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.
Bonny Hielan' Laddie
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
Stowing timber on the deck,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Was you ever in Dundee,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
There some pretty ships you'll see,
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny hielan' laddie
This Boston town don't suit my notion and I'm bound for far away.
So, I'll pack my bag and sail the ocean and I'll see you on another day.
Was you ever in Mobile Bay,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
Loading cotton by the day,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Was you ever 'round Cape Horn,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
With the Lion and the Unicorn,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny hielan' laddie
One of these days and it won't be long and I'm bound for far away.
You'll take a look around and find me gone and I'll see you on another day.
Was you ever in Monterey,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
On that town with three months pay,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Was you ever in Aberdeen,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie,
Prettiest girls that you've ever seen,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Farewell, dear friends, I'm leaving soon and I'm bound for far away.
We'll meet again this coming June and I'll see you on another day.
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie
Hey, ho, and away we go,
Bonny hielan' laddie
Bonny hielan' laddie
Bonny hielan' laddie
The Kingston Trio's song "Bonny Hielan’ Laddie" takes the listener on a journey around the world as the singer asks their companion if they have ever been to different locations. The song is filled with Scottish terminology such as "hielan" which means highland and "laddie" which means boy or young man. The singer seems to be a sailor who is traveling around the world, stowing timber in Quebec, loading cotton in Mobile Bay, and rounding Cape Horn with the Lion and the Unicorn. They sing about the pretty ships in Dundee, the girls in Aberdeen, and even having three months pay in Monterey.
The chorus of “Hey, ho, and away we go, Bonny laddie, hielan’ laddie” is catchy and easy to sing along with. It gives a sense of adventure and excitement, reflecting the sailor's wanderlust and desire to see more of the world. However, there is also a sense of longing for home and the need to leave Boston, as the singer is bound for far away.
Overall, "Bonny Hielan’ Laddie" is a feel-good song filled with catchy melodies, dynamic harmony, and nostalgic feelings of travel and home.
Line by Line Meaning
Was you ever in Quebec, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, Stowing timber on the deck, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you ever been to Quebec to work on a ship? It's hard work, but I love it.
Was you ever in Dundee, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, There some pretty ships you'll see, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you seen the ships in Dundee? They're beautiful, just like the work we do.
Hey, ho, and away we go, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie Hey, ho, and away we go, Bonny hielan' laddie
We're off on our next adventure! Let's sing and celebrate.
This Boston town don't suit my notion and I'm bound for far away. So, I'll pack my bag and sail the ocean and I'll see you on another day.
I'm leaving Boston, it's not for me. I'm going to travel and work on ships again. I'll miss you, but I'll be back someday.
Was you ever in Mobile Bay, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, Loading cotton by the day, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you ever worked in Mobile Bay loading cotton? It's tough work, but it pays well.
Was you ever 'round Cape Horn, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, With the Lion and the Unicorn, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you ever sailed around Cape Horn? I have, and it was an adventure. It's like sailing with legendary creatures the Lion and the Unicorn.
One of these days and it won't be long and I'm bound for far away. You'll take a look around and find me gone and I'll see you on another day.
I'm leaving again soon, it's just the life I lead. You'll notice I'm gone, but don't worry, I'll be back soon enough.
Was you ever in Monterey, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, On that town with three months pay, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you worked in Monterey? It's a great town with good pay. The work may be hard, but it's worth it.
Was you ever in Aberdeen, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie, Prettiest girls that you've ever seen, Bonny hielan' laddie
Have you seen the girls in Aberdeen? They're the prettiest I've ever seen. Maybe I'll stay a while.
Farewell, dear friends, I'm leaving soon and I'm bound for far away. We'll meet again this coming June and I'll see you on another day.
It's time to say goodbye to my friends again. But don't worry, I'll be back in June and we'll catch up then.
Hey, ho, and away we go, Bonny laddie, hielan' laddie Hey, ho, and away we go, Bonny hielan' laddie
Let's sing again and set sail for our next adventure.
Bonny hielan' laddie Bonny hielan' laddie
I am a proud and handsome highlander, ready for whatever comes my way.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: DAVE GUARD, JOE HICKERSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
XMLarry
Another one of their lesser known but great songs!
mmordors
I love this song! Another example of the geneus of The KT.
desertra1
This group was the huge love of my youth. GREATNESS. Beautiful, beautiful committed singers.
