The Trident’s role in Bay Area music history

A large mid-century modern white building on the Sausalito waterfront resembles a yacht club of a bygone time. You can’t miss Sausalito’s Trident restaurant. A beloved staple of Bay Area history, the restaurant last month closed its doors for good. Modern-day Bay Area goers have stopped in at the Trident over the years to enjoy some afternoon tequila sunrises or mai tais and the restaurant’s infamous lobster rolls. However, few may be well acquainted with the spot’s decorated musical history.

Back in 1960, the Trident, which was initially called Yacht Dock on Bridgeway, was first opened by the Kingston Trio and their manager, Frank Werber, as a “one-stop shop,” a music venue, restaurant and bar. The Yacht Dock was then renamed to the Trident in 1966. The Kingston Trio, which was founded in Palo Alto, sang both folk and pop music. They are best known for their top radio hits such as “Tom Dooley” and their rendition of “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” The group was credited with being pioneers in launching the late folk revival. The trio first met in college, with Nick Reynolds meeting Bob Shane at Menlo College, and them both later meeting guitarist Dave Guard, who at the time was a graduate student at nearby Stanford University. The group was signed to Capitol Records in 1958 after meeting widespread acclaim after a week-long show at the Purple Onion club in San Francisco. Their music helped to pave the way for famous names such as Joan Baez, the Byrds, Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary.

Located only a few blocks away from Sausalito recording studio the Record Plant, the Trident made for an accessible gathering spot for musicians. Hollywood big shots were known to frequent the Trident, including Groucho Marx, Warren Beatty and Sterling Hayden. And rock ‘n’ roll stars such as David Crosby, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, Sam Andrew and Peter Stampfel, as well as other celebrities like Alan Watts and Hells Angels founder Sonny Barger, were known to frequent the Trident. The Kingston Trio’s song “Tom Dooley” became their first Billboard hit, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard pop charts and later winning a Grammy. Some of their other Billboard hits included “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “500 Miles” — both of which were also recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary — “It Was a Very Good Year,” also recorded by Frank Sinatra, and “Sloop John B,” which later became a Beach Boys hit.

According to the Trident’s website, the restaurant “quickly became a gathering place for like-minded locals and celebrities from around the world and was known for its laid-back vibe.” It also rose to prominence as a hub of the counterculture. The Trident featured scantily clad, free-spirited waitresses, booze and plenty of sex, drugs, psychedelic art and murals, paired with holistic foods. It also quickly rose to infamy as a third space for freethinkers and the hippie subculture, where the nourishing food, artistic fervor and vibrant creative energy flowed as freely as the drinks and good conversation.

The Trident counted Janis Joplin, who had her own table and private room, Clint Eastwood, Garcia, Baez, Bill Cosby and the Smothers Brothers as regulars. Bay Area rock concert promoter Bill Graham was also often seen at the Trident and even hosted a private party in 1972 in honor of the Rolling Stones’ 1972 American tour. It is rumored that this party was when the first modern tequila sunrise was invented by Trident bartenders Bobby Lozoff and Billy Rice. Mick Jagger was such a fan of the spot and the tequila sunrise that he and his posse became regulars at the Trident. They continued to order tequila sunrises across America and even dubbed their tour the “Cocaine and Tequila Sunrise Tour.” Famously, Fleetwood Mac also frequented the spot while they spent a summer recording their hit 1977 album “Rumours” at the Record Plant in Sausalito. The group found a lovely escape in Sausalito from band drama that had plagued them in Los Angeles. It can be argued that their best album of all time was produced at the Record Plant. One could also surmise that its success must have been largely fueled by the exuberant creative spirit of Sausalito at that time, and in particular at the Trident. With the rise of the Trident, the Kingston Trio solidified their rightful place as pioneers and leaders of the counterculture establishment and folk music revival, paving the way for and inspiring the next generation of icons.

In the summers of 1974, 1975 and 1976, Robin Williams even worked at the establishment as a dishwasher and busboy. The Trident is also mentioned in Van Morrison’s song “In Tiburon,” which was published in 2016 as part of the “Keep Me Singing” album. The song mentions the infamous violent incident in 1966, when Chet Baker’s gig at Sausalito’s Trident restaurant went awry after he partook in a drug deal gone bad for heroin. The incident led to him badly damaging his lips, jaw and teeth and having to quit playing the trumpet for 10 years. Morrison sings, “Vince Guaraldi would play ‘Cast Your Fate To The Wind’/In the evening across the way/Chet Baker would play down at the Trident/With his horn he blew everybody away.” North Beach, San Francisco-born jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi, best known for composing music for the “Peanuts” animated comic series, also played at the Trident. He even recorded a live album there in 1963, titled “In Person.”

So, the next time you’re in Sausalito, don’t forget to stop by to pay homage to the Trident and be whisked away to times long gone. Rumor has it, if you listen closely enough, you may be able to hear “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” playing faintly across the winds of the water.