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.
Long Black Veil
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
There was someone killed in the townhall light
There were few at the scene
But they all agreed
That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me
Nobody knows
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The judge said, 'Son, what is your alibi?
If you were somewhere else
Then you won't have to die
I spoke not a word though it meant my life
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
The scaffold was high and eternity near
She stood in the crowd
And shed not a tear
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans
In a long black veil
She cries o'er my bones
She walks these hills in a long black veil
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
Nobody knows
Nobody sees
Nobody knows but me
Nobody knows but me
Nobody knows but me
The Kingston Trio's song The Long Black Veil tells the story of an unnamed narrator who is accused of a murder he claims he did not commit, leaving no alibi to prove otherwise. The singer shares that he knows who did commit the murder, but revealing this would mean revealing a scandalous affair between himself and his best friend's wife, who was present at the scene of the crime. The singer chooses to keep his silence, ultimately leading to his execution.
The song is a hauntingly beautiful portrayal of a man who is willing to die in order to keep the secret of his forbidden love, and the woman who mourns him in a long black veil. The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery, such as the description of the woman visiting the singer's grave when the night winds wail, adding to the eerie nature of the song.
Overall, The Long Black Veil is a gripping story told through atmospheric music and lyrics that stay with the listener long after the song is over.
Line by Line Meaning
Ten years ago on a cold, dark night
Ten years ago on a cold, dark night, a murder took place in the townhall light.
There was someone killed in the townhall light
A person was killed in the townhall light, witnessed by few.
There were few at the scene
There were only a few people present at the scene of the murder.
But they all agreed
Despite the small number of witnesses, they shared the same opinion.
That the slayer who ran looked a lot like me
It was suggested that the murderer looked like the singer of the song who ran away.
Nobody knows
No one outside of the witnesses and the singer knows about the murder.
Nobody sees
The murder occurred with few witnesses and no one else saw anything.
Nobody knows but me
The singer is the only person who knows they didn't commit the murder.
The judge said, 'Son, what is your alibi?
The judge asked the singer what they can say to prove their innocence.
If you were somewhere else
If you weren't at the scene of the murder...
Then you won't have to die
...you wouldn't have to face the death penalty.
I spoke not a word though it meant my life
The singer didn't speak the truth of what happened because it would mean admitting to having an affair with the murderer's partner.
For I'd been in the arms of my best friend's wife
The singer had been having an affair with their best friend's wife.
She walks these hills in a long black veil
The wife of the singer's friend still walks around wearing a long black veil, possibly as a symbol of mourning or keeping their affair a secret.
She visits my grave when the night winds wail
The wife visits the singer's grave in secret when the night winds are howling.
The scaffold was high and eternity near
The punishment for the murder was the death penalty.
She stood in the crowd
The singer's friend's wife was present among the crowd during the public execution.
And shed not a tear
The wife didn't show any emotion despite her secret love for the singer.
But sometimes at night when the cold wind moans
In secret, the wife grieves for the singer she loved in the still of the night.
In a long black veil
The veil she wears over her face is a symbol of mourning and secrecy.
She cries o'er my bones
The wife grieves for the singer who had been executed and buried.
Nobody knows but me
The singer is the only person who is aware of the true nature of their relationship with the murdered person's partner.
Lyrics © DistroKid, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Danny Dill, Marijohn Wilkin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Bud Dauphin
Love this song
Richard Johnson
This is the BEST version of this song that I have ever heard .
銀騎士カート
懐かしいね(^_^)
sillyone52062
A man wrongfully hanged, but it is sung with a banjo, so it's OK. :-)
Philip Courter
Hahahaha. First song I learned on the 5-string.