PorZatz
I was lucky enough to see the group in 1961 in the first of, I believe, two concerts at the Orpheum Theater in Seattle just before Dave Guard quit the group and the sad tidings for all of us KT maniacs were released to the press. Two of my high school buddies and I boarded a ferry in Bremerton, Washington, on a school night (how's that for enthusiasm?) to make the trek to Seattle in time for the show. I hid out in the trunk of our car so that we would have enough money to cross the ferry and still pay for the concert. Sorry, all you ferry execs...but we were rabid KT fans. The warm up act was Gene McDaniels who had had quite a success with his hit, "A hundred Pounds of Clay"..but nobody cared we were just waiting for the gods. Oddly enough, I don't remember them playing "Tom Dooley"...They came out wearing blue and white striped shirts and grey slacks with the requisite shoeless loafers and the Martin guitars. They laid the guitars on a covered table as each one was required (I suppose guitar stands as we know them were not readily available in those days...who knows?) and they played various songs from each of their albums in, what I suppose, was a carefully orchestrated act with the usual Dave Guard patter and began early with "Bad Man's Blunder" and progressed through just about all our faves, including the Christmas album,"Where Shall I Send Thee" as well as many others, "Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies," I remember and "Guardo El Lobo" during which they did a kind of Castilian dance as they performed the song...it was breathtaking! Three guys with a tambourine. Real bona-fide entertainers. The audience went wild after every tune they did. Remember, many of these folks were probably jaded, hard-working people who'd seen it all. They were at least as rabid as us kids. Now, I had all the albums except "Make Way." up to that night and knew all their stuff. So, when they played "Bonnie Hielin' Bonnie", it was like a bolt out of the blue. I think it was the single most applauded song of the night. I actually had an epiphany that night that set me on my musical life. I've heard similar stories from many other musicians all my life and continue to and many of them are people whose records you've bought. How's that for influence? Of course they did "They Call the Wind Maria" with Nick playing red colored bongos and ended it with the usual "When the Saints..." and we left because none of us particularly loved that tune...ha, ha. I suppose we made it to school the next day, but, frankly, I only remember that moment in my life as detailed as it remains to this day. Dave's extant Martin 0021 is gone today, they no longer make that model, but Bob's D-28 was there, though he may not remember which, of his many Martins, he played during that tour. Nick played the original tenor he shows on their many albums (I heard he had it refinished and rued the tone loss as a result). Of course there were and still are The Beatles. Forever. But, for me, at least, it was the KT. Years later I actually met Bob when I drove a cab in Reno, Nevada. He was most gracious and nothing what one could call a disappointment.. I think he had the strongest handshake of any man I've ever met. I was a fledgling guitar player at the time and he actually directed me to the possibility of working with someone he knew and trusted. Very nice. I, of course, chose a different path but have felt blessed by that shining moment in my history. If there is such a thing as magic, it is surely in all of us who love the mystery of something. We loved and still love the Kingston Trio because it was and IS magical and peculiarly them. It may be called folk or whatever, but it is, in the end, Kingston Trio music.
Phillip Lohnes
@Tamra Armstrong I have seen them twice. They play B list houses, but still great fun. Search for them. The tickets are also pretty reasonable, at least compared with down town here in Boston.
Tamra Armstrong
@Phillip Lohnes for real?!? I missed them in the 60s as I'm a baby of the nineties. Even though it's obviously not going to be the same, I'd love to see them.
Phillip Lohnes
I know it's not the same, but the group still plays with new members. They are still really very very good. Just saw them here in MA.
Celtic _Slavic68
I was born in 1968. Never saw them live. Have seen them on PBS. Grew up listening to them, Weavers, Pete Seeger, Peter, Paul, and Mary, etc. Thanks to my parents. Especially Dad. Mom will be 70 same day I turn 49 in December. And dad just turned 80 end of May, same day my sister's youngest boy turned 9.
James Evans
Nice story - and one I could have written myself. I remember attending a number of concerts of the original (and, as far as I'm concerned, the ONLY) Kingston Trio. Even though their act was pretty much a rote exercise (same jokes, same patter, etc.) with only slight variations, they always put on a great show. They were entertainers in the classic sense and had a magic about them which, in my more mature hindsight, I now think was the consequence of a near-perfect blend of talents coupled with an awareness of their audience. I had the pleasure of meeting them all over the years and, as you say, it was never a disappointment. Friendly, down-to-earth guys who gave the impression that they genuinely appreciated their fans.
eggman9713
I digitized this album from my dad's LP collection and got addicted to this song a couple of years ago while at college.