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.
Green Grasses
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There waits a girl where the green grasses grow.
Waits she there with a tear in her eye dreaming of years that long have gone by.
How I yearn for the days that are gone!
I'd wake in the morning to a whippoorwill song.
There by the fire sits my lady fair.
Singing this song as the combs her long hair.
Now I'm thinkin' home I must go cause I've been wandrin' where the four winds blow.
Startin' tonight with the big April moon, she'll be by my side by the third day of June.
Way out by lonely bayou.
There waits a girl where the green grasses grow.
Waits she there with a tear in her eye dreaming of years that long have gone by.
The Kingston Trio's song "Green Grasses" tells the story of a man who is longing for the past and the love of his life. The song starts by describing a girl waiting by the bayou where green grasses grow, with a tear in her eye dreaming of the years that have gone by. The man then reminisces about the days when he used to wake up to the sound of whippoorwill song and his lady fair combing her long hair by the fire. He wishes to go back in time to those days that he yearns for, but instead, he finds himself wandering wherever the four winds blow.
The chorus of the song repeats the description of the girl waiting by the bayou and dreaming of the past. However, the man realizes that he cannot continue wandering and decides to head back home, intending to reunite with the girl by the third day of June, which marks the beginning of a new season.
The song's lyrics are poignant and evoke emotion, as they touch upon themes of nostalgia, longing, and reunions. It provides a glimpse into the desire to go back in time and relive moments of love, affection, and warmth. It also carries a message of hope, indicating that even after a long separation, love can still bring people back together.
Line by Line Meaning
Way out by lonely bayou.
In a faraway and desolate bayou.
There waits a girl where the green grasses grow.
A girl is waiting where the bright and lush grasses grow.
Waits she there with a tear in her eye dreaming of years that long have gone by.
She waits there with tearful eyes, longing for the days that have passed and dreaming of the old times.
How I yearn for the days that are gone!
I long deeply for the days that have disappeared.
I'd wake in the morning to a whippoorwill song.
I used to wake up to the sweet song of the whippoorwill each morning.
There by the fire sits my lady fair.
My beautiful lady sits by the fire.
Singing this song as the combs her long hair.
She combs her long hair and sings this song.
Now I'm thinkin' home I must go cause I've been wandrin' where the four winds blow.
I feel like I must return home because I have been wandering aimlessly where the winds take me.
Startin' tonight with the big April moon, she'll be by my side by the third day of June.
Starting tonight with the full moon in April, she will be by my side before the third day of June.
Way out by lonely bayou.
In a faraway and desolate bayou.
There waits a girl where the green grasses grow.
A girl is waiting where the bright and lush grasses grow.
Waits she there with a tear in her eye dreaming of years that long have gone by.
She waits there with tearful eyes, longing for the days that have passed and dreaming of the old times.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN STEWART
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind