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.
La Bamba
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baila baila baila bamba. Baila, baila, baila bamba, seres a si' una poca de gracia.
Una poca de gracia para mi para ti why'ariba, why'ariba.
A why' ariba, ariba, por ti sere, yo no soy marinero. Yo no soy marinero, por ti sere por ti sere.
Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba.
The Kingston Trio's song "La Bamba" is a classic tune in the genre of folk-pop. The lyrics are in Spanish, and although some may find them difficult to decipher, they hold deeper meanings to them. The song starts with "Baila baila baila bamba," which translates to "Dance, dance, dance Bamba." The singer is urging listeners to participate in this popular dance that originated in Veracruz, Mexico, in the 19th century. The second line "Baila, baila, baila bamba, seres a si' una poca de gracia" is telling the listener to dance with grace and exude joy.
The following line "Una poca de gracia para mi para ti why'ariba, why'ariba" means "A little bit of grace for me and for you, up we go." The singer is inviting the listeners to participate in the fun of dancing despite any differences. The chorus of the song emphasizes the presence of the dancer, "A why' ariba, ariba, por ti sere, yo no soy marinero. Yo no soy marinero, por ti sere por ti sere," which translates to "Up we go, up, up, I'll be there for you. I'm not a sailor, but I'll be there for you." Overall, the song La Bamba is about coming together to dance and have a good time, despite any barriers in front of us.
Line by Line Meaning
Baila baila baila bamba.
Dance, dance, dance the bamba.
Baila, baila, baila bamba, seres a si' una poca de gracia.
Dance, dance, dance the bamba, you will look graceful doing it.
Una poca de gracia para mi para ti why'ariba, why'ariba.
A little grace for me and you, up high, up high.
A why' ariba, ariba, por ti sere, yo no soy marinero.
Up high, up high, for you I will do it, I am not a sailor.
Yo no soy marinero, por ti sere por ti sere.
I am not a sailor, but for you I will be, for you I will be.
Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba.
Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba. Bamba, bamba.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Rotana Publishing s.a.r.l., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Ritchie Valens
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind