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Rick Foster
Sun Chronicle Staff

The Highwaymen, who formed a seminal part of the folk revival of the early 1960s, will be appearing Friday and Saturday at the Blackstone River Theatre, 549 Broad St., Cumberland, R.I.

Along with The Clancy Brothers and The Kingston Trio, The Highwaymen were among the folk supergroups of the time. They have endured through a number of revivals and comebacks, and continue to record to this day.

The group still features all the original members who appeared on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," and released eight albums.

In 1961 their first single, "Michael Row the Boat Ashore," shot to the top of the charts and sold over 3 million copies. That was followed by "Cotton Fields," which sold over a million. They also expanded the standard folk repertoire, rediscovering and popularizing songs that would later be covered by such groups as Creedence Clearwater Revival and the Beach Boys. Recent appearances by the band include the PBS special "This Land Is Your Land."

"The Best of The Highwaymen" CD is part of the Legendary Masters Series released by EMI Records. Last year they celebrated the release of "When the Village Was Green," a CD recorded live at BRT in 2006 over the course of their two concerts there.

Tickets for Friday and Saturday's shows are $15 in advance or $20 day of. Both shows begin at 8 p.m.

For more information visit www.riverfolk.org.

Other venues:

E Nikka Costa brings an unusual pedigree to her role as fast-emerging soul singer. Costa's late father was Frank Sinatra's arranger, and Costa herself is the Chairman of the Board's godchild.

If that wasn't enough, Costa, who will be appearing tonight at Showcase Live at Patriot Place in Foxboro, has piled up plenty of cred as a singer-songwriter who's energetic style has been compared to Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin. Her new CD, "From A Pebble to a Pearl," is filled with enough attitude to earn any songstress R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

Costa appears 8 p.m. at the Foxboro nightclub. Tickets are $15 general admission and $35 for VIP booth seats.

Visit: www.showcaselive.com.

Folk rocker Peter Mulvey will be at Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, 232 Chestnut St., Franklin, at 8 p.m. Saturday along with special guest Ryan Fitzsimmons. Tickets are $15.

For more information visit www.circlefolk.org.

Stone Soup Coffeehouse presents Jerimoth Hill, winner of the Motif Music Awards in the Americana category for 2008, at 8 p.m. Saturday at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 50 Park Place, Pawtucket. Tickets are $15.

It's the Rose Wharf Band at 8 p.m. Saturday at Steve's Backstage Pass, 15 School St., Taunton. Cover is $5. For information visit www.stevesbackstagepass.com.

The Christian rock band Raging Grace will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the tGif Coffeehouse at Bethany Village Fellowship, 516 Newport Ave., South Attleboro.