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.
Brown Mountain Light
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spoken: In the hills of North Carolina, since the times of the early settlers, a strange light has
Been witnessed near the top of Brown Mountain. To this day, no one can explain the mystery of
The Brown Mountain Light.
Chorus:
High on the mountain and down in the valley below. It shines like the crown of an angel and fades as the mist comes and goes.
For his master who is long, long gone.
In the days of the old covered wagon, when they camped on the flats for the night
With the stars growing dim on the old high gorge rim, they would watch for the Brown Mountain Light.
(Chorus)
Long years ago a southern planter came hunting in this wild land alone,
And here, so they say, the hunter lost his way and never returned to his home.
His trusty old slave brought a lantern and searched, but in vain, day and night.
The old slave is gone but his spirit wanders on and the old lantern still casts its light.
(Chorus)
The Kingston Trio’s song Brown Mountain Light tells the mysterious tale of a strange light that appears at the top of Brown Mountain in North Carolina. The song describes how the light shines like an angel’s crown and fades as the mist comes and goes. The light is seen way over yonder, night after night until dawn by those in the valley below. The chorus of the song also speaks of a faithful old slave who has come back from the grave and searches for his master who is long gone.
The verses of the song speak of how in the days of the old covered wagon, travelers used to camp on the flats for the night and would watch for the Brown Mountain Light. The mysterious nature of the light is further explored when the storyteller tells of a southern planter who went hunting in the wild land alone and lost his way. His trusty old slave came with a lantern and searched day and night, but in vain. The old slave is now gone, but his spirit wanders on, and the light still casts its eerie glow, lending the mountain its enduring mystery.
The song paints a vivid picture of the folkloric character of the Brown Mountain Light and the superstitions, stories, and myths surrounding its origin. This enduring mystery has intrigued visitors and locals for generations and has been the subject of much folk music and storytelling.
Line by Line Meaning
In the hills of North Carolina, since the times of the early settlers, a strange light has
For generations, people in North Carolina have seen a mysterious light in the mountains that no one can explain.
Been witnessed near the top of Brown Mountain. To this day, no one can explain the mystery of
The unexplained light is seen around Brown Mountain and remains a mystery to this day.
High on the mountain and down in the valley below. It shines like the crown of an angel and fades as the mist comes and goes.
The light shines brightly on the mountain and even in the surrounding valleys, looking like a crown of an angel, but sometimes fades due to the surrounding mist.
Way over yonder, night after night until dawn. A faithful old slave, come back from the grave (searchin')
Across the mountain, every night until dawn, a persevering old slave who has come back from the dead walks around looking.
For his master who is long, long gone.
The old slave continues to search for his master who has been gone for a long time.
In the days of the old covered wagon, when they camped on the flats for the night
Once upon a time when people traveled by covered wagon, they used to camp on the flats at night.
With the stars growing dim on the old high gorge rim, they would watch for the Brown Mountain Light.
As the stars began to dim on the old high gorge rim, people would keep an eye out for the Brown Mountain Light.
Long years ago a southern planter came hunting in this wild land alone,
A hunter from the South came alone to this wild land many years ago.
And here, so they say, the hunter lost his way and never returned to his home.
Legend has it that the hunter got lost in this area and never found his way back home.
His trusty old slave brought a lantern and searched, but in vain, day and night.
The hunter's old and loyal slave searched day and night with a lantern, but couldn't find him.
The old slave is gone but his spirit wanders on and the old lantern still casts its light.
Even though the old slave has passed away, his spirit still wanders around, and the light from his lantern can still be seen.
Chorus:
The chorus describes the unexplained Brown Mountain Light, seen high on the mountain, and its possible connection to the old slave searching for his master.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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