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.
Away Rio
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The anchor is weighed and sails they are set. Away, Rio!
The girls back home we'll never forget for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! The girls back home we'll never forget for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
Two more days, Johnny, two more days. Only two more days, Johnny, two more days.
The mainsail is up and the spinnaker's out. Away, Rio!
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! We'll head for Cape Horn and then pull her about for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
One more day, Johnny, one more day. Only one more day, Johnny, one more day.
When we get to Rio we'll drop all our pay. Away, Rio!
And young Michael Christian is countin' the days for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! And young Michael Christian is countin' the days for we're found for the Rio Grande.
There she lies, Johnny, there she lies. There she lies, Johnny, there she lies.
The Kingston Trio's song Away Rio depicts a group of sailors aboard a ship, about to embark on a voyage to Rio. The lyrics describe the excitement of the sailors as they set sail, leaving behind the girls back home, and heading towards the Rio Grande. As the ship makes its way towards its destination, the sailors count down the remaining days until they reach Rio. When they finally arrived, they planned to spend all their pay, and a character named Michael Christian was also eagerly anticipating their arrival.
While the song's lyrics are fairly straightforward, they capture the sense of adventure and longing for new experiences that often comes with travel. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the sense of anticipation and excitement, and the mention of Michael Christian offers a glimpse of the individual personalities and relationships aboard the ship.
Line by Line Meaning
The anchor is weighed and sails they are set. Away, Rio!
The ship is leaving the harbor and setting sail towards Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The girls back home we'll never forget for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
We will always remember the women we left behind as we journey towards the Rio Grande.
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! The girls back home we'll never forget for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
A chant expressing excitement for the journey towards Rio de Janeiro and remembering the women left behind.
Two more days, Johnny, two more days. Only two more days, Johnny, two more days.
We are only two more days away from reaching our destination, Rio de Janeiro.
The mainsail is up and the spinnaker's out. Away, Rio!
The ship's sails are set and catching the wind as they sail towards Rio de Janeiro.
We'll head for Cape Horn and then pull her about for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
We will pass by Cape Horn and change direction towards Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! We'll head for Cape Horn and then pull her about for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
A chant expressing excitement for the journey towards Rio de Janeiro and the route towards it.
One more day, Johnny, one more day. Only one more day, Johnny, one more day.
We are only one more day away from reaching our destination, Rio de Janeiro.
When we get to Rio we'll drop all our pay. Away, Rio!
Once we arrive in Rio de Janeiro, we will spend all our money having fun.
And young Michael Christian is countin' the days for we're bound for the Rio Grande.
Michael Christian, who is with us on this journey, is eagerly waiting to reach Rio de Janeiro.
And away, Rio! High away, Rio! And young Michael Christian is countin' the days for we're found for the Rio Grande.
A chant expressing excitement for the journey towards Rio de Janeiro and acknowledging Michael Christian's eagerness to reach the destination.
There she lies, Johnny, there she lies. There she lies, Johnny, there she lies.
Rio de Janeiro is now in sight, and we can see it lying ahead.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@lb4lb871
Can't beat the harmony of The Kingston Trio, one of the greatest vocal groups of all-time.
@sgtmajtom1
Lovely. I spent my high school years playing guitar with other lads pretending we were the Trio. I met them on a couple of times - the Shane, Reynolds, Stewart Trio. Deep joy.
@marknewton6984
I still have my banjo from the Dave Guard- John Stewart days!
@sgtmajtom06
The wonderful, wonderful Kingston Trio. How I miss them.
@marknewton6984
The good ol' Days! Real music...
@t24hy44
This song helped ignite the wanderlust in me when I was just a little kid, and the wanderlust has never left me, even after 60 years. ⛵
@mauro-2022
Ah the Guard and Stewart trios... not a bad song in their repertoire! sorely missed
@marknewton6984
I still have all their vinyl albums and play them.
@merrileemorrison-cotter8539
Classic music. Grew up with it and I still love it.
@MrBulldog855
grew up with this music as a child and hated it. turned 18 and joined the Navy and I can't get enough of them. especially songs like this one. Seems my dad had better taste then I thought haha.