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.
Glorious Kingdom
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy (repeat twice)
And they say that His name was Jesus.
Chorus:
(He come down) He come from the glory. (He come down) He come from the glorious a-Kingdom. (Repeat)
Oh, yes, believe us. Oh, yes, believe us. Oh, yes, believe us. He come from the glorious Kingdom.
Was born in a town called Bethlehem. (repeat twice)
And they say that His name was Jesus.
(Chorus)
Was sent to us from Our Father above. (repeat twice)
And they say that His name was Jesus.
(Chorus)
The Kingston Trio's song Glorious Kingdom is a beautiful gospel tune that tells the story of the birth of Jesus Christ. The lyrics of the song start by introducing the singer of the story, the Virgin Mary, who had a baby boy. The repetition of this opening line emphasizes the importance of this event and portrays the anticipation and excitement surrounding the birth of Jesus. The song also mentions that the boy was named Jesus, adding a personal touch to the story that the listeners can connect with.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the divine nature of Jesus by referring to Him as coming from the "glory" and the "glorious Kingdom". This repetition further highlights His divinity while the phrase "oh, yes, believe us" encourages the listeners to place their faith in Jesus. The song continues to describe the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem while also emphasizing the significance of the event by repeating the line "and they say that His name was Jesus".
The final verse of the song mentions that Jesus was sent to us from our Father above, further emphasizing His divine nature and how He was sent to guide us on our path. The use of repetition throughout the song drives the point home and helps to reinforce the importance of the message being conveyed.
Line by Line Meaning
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
The mother of Christ gave birth to a son
And they say that His name was Jesus.
It is believed that the child was named Jesus
Chorus:
Refrain
(He come down) He come from the glory. (He come down) He come from the glorious a-Kingdom. (Repeat)
Jesus came down from the divine and heavenly kingdom
Oh, yes, believe us. Oh, yes, believe us. Oh, yes, believe us. He come from the glorious Kingdom.
The truth is to be believed that He belongs to the glorious kingdom
Was born in a town called Bethlehem.
Jesus was born in Bethlehem
And they say that His name was Jesus.
It is believed that the child was named Jesus
(Chorus)
Refrain
Was sent to us from Our Father above.
The child was sent from God the Father
And they say that His name was Jesus.
It is believed that the child was named Jesus
(Chorus)
Refrain
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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