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.
Colours
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In the morning when we rise, in the morning when we rise
That's the time. That's the time I love the best
Blue is the color of the sky in the morning
When we rise, in the morning when we rise
That's the time. That's the time I love the best
Mellow is the feeling that I get when I'm with her
Uh huh, when I'm with her, uh huh
Freedom is a word I rarely use without thinking
Uh huh, without thinking, uh huh
'Bout the time ('bout the time), hey, 'bout the time
(Hey, 'bout the time) when I've been lost
Yellow is the color of my true love's hair
In the morning when we rise, in the morning when we rise
That's the time. That's the time I love the best
That's the time. Yeah, that's the time I love the best
The Kingston Trio's "Colours" song has beautiful and insightful lyrics that celebrate different colors and the emotions and memories they evoke. In the first stanza, the singer talks about yellow, the color of his true love's hair. It's a bright, happy color that represents sunshine, joy and happiness. By mentioning the morning, the singer captures the freshness and innocence of a new day and a new beginning, and how being with their true love at that time brings them joy and happiness.
In the second stanza, blue is the color of the sky in the morning. It's a calm, peaceful color that represents freedom, opportunity, and endless possibilities. The morning represents a new start, and blue represents the hope and excitement that come from new beginnings. The singer loves this time the most because it is a time of hope and expectation, a time when anything is possible.
The third stanza talks about the feeling the singer gets when he is with his true love. He describes it as mellow, a relaxed and content feeling that comes from being with someone you love. The singer is at peace with himself and the world when he is with his true love, and nothing else matters. Finally, the singer mentions freedom, a word that he rarely uses without thinking. It's a word that means a lot to him because he knows what it's like to feel lost, but he also knows the freedom that comes from being with his true love.
Overall, "Colours" is a beautiful song that celebrates love, hope, and freedom, and how colors can evoke powerful emotions and memories.
Line by Line Meaning
Yellow is the color of my true love's hair
I associate the color yellow with my true love's hair, and it brings me joy especially in the morning when we wake up together
In the morning when we rise, in the morning when we rise
I always think of my true love's yellow hair in the morning when we wake up together
That's the time. That's the time I love the best
I cherish the moments when I wake up with my true love by my side and see her beautiful yellow hair
Blue is the color of the sky in the morning
I love the color blue that fills the sky in the morning when my true love and I wake up together
Mellow is the feeling that I get when I'm with her
I feel a calm and relaxing sensation when I'm with my true love
Uh huh, when I'm with her, uh huh
It's true, being with my true love makes me feel mellow
That's the time. That's the time I love the best
The moments when I'm with my true love and feel mellow are the times I love the most
Freedom is a word I rarely use without thinking
I deeply consider the meaning of the word 'freedom' before I use it
Uh huh, without thinking, uh huh
But sometimes I might say it without fully contemplating its importance
'Bout the time ('bout the time), hey, 'bout the time
Sometimes I reflect on the instances when I may have used the word 'freedom' without giving it enough thought
(Hey, 'bout the time) when I've been lost
I often think about the times in my life when I felt lost and unsure and how freedom played a role then
Yellow is the color of my true love's hair
Once again, I think of the color yellow when I think of my true love
In the morning when we rise, in the morning when we rise
And once again, I associate my true love's yellow hair with our peaceful mornings together
That's the time. Yeah, that's the time I love the best
Overall, the precious moments with my true love in the morning when we wake up together are the times I cherish the most
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Donovan Leitch
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PRR5406
Nick Reynolds was a wonderful personality. The Kingston Trio is largely overlooked today, yet as much as Dylan, they influenced the shape of music from 1957 through the 1980's. If you found music with harmony as the vehicle, it was K3 influence coming through. I hope their body of work is rediscovered someday, in my lifetime.
Lars-Åke Hansson
I really liked this group thought it was just unsurpassed. I sadly remember the news of their end in
1966. I studied in Uddevalla, Sweden
at sixth form college ( High School) at the time. Since then I managed to obtain all their recordings on CD. It
really is a treasure of folk music in the late fifties and sixties.
L.Hansson
Sweden
August 26,2020
3Pitous
That's what is called" appropriation of a song".Interesting arrangement.Thanks for posting