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.
Bottle of Wine
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine,
When you gonna let me get sober
Let me alone, let me go home.
Let me back and start over.
Well, I've rambled around this dirty old town
Singing for nickels and dimes
To buy me a little bottle of wine.
[Chorus]
Well, little hotel, older than Hell,
Cold as the dark in the mine
Light so dim, I had to grin,
I got me a little bottle of wine.
[Chorus]
Well, the preacher will preach and the teacher will teach
The miner will dig in the mine
I ride the rods, trusting in God,
Huggin' my little bottle of wine.
[Chorus]
Well, pain in my head, bugs in my bed,
Pants so old that they shine
Out on the street, I tell the people I meet
To buy me a little bottle of wine.
[Chorus]
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine,
When you gonna let me get sober.
The Kingston Trio's "Bottle of Wine" is a song about a man who has hit rock bottom and has turned to alcohol to deal with his problems. The song's chorus contains the man's desperate plea to be left alone so he can go home and start over. He knows he needs to give up drinking to get his life back on track, but he can't seem to do it. The verses describe his struggles with poverty, loneliness, and addiction. He sings of his life as a wandering musician, singing for nickels and dimes and not being able to afford even the most basic necessities. He talks about living in a cold, dimly lit hotel and searching for solace in a bottle of wine. Even though he knows he's on a destructive path, he can't help but continue to drink.
Line by Line Meaning
Bottle of wine, fruit of the vine,
The singer is addicted to alcohol and finds solace in the bottle of wine made from grapes.
When you gonna let me get sober
The singer is aware of their addiction but unable to stop. They question when, if ever, they will be able to quit.
Let me alone, let me go home.
The singer wants to be left alone to deal with their addiction and go home to start over and leave it all behind.
Let me back and start over.
The artist wishes to go back in time and start over, possibly with the hope of avoiding addiction.
Well, I've rambled around this dirty old town
The artist has been wandering aimlessly in a place that is no longer appealing or welcoming.
Singing for nickels and dimes
The singer is busking for small amounts of money to support their addiction.
Times gettin' rough, I can't get enough
The environment around the singer is becoming more difficult, and their addiction is getting worse.
To buy me a little bottle of wine.
The artist is willing to do whatever it takes to keep up their addiction.
Well, little hotel, older than Hell,
The hotel is old, run down, and unpleasant, matching the artist's state of mind.
Cold as the dark in the mine
The temperature is low, and the environment is dark and unpleasant.
Light so dim, I had to grin,
The light is so poor that it is almost comical or ironic, and the singer is able to laugh at the situation.
I got me a little bottle of wine.
Despite the poor conditions, the artist is happy to have secured their next drink.
Well, the preacher will preach and the teacher will teach
The singer is acknowledging the societal norms that tend to reject addiction and promote abstinence or moderation.
The miner will dig in the mine
People have their roles and professions, and the singer has chosen their own path of addiction.
I ride the rods, trusting in God,
The singer is risking their life by riding the train illegally, but they have faith in a higher power to protect them.
Huggin' my little bottle of wine.
The bottle of wine is the artist's only comfort during their difficult journey.
Well, pain in my head, bugs in my bed,
The artist is experiencing physical discomfort, possibly resulting from the addiction and the poor conditions they are living in.
Pants so old that they shine
The singer's clothes are so worn that they have a noticeable sheen to them, adding to their general disheveled appearance.
Out on the street, I tell the people I meet
The singer is willing to ask strangers for money to support their addiction and continue their cycle of addiction.
To buy me a little bottle of wine.
The artist is determined to do whatever it takes to obtain their next drink.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: THOMAS R PAXTON, TOM PAXTON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Billy Angus
Now this is the first time I've heard
The Kingston Trio's folk version.
Very catchy rendition. 😉
I know I've heard The Fireballs' 1968
folk-rock novelty cover on the radio a few years ago.
Bob Shane (who's also in my Facebook contact)
is the only original surviving veteran of The Kingston Trio.
R.I.P. Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard.
Billy Angus
Now this is the first time I've heard
The Kingston Trio's folk version.
Very catchy rendition. 😉
I know I've heard The Fireballs' 1968
folk-rock novelty cover on the radio a few years ago.
Bob Shane (who's also in my Facebook contact)
is the only original surviving veteran of The Kingston Trio.
R.I.P. Nick Reynolds and Dave Guard.
Charlie Kucharski
This is different from the Fireballs version but I think the trio's version is cool too. Another greatly written song by Tom Paxton. Good energy here.
Tim
Brings back so many memories from when i was younger, thanks so much for posting.
fanchbrezoneg
écrite par Tom Paxton, admirablement interprètée par Judy Collins, cette chanson deviendra une chanson très connue en France sous le titre " Jolie Bouteille, sacrée bouteille " immortalisée par son adaptateur Greame Allwright. vers 1968
alfred thomson
Écrite par Tom P - vraiment...merci beaucoup.
jb47vintage
I never heard their version until now. The spirit of this song is "sh**face drunk", which the Fireballs nailed, while the Kingston Trio's sound is folksy. They must have enjoyed singing it. I suppose the difference is the Fireballs drank the wine before their performance and the Kingston Trio, after.
FROST1234321
Who the heck would dislike this?!?
Merlyn Schutterle
Probably Christians.
Billy Angus
Those who disliked this are obviously too square
and living very dull and boring lives.
JP Nolasco
@Merlyn Schutterle Nobody but christians.