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.
Laredo
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I spied a young cowboy dressed in white linen
Dressed in white linen and cold as the clay
I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
You can see by my outfit I'm a cowboy, too
You can see by our outfits that we are both cowboys
The Kingston Trio's song "Laredo" tells the story of a cowboy who walks in the streets of Laredo and comes across another young cowboy dressed in white linen, who seems to have died. This realization is jarring for the singer who comments on how cold the young cowboy is as if he were made of clay. The situation moves from somber to humorous as the young cowboy responds to the singer's outfit with the popular line, "Get yourself an outfit and be a cowboy, too!"
The song's lyrics are a mix of sadness and comedy, which is typical of many folk songs of the 1960s. The image of a dead cowboy is a recurrent theme in traditional songs, and it is used here to highlight the danger and uncertainty of the cowboy's lifestyle. However, the humor of the young cowboy's quip gives the song a lighthearted touch and invites the listener to engage with the characters in a playful way.
Line by Line Meaning
As I walked out in the streets of Laredo
As I strolled down the roads of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
One day, while wandering in Laredo
I spied a young cowboy dressed in white linen
I saw a young cowboy clothed in white linen
Dressed in white linen and cold as the clay
Covered in white linen and as lifeless as clay
I can see by your outfit that you are a cowboy
I can tell by your attire that you are a cowboy
You can see by my outfit I'm a cowboy, too
You can similarly tell that I'm also a cowboy from my clothing
You can see by our outfits that we are both cowboys
Our clothing shows that we're both cowboys
Get yourself an outfit and be a cowboy, too!
If you want, you can dress like us and become a cowboy as well!
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB SHANE, JOHN STEWART, NICK REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
sonyahannah
How well I remember this one! Have loved the KT in every incarnation, since the late 50s. . . what a group!
XMLarry
I had almost forgotten about this song, ty for posting
Barry I. Grauman
The Smothers Brothers also recorded this "Streets of Laredo" parody on one of their later albums.
synthonaplinth
This was one of my favorite albums as a kid, but from the picture you cannot tell that John Stewart has any teeth.
kimberly owen
LOL, I'd send this to my pal from Laredo. But, I think he'd come through the screen and hang me. He truly loathes the city. And after going myself. I can totally say the same!
HeartoftheDragonColo
ROFL!
Robotic Dart
Parodies since 1962