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.
FAREWELL
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Fare thee well, my own true love. I'm leavin' the first hour of the morn.
I'm bound off for the bay of Mexico and maybe the coast of Californ.
Chorus:
So, fare thee well, my own true love. We'll meet another day, another time.
It's not the leavin' that's grievin' me, but my true love who's bound to stay behind.
The weather is against me and the wind blows hard and the rain, she's a-turnin' into hail,
But I still might strike it lucky on a highway going West or ridin' on a fast movin' train.
I'll write you a letter from time to time. As I ramble you can travel with me, too.
With my hands in my head and my heart, my love, I will send what I know back home to you.
This line above doesn't seem to make much sense
(Chorus)
There's a place I've heard of where I might as well go. It's down in the heart of Mexico.
They say that the people are all friendly down there. All they ask of you is your name.
I'll tell you of the laughter and the troubles be their somebody else's or my own.
With my hands in my pocket and my coat collar high, I will travel unnoticed and unknown.
(Chorus)
The Kingston Trio's song Farewell is a melancholic ballad that tells the story of a departing lover who is bound for the bay of Mexico and possibly the coast of California. The singer bids farewell to his true love and hopes to meet her again someday. He is not saddened by his leaving, but by the fact that his true love is bound to stay behind. Despite the inclement weather, the singer hopes to strike it lucky and travel westward on a fast-moving train or a highway. He promises to keep her updated through letters of his travels and his life.
The singer mentions a place in Mexico where he might go, where the people are friendly and accommodating. He intends to travel there to experience the joys and hardships of life, whether it be his own or somebody else's, without attracting attention. The Kingston Trio's song Farewell is a perfect example of a folk ballad. It tells a sad story of departure, of hope and longing, and of a lover's promise to return. The song is an expression of the human condition, of our inherent desire to explore and experience different things while still staying true to our roots.
Line by Line Meaning
Fare thee well, my own true love. I'm leavin' the first hour of the morn.
Goodbye, my dear. I'm leaving early in the morning.
I'm bound off for the bay of Mexico and maybe the coast of Californ.
I'm heading to Mexico and potentially California.
So, fare thee well, my own true love. We'll meet another day, another time.
Goodbye, love. We will see each other again.
It's not the leavin' that's grievin' me, but my true love who's bound to stay behind.
Leaving isn't the issue, it's leaving my love behind.
The weather is against me and the wind blows hard and the rain, she's a-turnin' into hail,
The weather is difficult with harsh wind and hail.
But I still might strike it lucky on a highway going West or ridin' on a fast movin' train.
I may catch a break traveling west on a highway or by train.
I'll write you a letter from time to time. As I ramble you can travel with me, too.
I'll send letters as I travel, and you can join me vicariously through them.
With my hands in my head and my heart, my love, I will send what I know back home to you.
I'll send my thoughts and experiences back to you with my hands, head, and heart.
There's a place I've heard of where I might as well go. It's down in the heart of Mexico.
I've heard of a place in Mexico that I may visit.
They say that the people are all friendly down there. All they ask of you is your name.
I've heard the locals there are friendly and simply ask for your name.
I'll tell you of the laughter and the troubles be their somebody else's or my own.
I'll share stories of laughter and trouble, whether they're my own or someone else's.
With my hands in my pocket and my coat collar high, I will travel unnoticed and unknown.
I will travel incognito, with my hands in my pocket and my coat collar up.
It's not the leaving that's grieving me, but my true love who's bound to stay behind.
I'm not sad about leaving, but about leaving my love behind.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Sentric Music
Written by: BOB DYLAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@DalokiMauvais
I'll never know why this song popped into my head last night. I hadn't heard it for at least 20 years. Some snatch of melody in another video might have reminded me of a bit of this melody - often that's all it takes. I had to search for it because I couldn't remember (unusual for me!) the last double verse. And I'd forgotten how gentle a performance Nick and John gave. Lovely.
@ssgtsouth
This song is so beautiful, I used to sing this song over and over and over again. I loved the KT, still do and always will, like so many millions around the world.
@james5914
Beautiful folk music. The U. S. would be a better place if people gathered in one another's homes and sang songs like this with one another's children nearby.
@CadillacL
One of the most beautiful songs from the KT. IMO the John Stewart-era, is their best.
@Dulcimerea
Bob Dylan wrote this song but I don't know if he ever recorded it but the KT did.
@alosadav
One of my favourites songs. Dylan tooked it from "The Leaving of Liverpool"
@fanchbrezoneg
a great Bob Dylan's work.
@bennyjazzful
I agree 100&