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.
I'm Goin' Home
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Where I wandered
I know I'll always find a welcome
At the end of every journey
There'll be friendly people waitin'
California
Would not hold me
Worked her fields and worked her orchards
Up and down her central valley
I have driven
Open highway
Through the golden Utah valley
And I watched the rivers
Gently gliding
I wave my hand to friendly people
California
Would not hold me
'Though I loved her timber mountains
Worked her fields and worked her orchards
Up and down her central valley
Folks who know me
Call me a drifter
They don't know I'll stop my ramblin'
They don't know that someday
Somewhere somebody's gonna make me settle down
I'm going home, Lord, I'm going home
I'm going home, Lord, I'm going home
Well, no matter
Where I wandered
I know I'll always find a welcome
At the end of every journey
There'll be friendly people waitin'
California
Would not hold me
'Though I loved her timber mountains
Worked her fields and worked her orchards
Up and down her central valley
I'm going home!
The Kingston Trio's "I'm Going Home" is a reflective ballad about a man who has travelled far and wide, and found that no matter where he went, his heart always yearned for his true home. The song begins with the proclamation that he knows he'll always find a welcome, no matter where he wanders. He goes on to reminisce about his time in California, where he worked the land and fell in love with the natural beauty of the state, but ultimately couldn't find a sense of belonging there. He speaks of driving through the golden Utah valley, and while the beauty of the landscape and the kindness of the people he met were not lost on him, he could not ignore the pull of his true home. Despite being labeled a drifter by those who know him, he looks forward to the day when he settles down and finally feels like he's truly home. The final chorus emphasizes this longing and his resolve to return home, with the repeated refrain of "I'm going home."
The lyrics of "I'm Going Home" suggest a deep longing for a sense of place and belonging that is unfulfilled by the wandering lifestyle the singer has led thus far. While he has enjoyed his travels and the people he has met along the way, ultimately he finds that it is not enough to quell the longing he feels for a place to call his own. The song speaks to a universal human need for connection and rootedness, and the idea that no matter where we go or what we do, there will always be a pull towards our true home.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, no matter
No matter what happens or where I go, there will always be a place where I am welcome.
Where I wandered
Wherever I traveled in my life journey,
I know I'll always find a welcome
I am confident that I will always feel welcome wherever I go.
At the end of every journey
When I reach the end of every journey or adventure,
There'll be friendly people waitin'
I believe there will always be friendly people waiting for me.
California
The state of California,
Would not hold me
Although I loved California,
'Though I loved her timber mountains
Despite my love for the forested mountains of California,
Worked her fields and worked her orchards
Although I worked in California's fields and orchards,
Up and down her central valley
While traveling up and down the central valley of California,
I have driven
I drove,
Open highway
On the open highway,
Through the golden Utah valley
I drove through the golden valley of Utah,
And I watched the rivers
While watching the rivers flowing,
Gently gliding
Peacefully flowing,
I wave my hand to friendly people
I greeted the friendly people I passed with a wave of my hand.
Folks who know me
People who know me well,
Call me a drifter
Often refer to me as a drifter, one who moves from place to place without settling down.
They don't know I'll stop my ramblin'
However, they do not know that I will eventually stop my wandering.
They don't know that someday
They are not aware that eventually in the future,
Somewhere somebody's gonna make me settle down
Someone or something will inspire me to settle down.
I'm going home, Lord, I'm going home
I have decided to return to my place of origin or where I feel most at home.
I'm going home, Lord, I'm going home
I have made up my mind to go back to the place where I belong.
I'm going home!
I am returning home, where I will be among familiar faces and welcome surroundings.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Carey W
After the trio disbanded in 1967, John Stewart became my musical hero. I followed his solo career from 1970 until he passed away in 2008. All of them were so talented. They epitomized the folk era.
E621_Rule34
Theres a new kingston trio and j think one of the originals are in it
Mark Newton
Stewart' albums from 1968-73 were great. I have them all, three labels.
Banjo Sam
In 1994, I saw them live in Stillwater, MN...Bob & Nick and George Grove...I started playing the guitar and banjo in 1958 because of these guys! Love em forever...Great Spirit!!!! Every entertainer should take lessons from them as to how to ENTERTAIN!
Michael Byrne
If you don't love this tune - you have never left home!
John Eldon
If you don't love this tune, you don't love grand opera. The opening musical phrase is straight out of a Valentin's Aria in Gounod's "Faust."
Mark Newton
One of their best!
Ron Abbott
I love I'm Going Home, probably on the list of my top ten favorite KT songs.
Mark Newton
I agree!
davis7324
The song "Tom Dooley" was first introduced in Salt Lake City as a test market (without the word 'damn') included. They were just starting, and played at an amusement park, Lagoon, where I met them with my ninth-grade friend, who'd just won an 14-inch B&W TV by throwing a dime onto a spinning surface and covering a light (about a 1 in a million throw). We went into the bar to celebrate with Pepsi's, and there were Nick, Dave & Bob, having a beer before their performance. They signed my friend Pete's TV, and my copy of their first album, and made certain we were in the front row of both their performances that evening. What a night!