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.
Gypsy Rose and I Don't Give a Curse
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Down where Salty Sam from Turkistan had organized a marching band of Mau Maus in the Crazy Horse Saloon.
They harmonized together singing verses of the netherworld of darkness in an unfamiliar tune
And before the night was over they was a-floatin' down the river with their belly buttons winkin' at the moon.
Oh, isn't it the same the whole world over? People seem to go from bad to worse.
Whether you're a fighter or a lover, Gypsy Rose and I don't give a curse.
Seven sorry sisters from the Sun Canal sorority went strolling on a summer afternoon
Down where little Ricky Vanderpool would work his way through Sunday school playing his electricfied kazoo
They'd hide their best to back it, not intending to distract it, singing seven kinds of sorry out of tune,
And before the night was over they was a-floatin' down the river with their belly buttons winkin' at the moon.
The Kingston Trio's song "Gypsy Rose and I Don't Give a Curse" begins with Kris Kristofferson's vivid and whimsical lyrics about a group of sailors leaving their luxurious summer homes in Saginaw to find something better in Rangoon. However, what they end up finding is an odd but enthralling marching band of Mau Maus led by Salty Sam from Turkistan, all gathered in the Crazy Horse Saloon. The sailors and the Mau Maus sing together in harmony about the dark underworld, creating an unusual but compelling tune. The night ends with the sailors riding down the river with their "belly buttons winking at the moon," suggesting a night of merriment and carefree abandon.
The second verse of the song introduces us to seven "sorry sisters" from the Sun Canal sorority who come across a young boy named Ricky Vanderpool playing his electricfied kazoo while working his way through Sunday school. They join in on the kazoo and sing their hearts out, albeit out of tune, filling the summer afternoon with their off-key harmonies. Similar to the sailors, the sisters end their day by riding down the river with their "belly buttons winking at the moon." The chorus of the song expresses a sense of apathy towards the world and its troubles, with Gypsy Rose and the singer not giving a curse about anything.
Line by Line Meaning
Seven starving sailors sold their summer homes in Saginaw to search for something better in Rangoon (in Rangoon)
Seven sailors who had to sell their summer homes in Saginaw were in search for something better in Rangoon, Burma.
Down where Salty Sam from Turkistan had organized a marching band of Mau Maus in the Crazy Horse Saloon.
They went to the Crazy Horse Saloon where Salty Sam from Turkistan had organized a marching band of Mau Maus.
They harmonized together singing verses of the netherworld of darkness in an unfamiliar tune
Together, they sang verses about the unknown world of darkness in an unfamiliar tune.
And before the night was over they was a-floatin' down the river with their belly buttons winkin' at the moon.
As the night passed by, they found themselves cruising down the river with their belly buttons visible under the moonlight.
Seven sorry sisters from the Sun Canal sorority went strolling on a summer afternoon
On a summer afternoon, seven sisters from the Sun Canal sorority went for a walk.
Down where little Ricky Vanderpool would work his way through Sunday school playing his electricfied kazoo
They passed a place where Ricky Vanderpool would play his electrified kazoo during his Sunday school work.
They'd hide their best to back it, not intending to distract it, singing seven kinds of sorry out of tune,
They tried to sing their best, trying not to distract Ricky's kazoo, but ended up singing seven different kinds of sorrow off-key.
And before the night was over they was a-floatin' down the river with their belly buttons winkin' at the moon.
As the night drew to a close, they found themselves floating down the river with their belly buttons visible under the moonlight.
Oh, isn't it the same the whole world over? People seem to go from bad to worse.
Isn't it true that all over the world, people seem to worsen in their lives?
Whether you're a fighter or a lover, Gypsy Rose and I don't give a curse.
Whether you're a fighter or a lover, Gypsy Rose and I don't care.
Chorus, twice
Repeats the chorus lyrics.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Kristoffer Kristofferson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind