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.
Babe You
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat uncovering the cross roads I am standing at
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that but babe, you've been on my mind.
I am not asking you to say words like "yes" and "no", please understand me. I've got no place for you to go.
I'm just breathing to myself, pretending not that I don't know. Babe, you've been on my mind.
Where you been? Don't bother me or bring me down in sorrow
It don't even matter to me where you're waking up tomorrow. Babe, you've been on my mind.
When you wake up in the morning, baby, look inside your mirror, you know I won't be next to you. You know I won't be near.
I'll just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear as someone who has had you on his mind. (Repeat 1st verse.)
Babe, you've been on my mind.
The Kingston Trio's song Babe You've Been on My Mind is actually a Bob Dylan cover, and it's a song about the haunting power of love. The song speaks of how the thoughts of the singer's love interest are constantly on his mind, and even though it may be difficult for him to express his feelings, he cannot help but think about her each day. The opening lyrics "Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat uncovering the cross roads I am standing at, or maybe it's the weather or something like that but babe, you've been on my mind" reflects the confusion and ambiguity of the singer's feelings. He's not sure why he can't shake the thoughts of his lover, but he can't ignore them either.
The singer then goes on to express that he's not expecting anything from his lover, he just wants her to know that she's always on his mind. He's not asking for her to stay or even confirm if she feels the same way but just acknowledging his own feelings for her. The third verse is particularly interesting, where the singer admits that even if their relationship is uncertain, he doesn't want to be brought down by the knowledge of how little he knows about his lover's whereabouts. In the final verse, the singer acknowledges that the chances of him being around his lover when she wakes up are slim, but he hopes that she can see how much she's been occupying his thoughts.
Line by Line Meaning
Perhaps it's the color of the sun cut flat uncovering the cross roads I am standing at
Maybe it's my current situation that reminds me of you.
Or maybe it's the weather or something like that but babe, you've been on my mind.
I can't explain why, but you're always on my mind.
I am not asking you to say words like 'yes' and 'no', please understand me. I've got no place for you to go.
I don't want anything from you. I just can't help thinking about you.
I'm just breathing to myself, pretending not that I don't know. Babe, you've been on my mind.
I'm trying to play it cool, but I can't stop thinking about you.
Even though my mind is hazy and my thoughts, they might be narrow,
Even if I can't think clearly, and my ideas are limited,
Where you been? Don't bother me or bring me down in sorrow
I don't care where you are, I don't want to be brought down by sadness.
It don't even matter to me where you're waking up tomorrow. Babe, you've been on my mind.
It doesn't matter to me where you'll be tomorrow because you're always on my mind.
When you wake up in the morning, baby, look inside your mirror, you know I won't be next to you. You know I won't be near.
When you wake up, you won't see me by your side.
I'll just be curious to know if you can see yourself as clear as someone who has had you on his mind. (Repeat 1st verse.)
I'm just curious if you see yourself with the same clarity that I see you.
Babe, you've been on my mind.
You're always on my mind.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Bob Dylan
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PRR5406
John Stewart's arrangement and Nick Reynald's harmony make this one of the best of the latter career songs for the Kingston Trio. One of my favorite Kingston renditions of all their songs.
christopher wilson
Had this on a double album late 60s (I think). Still sounds great.
CountPal
Yes, this is certainly the best version. Check The Kingston Trio's version of Dylan's "Tomorrow is a long time" and One Too Many Mornings" from their live "Once Upon a Time" album, recorded late in their career. Their arrangements and performances - tempo and musically -- are, hands down, better than anyone else's, including Dylan.
Laura Freeman
I think this is my favorite song by the Kingston Trio! Play on!
Jesse Hale
This is great but the 45rpm "electric" version is awesome!!
Michael Boyce
It was the Flip to the Live Version of "One Too Many Mornings".
a Donovan Tune.
El señor doble R
Anywhere i can find the chords on banjo or ukulele?
FoxTizZo
I don't know, but you can find the original song (bob dylan?) and transpose if it's not in the right tune.
Music of Bob Dylan
Hi there, thank you for posting this Bob Dylan track play from inside Bob Dylan’s Music Box at http://thebobdylanproject.com/Song/id/391/Mama,-You-Been-on-My-Mind step inside and listen
JudeJaded15
same song, different day