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.
Karu
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Karu, karu, karu, karu, kati Iave, Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave. Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave, Ka haire ki te ora mo.
Kare, kare, Ka maatu e, Kare, kare, Ka maatu e, Karu, karu, karu, kate Iave,
Karu, karu, karu, karu, ka maatu e, Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave, Ka haire ki te oara mo
Tuku wai uri oro nei tupu tapu kino nrie. Auwe te nataku e Kamo. Tuku wai uri oro nei tupu tapu kino nrie.
The lyrics of the Kingston Trio's Karu showcase a traditional Māori song. The first verse translated to English roughly reads: "The cursed water of my ancestors still grows the sacred evils. I am afraid, I am not yet dead. Karu, karu, karu, karu, cut it off with the talons. Cut it off with the talons, take it off to live. I am afraid, I am not yet dead. Karu, karu, karu, cut it off with the talons, cut it off with the talons, take it off to live."
The meaning of the song is open to interpretation, but it's often thought to be a commentary on the enduring impact of colonization on the Māori people. The lyrics contain references to ancestral curses and sacred evils that continue to impact modern generations. The use of "I am afraid, I am not yet dead" could be interpreted as a fear of losing cultural identity and traditional ways of life. The repeated refrain of "Karu, karu, karu" refers to cutting away and removing these negative forces in order to find a path towards healing and renewal.
Line by Line Meaning
Taku wai uri oro nei tupu tapu kino nrie.
This land where I was born is sacred, but it is now polluted and degraded.
Au we te mataku e, Kare, kare, ka maatu e, Kare, kare, ka maatu e
I am afraid that if we don't take action, it will be too late to save it.
Karu, karu, karu, karu, kati Iave, Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave. Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave, Ka haire ki te ora mo.
We need to work hard to heal this sacred land and restore it to its natural state, so that it can provide for us and future generations.
Kare, kare, Ka maatu e, Kare, kare, Ka maatu e, Karu, karu, karu, kate Iave,
We cannot let this land die, we must take action to save it.
Karu, karu, karu, karu, ka maatu e, Karu, karu, karu, karu, kate Iave, Ka haire ki te oara mo
Let us work together to save this land, and ensure a healthy and prosperous future for our people.
Tuku wai uri oro nei tupu tapu kino nrie. Auwe te nataku e Kamo. Tuku wai uri oro nei tupu tapu kino nrie.
This land is our heritage, and we must do everything we can to protect it from further harm.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MORRISON, REYNOLDS, SHANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind