The Kingston Trio was formed in 1957 in the Palo Alto, California area by original lineup of Dave Guard (1934–1991), Bob Shane (1934–2020), and Nick Reynolds (1933–2008), who were just out of college. Greatly influenced by The Weavers, the calypso sounds of Harry Belafonte, and other semi-popular folk artists such as the Gateway Singers and the Tarriers, they were discovered playing at a college club called the Cracked Pot by Frank Werber, a local publicist then working at the Hungry i. He became their manager, and secured them a one-shot deal with Capitol Records.
Their first hit was a catchy rendition of an old-time folk song, "Tom Dooley", which went gold in 1958. It was so popular that it entered popular culture as a catchphrase: Ella Fitzgerald, for example, parodies it during her recorded version of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer". It won them the first Grammy award for Best Country & Western Performance in 1959. The next year, they won the first Grammy Award for Best Ethnic or Traditional Folk Recording category for the album The Kingston Trio at Large.
At one point in the early 1960s The Kingston Trio had four albums at the same time among the Top 10 selling albums, a record unmatched for nearly 40 years. In spite of this, they had a relatively small number of hit singles.
The group's music was simple and accessible, with much use of tight vocal harmony, signature riffs (often played on the banjo), and repetitive choruses. Capitol producer Voyle Gilmore[1] enhanced their vocal sound to great effect with reverb and the relatively new process of doubletracking, in which the performers sang along with their own pre-recorded part to produce a stronger sound than with a single voice, in part due to a natural time gap of a fraction of a second between the original recording and the overdubbed part. At first pairs of tape recorders were used, then later multitrack recording machines, to produce the effect.
Guard left the band in 1961 as part of a disagreement over its musical direction. He formed the group Whiskey Hill Singers, and was replaced by John Stewart, who led the group through several more years of popularity until the arrival of The Beatles and British invasion rock bands pushed them from the charts.
In 1967 the Trio disbanded after a final performance at the Hungry i, June 17, 1967.
Shane, the lone member to resist the break-up of the Trio, started a new group, aptly named, "The New Kingston Trio," in 1969. Eventually, Shane was successful in reaching a contractual agreement with his former partners, Guard, Reynolds, and Werber, to secure and license once again, the original name, "The Kingston Trio" (unencumbered by the adjective new), in 1976.(Blake et al. 1986.) Shane still owns the property today, 2006.
For a number of years in the 1980s Reynolds, one of the original three members, rejoined Shane.
In 2004 Shane retired from the group due to health problems. He was replaced by Bill Zorn, who had been with Shane in an iteration of the group called The New Kingston Trio; Zorn also has been a member of The Limeliters.
In 2005 Bobby Haworth (a one-time member of The Brothers Four) left the group to be replaced by Rick Dougherty, who also had been a member of The Limeliters.
As of 2006, The Kingston Trio consisted of George Grove, Bill Zorn and Rick Dougherty.
in October 2017, Grove, Zorn, and Dougherty were replaced as the Trio by new licensees Reynolds and Marvin and their friend, Tim Gorelangton. In 2018, Josh Reynolds left the group and was replaced by Bob Haworth, who became a member of the band for the third time. At the end of 2018, Haworth left the group and was replaced by Don Marovich.
Adios Farewell
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Chorus:
Adios, farewell, goodbye, Majicita. My love for you was never my crime. Adios, farewell, goodbye, Senorita.
I'll need the love of a man in his prime.
(2, 3, 4) I'll leave the love of a man in his prime.
I'm a rambler and a gambler, a get rich quick scrambler. I follow the laws that I make own my own.
(Chorus)
Just a ridin' and a-hidin', my time I was bidin' till I met my love in a small village square.
Took her off right beside me with nothing to guide me. Nothin' but stars shinin' down in her hair.
(Chorus)
Like a fool I adored her, took her back to the border so we could be married till death do us part,
But the posse was a-waitin' and the wild gun of Satan shattered the love in my poor darlin's heart.
(Chorus)
The Kingston Trio's song "Adios Farewell" tells the story of a man who is forced to leave his lover, Majicita, and Senorita behind as he faces danger in South of the border. The singer confesses that his love for Majicita was never his crime, but he must leave her as he needs a man's love in his prime. The singer is a rambler, gambler, and a get-rich-quick scrambler who makes his own laws and follows them. He has to take his gun to South of the border and cannot live alone.
The singer met his love in a small village square, and there was nothing but stars shining down on her hair. The singer took her off beside him, having nothing to guide him. The singer and his love were married at the border, but the posse was waiting for him. The wild gun of Satan shattered the love in his poor darling's heart, and the singer had to leave his lovers behind.
The lyrics of "Adios Farewell" describe the singer's life as a risky adventurer who falls in love with a woman whom he cannot keep. He must leave his love behind as he faces danger and risks his life. The song highlights the reality of life, where we sometimes have to make tough choices and leave our loved ones behind.
Line by Line Meaning
Adios, farewell, goodbye, Majicita. My love for you was never my crime.
Saying goodbye to my love, Majicita, and assuring her that my love for her was never a mistake or fault of mine.
Adios, farewell, goodbye, Senorita.
I'll need the love of a man in his prime.
Saying goodbye to Senorita and admitting that I need the love of a young man to fulfill me.
I'll leave the love of a man in his prime.
I'm leaving behind my love for a young man.
I'm a rambler and a gambler, a get rich quick scrambler. I follow the laws that I make own my own.
I'm a wanderer and risk-taker, always looking for a way to get rich quick. I make my own rules and follow them as I please.
Had to run to, take my gun to South of the border but I'm not the kind who can live all alone.
I had to flee to the South of the border and bring a gun with me, but I can't live alone.
Just a ridin' and a-hidin', my time I was bidin' till I met my love in a small village square.
I was just wandering and hiding, waiting for the right moment until I found my love in a small village.
Took her off right beside me with nothing to guide me. Nothin' but stars shinin' down in her hair.
I took her away with me without any clear direction, guided only by the stars shining in her hair.
Like a fool I adored her, took her back to the border so we could be married till death do us part,
I loved her so blindly that I took her back to the border to marry her, thinking we'd be together until death separated us.
But the posse was a-waitin' and the wild gun of Satan shattered the love in my poor darlin's heart.
Unfortunately, a posse was waiting for us, and the chaos of violence destroyed the love in my sweetheart's heart.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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