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.
Goodnight Irene
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Chorus:
Irene, goodnight. Irene, goodnight Goodnight, Irene. Goodnight, Irene. I'll see you in my dreams.
Last Saturday night I got married. Me and my wife settled down.
Now, me and my wife are parted. Gonna take a little stroll downtown.
Yeah, sometimes I live in the country and sometimes I live in town.
Yeah, and sometimes I take a great notion I'm gonna jump in the river and drown.
(Chorus)
Stop ramblin'. Stop that gamblin'. Stop staying out late at night.
Go home to your wife and family. Stay there by the fireside, bright.
(Chorus)
Goodnight, Irene. Goodnight, Irene. I'll see you in my dreams.
The Kingston Trio's song Goodnight Irene is a cover of the original song by Huddie Ledbetter, also known as Lead Belly, and John Lomax. It is a folk song that features a melancholic tone and lyrics that revolve around heartbreak, loneliness, and regret. The song starts with the chorus "Irene, goodnight. Irene, goodnight. Goodnight, Irene. Goodnight, Irene. I'll see you in my dreams." which expresses the singer's longing for Irene and the hope to see her again in his dreams.
The first stanza talks about the singer's recent marriage and how he and his wife have parted ways. It suggests that the singer is not happy with his married life and wants to take a stroll downtown to clear his mind. The second stanza talks about the singer's nomadic lifestyle, where he sometimes lives in the country and sometimes in town. The final line, "sometimes I take a great notion I'm gonna jump in the river and drown," suggests that the singer sometimes contemplates suicide due to his despair.
The last stanza serves as advice to the singer to stop his destructive behavior, including gambling and staying out late at night, and to return to his wife and family, telling him to stay at home and be by the fireside, bright. The song ends with the chorus once more, indicating that the singer still dreams of Irene.
Line by Line Meaning
Irene, goodnight. Irene, goodnight
Addressing a woman named Irene and bidding her goodnight.
Goodnight, Irene. Goodnight, Irene. I'll see you in my dreams.
Repeating the farewell and expressing a desire to see her in dreams.
Last Saturday night I got married. Me and my wife settled down.
Narrating the singer's marriage and settling down with his wife.
Now, me and my wife are parted. Gonna take a little stroll downtown.
Revealing separation from his wife and planning to go downtown for a stroll.
Yeah, sometimes I live in the country and sometimes I live in town.
Stating the artist's residence in both the country and town at different times.
Yeah, and sometimes I take a great notion I'm gonna jump in the river and drown.
Acknowledging his occasional suicidal thoughts of drowning himself in the river.
Stop ramblin'. Stop that gamblin'. Stop staying out late at night.
Directing someone to stop roaming around, gambling and being out late at night.
Go home to your wife and family. Stay there by the fireside, bright.
Advising someone to go home and stay with the family by the bright fireside.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Huddie Ledbetter, John Lomax
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind