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.
Honey Are You Mad At Your Man?
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Honey, are you mad? Honey, are you mad?
Honey, are you mad at your man?
Well, I'm goin' downtown, gonna get me a jug of brandy
Gonna give it all to Mandy,
Keep her drunk and boozy
Good drunk and boozy, good drunk and boozy all the time
Well, if you say so, then I'll railroad no more
I'll just hang around your shanty
Hang around your shanty,
Hang around your shanty all the time
Ruby, oh, Ruby
Honey, are you mad? Honey, are you mad?
Honey, are you mad at your man?
Oh well, I'm walkin' on down, till my shoes are getting' ragged
But you get me down to Nashville
Get me down to Nashville,
Get me down to Nashville, Tennessee
Honey, are you mad? Honey, are you mad?
Honey, are you mad at your man?
Ruby, oh, Ruby
Come on home
The Kingston Trio's song Honey Are You Mad At Your Man? is a classic example of the Appalachian ballad tradition. The lyrics tell the story of a man named Ruby who is trying to win back his lover's affections. Throughout the song, he asks his honey if she is mad at him and proposes different actions to win her back.
In the first verse, Ruby talks about going downtown to get a jug of brandy to keep his lover Mandy drunk and happy all the time. This suggests that Ruby may not have been the best partner and perhaps was neglectful or abusive towards Mandy. In the second verse, he promises to stop "railroading" or cheating on her if she'll take him back.
The chorus repeats the question of whether or not Honey (presumably, the singer's current lover) is mad at him. The song ends with a plea for Ruby's lover to come back to him.
Overall, the song paints a picture of a flawed man trying to make things right with his lover but struggling to find the right way to do it. It's a poignant commentary on the difficulties of relationships and the human desire for love and forgiveness.
Line by Line Meaning
Ruby, oh, Ruby
Addressing his woman by name, trying to connect with her through this song
Honey, are you mad? Honey, are you mad?
Asking his woman if she is upset with him for something, repeating the question to emphasize its importance
Honey, are you mad at your man?
Asking specifically if his woman is upset with him, referring to himself as 'your man'
Well, I'm goin' downtown, gonna get me a jug of brandy
Describing his plan to go to town and purchase a large quantity of brandy
Gonna give it all to Mandy,
Explaining his intention to give all of the brandy to a woman named Mandy
Keep her drunk and boozy
Implying that his goal is to keep Mandy constantly intoxicated
Good drunk and boozy, good drunk and boozy all the time
Emphasizing his desire for Mandy to be perpetually drunk
Well, if you say so, then I'll railroad no more
Agreeing to stop using trains as a mode of transportation if his woman requests it
I'll just hang around your shanty
Promising to stay close to his woman's home, implying his loyalty
Hang around your shanty, hang around your shanty,
Repeating the promise of staying close to her home to reinforce his devotion
Hang around your shanty all the time
Stating his intention to be there for her constantly
Oh well, I'm walkin' on down, till my shoes are getting' ragged
Walking a long distance to be with his woman, even if it means his shoes get worn out
But you get me down to Nashville
Asking his woman to take him down to Nashville, Tennessee
Get me down to Nashville, get me down to Nashville,
Repeating his request for emphasis
Get me down to Nashville, Tennessee
Specifically asking to go to Nashville, Tennessee
Come on home
Asking his woman to come back to him, potentially after some sort of conflict or separation
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB SHANE, JOHN STEWART, NICK REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Brendan Blaylock
A short and simple foot-tapper. Love it! They were the very best at these!
Mickey noodles
Love the banjo but also the bass!
Mryrhodesian
So do I. Mom bought me and brother all the albums. She passed two weeks ago. I cry everytime I listen to to these songs. Man I miss her so much.
XMLarry
I remember this one like it was yesterday (and I wish it were yesterday). Ty for posting