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.
Four Stong Winds
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Four strong winds that blow lonely
Seven seas that run high
All those things that don't change come what may
But our good times are all gone
And I'm bound for moving on
I look for you if I'm ever back this way
Weathers good there in the fall
Got some friends I can go to working for
Still I wish you change your mind
If I asked you one more time
But we've been through that a hundred times or more
If I get there before the snow flies
And if things are going good
You could meet me if I send you down the fare
But by then it would be winter
Ain't too much for you to do
And those winds sure can blow cold way out there
The Kingston Trio's Four Strong Winds is a poignant song about the inevitability and ambiguity of change. The song's opening lines set the tone for the rest of the song, a reflection on the unstoppable forces of nature, and the unchanging aspect of certain things in our lives, despite the efforts we make to alter them. The singer contemplates the inevitable changes in his life and prepares to move on, bound for another destination. The lyrics express a sense of longing and nostalgia, with the remnants of past times and people, all fading away into the distance.
The first verse of the song describes the powerful winds that blow lonely, and the seas that run high, as well as the things in life that won't change, no matter how much we try. The second verse follows up on the singer's plans to leave, and his hope that he can convince his lover to come along. However, he knows that he has asked her many times before, to no avail. The third verse addresses the possibility of a reunion in the future, with the singer suggesting he might come back if things go well, with a poignant reminder of the harsh winter weather to come.
Line by Line Meaning
Four strong winds that blow lonely
There are strong winds that blow and make me feel lonely.
Seven seas that run high
Even the seas are rough and high.
All those things that don't change come what may
There are things that cannot be changed and will remain as thy are.
But our good times are all gone
The good times we shared are all in the past now.
And I'm bound for moving on
I am determined to move on and leave this place behind.
I look for you if I'm ever back this way
If I come back here again, I will search for you.
Think Ill go out to Alberta
I am planning to go to Alberta.
Weathers good there in the fall
The weather is pleasant in the fall in Alberta.
Got some friends I can go to working for
I have some friends who can give me work to do.
Still I wish you change your mind
I hope you will change your mind.
If I asked you one more time
If I were to ask you again.
But we've been through that a hundred times or more
But we have already had this conversation too many times.
If I get there before the snow flies
If I reach there before it starts snowing.
And if things are going good
And if things are going well for me.
You could meet me if I send you down the fare
You could come and meet me if I send you the money for it.
But by then it would be winter
But by that time, it would already be winter.
Ain't too much for you to do
There won't be much for you to do.
And those winds sure can blow cold way out there
And the winds can get very cold out there.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: IAN TYSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
charliekucharski
I always thought that Ian Tyson's "Four Strong Winds" was one of the best crafted songs ever. I'm always amazed that the songs that the Kingston Trio would not or did not get released are still better than the music put out today. Thanks for posting.
William Gintzel
I saw the original group, Nick, Bob and Dave in 1959 at Kansas State University. They had a string bass player for background. Sat in the front row of Ahearn Fieldhouse. Still have some of the original vinyls they produced. Nothing compared to the real thing.
ssgtsouth
Another great song written by Ian Tyson, who at 82 has just had open heart surgery. Hope Ian will be back and writing and singing soon. Now this is another great arrangement by the KT. They just simply did not do any bad songs. Their following today is the envy of so many groups.
freewill1114
Long live the Kingston Trio! I grew up with them.
Brian Skinner
freewill1114---As did I and my two brothers. We anticipated each new album like nothing else. We knew all the words Toot Sweet(quickly) , and sang along at all hours. It was great times.
Randall Huntley
I listened to these men constantly through junior and high school. Beautiful music.
beach gal
A beautiful solo by John on this one - thanks for putting it up here.
Annie Beth McNamara
They always have been wonderful. . . thank you for the music over the years. .
John Kenebutch
Wow! voted the greatest Canadian song of all time, as a Canadian i did not know that. I love Neil Young's version
Kathy Ritchie
Love it they played it in Germany 1971 military base concert. It was beautiful then and now.