The Kingston Trio is an American folk group that helped launch the folk rev… Read Full Bio ↴The Kingston Trio is an American folk group that helped launch the folk revival of the 1960s and continued to thrive despite the emergence of rock and roll.

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.

One More Round
The Kingston Trio Lyrics

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[Chorus:]
Delia's gone, one more round. [Repeat 2x]
Dellia's gone.
Woke up this mornin'. Looked out 'cross the room. Delia, oh Delia, why did you leave me so soon?
[Chorus]
Police was a-knockin', knockin' at my door. He said, "Son, I got to tell you, you ain't gonna see your Delia no more."
[Chorus]
Delia in the wagon headin' for marble town. So all of those who loved her, sing it one more round.

[Chorus]

Overall Meaning

The Kingston Trio's song "One More Round" tells the heartbreaking story of a man who wakes up to find his lover, Delia, has left him, and later discovers that she has died. The chorus, "Delia's gone, one more round," serves as a somber reminder of his loss, and he sings it repeatedly throughout the song as a way to cope with his grief. The first verse finds the man looking around his room, searching for any signs of Delia, unable to comprehend why she left him so suddenly. The chorus follows, and then the second verse brings new information - the police have come to tell him that Delia has died. The third verse paints a picture of Delia's funeral procession, as her friends and loved ones sing one last song for her.

Line by Line Meaning

Delia's gone, one more round. [Repeat 2x]
We sing one more round to mourn Delia's departure from this world.

Dellia's gone.
Delia has died, and we are sad.

Woke up this mornin'. Looked out 'cross the room.
When I woke up this morning, I didn't see Delia anywhere.

Delia, oh Delia, why did you leave me so soon?
I miss Delia and wonder why she had to leave me so early.

Police was a-knockin', knockin' at my door. He said, "Son, I got to tell you, you ain't gonna see your Delia no more."
The police came to my door and told me Delia had died and I wouldn't be able to see her anymore.

One More RoundThe Kingston Trio Lyrics

Karen Heimbach

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One More Round
The Kingston Trio Lyrics