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.
Bimini
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We were all sailors 'til the day our boat pulled in to Bimini Bay.
We tapped a keg. We loaded on. Woke up to find the boat was gone!
Chorus:
Send my bail down to Bimini. This town is wearisome. Got thrown in jail just for drinkin' Barbego rum, Barbego rum.
Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin 'til I go down to Bimini.,
I recollect the other night, seems like there was a friendly fight.
It was a woman brought me grief. Her mother was the police chief!
I told them I would mend my ways. They let me out in thirty days.
One little sip to quench my thirst, I should have read the label first!
(Chorus)
Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin' 'til I go down to Bimini.
They say that Bimini can't afford to keep providing room and board.
I'm anchored here by ball and chain, squeezin' the rum from sugar cane.
(Chorus)
Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin' 'til I go down to Bimini. (Repeat and fade)
The Kingston Trio's song "Bimini" is a lively and humorous tale of a group of sailors whose misadventures take place on the small island of Bimini. The lyrics are sung in a jovial and carefree tone, perfectly capturing the spirit of the sailors who find themselves stranded on the island. The opening lines of the song, "Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin' 'til I go down to Bimini," suggests that the island is a place of freedom and wild abandon where sailors can indulge in their vices without fear of punishment.
The lyrics continue to recount various incidents that occurred on the island, including waking up to find their boat gone, getting thrown in jail for drinking Barbego rum, and getting into a fight with a woman whose mother is the police chief. Despite the setbacks, the sailors remain optimistic and find humor in their misfortunes. The song concludes with the singer reflecting on the fact that he is now stuck on the island due to his misadventures and is resigned to squeezing the rum from sugar cane.
Overall, "Bimini" is a fun and lighthearted song that celebrates the joys and follies of youthful adventures. It paints a vivid picture of a carefree island where anything goes and where sailors can let loose and enjoy themselves without fear of consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin' 'til I go down to Bimini.
I never received any punishment until I went to Bimini.
We were all sailors 'til the day our boat pulled in to Bimini Bay.
We were all sailors until we reached Bimini Bay.
We tapped a keg. We loaded on. Woke up to find the boat was gone!
We tapped a keg and drank heavily. We fell asleep and woke up to find our boat missing!
Send my bail down to Bimini. This town is wearisome. Got thrown in jail just for drinkin' Barbego rum, Barbego rum.
Send my bail to Bimini, this town is tiring. I got arrested just for consuming Barbego rum.
I recollect the other night, seems like there was a friendly fight. It was a woman brought me grief. Her mother was the police chief!
I remember the other night, there was a friendly brawl. A woman caused me trouble, and her mother was the chief of police!
I told them I would mend my ways. They let me out in thirty days. One little sip to quench my thirst, I should have read the label first!
I promised them I would change my behavior, and they released me after thirty days. I had one little sip to quench my thirst, and I should have read the label beforehand!
They say that Bimini can't afford to keep providing room and board. I'm anchored here by ball and chain, squeezin' the rum from sugar cane.
They say that Bimini can't keep providing food and shelter. I'm stuck here with a ball and chain, making rum from sugar cane.
Oh, 'til I go down to Bimini, never get a lickin' 'til I go down to Bimini. (Repeat and fade)
I've never received any punishment until I went to Bimini; repeat and fade.
Lyrics © MAPPA MUSIC CO
Written by: MARK W. MCINTYRE, WILLIAM OLOFSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@dennisspence149
I would like to have a dollar for every time i played that song..I think i wore out the groves on the record. I played on a home made hi-fi that my brother made for a college project. I would sing along so much it drove my mother crazy...... brings back great memories.......
@stephaniewalker4572
Please pray for us in Fla- another bad storm heading our way.
@stanwollmers7561
There wasn't a college frat house in the country that didn't sing this and other KT songs all through the late '50s and early 60s. Great times and great fun!! Thanks for posting!
@TramPainter
Great song and one of their best Caribbean numbers.
@HeartoftheDragonColo
One of my favorites; my wife & I sing a bang-up version! It is from Sold Out by the original Trio, though, not from the Decca album pictured here (actually a very good overlooked album). Verse 1: Nick Reynolds, 2: Bob Shane, 3: Dave Guard.
@genemynahan554
Spot on!
@murryjcohen
The pictures of albums are often misleading.
@stephaniewalker4572
Great song! My first time hearing it.
@svjim1
Gary Hart campaign song.
@alpha-omega2362
Is that you Donna?