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.
It Was a Very Good Year
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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It was a very good year,
It was a very good year
For small town girls
And soft summer nights.
We'd hide from the lights
On the village green
When I was seventeen.
When I was twenty-one,
It was a very good year,
It was a very good year
For city girls who lived up the stair,
With perfumed hair
That came undone,
When I was twenty-one.
When I was thirty-five
It was a very good year,
It was a very good year
For blue blooded girls
Of independent means.
We'd ride in limousines
Their chauffeurs would drive
When I was thirty-five.
But now the days are short,
I'm in the autumn of the year,
And now I think of my life as
Vintage wine from the old kegs,
From the brim to the dregs
It poured sweet and clear;
It was a very good year.
The Kingston Trio's song It Was a Very Good Year is a nostalgic tune that speaks to the passage of time and the way different stages of life bring about different experiences. The song is divided into three verses, each representing a different time period in the singer's life. The first verse describes the singer's memories of being seventeen, with fondness for small town girls and soft summer nights. The singer remembers hiding from the lights on the village green and cherishing those youthful moments. The second verse takes us to the age of twenty-one, where the singer speaks of city girls with perfumed hair that lets loose as they party up the stair. The third verse portrays the emotions of a thirty-five-year-old, reminiscing about blue blooded girls from lavish backgrounds who would ride in chauffeured limousines.
As the song comes to a close, the singer reflects on life in the present day. The days are now shorter, and the singer is in the autumn of life. However, the memories of his past experiences are recalled like vintage wine from old kegs. From the youthfulness of seventeen to the maturity of thirty-five, the singer's life is viewed as a very good year.
The lyrics of It Was a Very Good Year are reflective of the human experience and speak to the bittersweet nostalgia that we all feel as we age. The song is a beautiful reminder to cherish every moment of our lives, as each year and each age provides its own unique experiences.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was seventeen
At the age of seventeen
It was a very good year,
Life was enjoyable
It was a very good year
The year was really good
For small town girls
Girls from the towns nearby
And soft summer nights.
Warm nights with nice weather
We'd hide from the lights
We would stay hidden from the public
On the village green
On the field in the center of the town
When I was seventeen.
During my seventeenth year
When I was twenty-one,
At the age of twenty-one
It was a very good year,
The year was very enjoyable
It was a very good year
The year was really good
For city girls who lived up the stair,
Girls who lived in apartments above the ground floor
With perfumed hair
Their hair had the scent of perfume
That came undone,
Their hair was revealed
When I was twenty-one.
During my twenty-first year
When I was thirty-five
At the age of thirty-five
It was a very good year,
The year was highly enjoyable
It was a very good year
The year was really good
For blue blooded girls
Girls from elite families
Of independent means.
Who were wealthy and self-sufficient
We'd ride in limousines
We would get around in luxury cars
Their chauffeurs would drive
Their drivers would operate the vehicles
When I was thirty-five.
During my thirty-fifth year
But now the days are short,
But now I am old
I'm in the autumn of the year,
I am now in the later years of my life
And now I think of my life as
And now I consider my life to be
Vintage wine from the old kegs,
Like old, valuable wine stored in barrels
From the brim to the dregs
From the beginning to the end
It poured sweet and clear;
It was a very satisfying experience
It was a very good year.
The year was truly excellent
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ervin Drake
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind