betty Mann on guitar and vocals, and founding member Jerry Walter—kept the name alive through live performances. Once they had completed several releases for Capitol Records, however, the trio itself dissolved.
