Tom Paley was teaching math at the University of Maryland in 1958, when he joined two other folk musicians for a live performance on radio. John Cohen was a fellow musician from Yale, and Mike Seeger was the half-brother of folk music performer Pete Seeger. All three played several instruments and took turns on lead vocals as they performed music from the rural South and Appalachia. They began playing in coffeehouses and on college campuses around the country. During their first four years, they recorded six albums.