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.
Pay Me My Money Down
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I thought I heard a captain say, "Pay me my money down. Tomorrow is my sailing day, pay me my money down."
Chorus:
Oh, pay me. Pay me. Pay me my money down. Pay me or go to jail. Pay me my money down.
Soon as that boat was clear of the bar, pay me my money down, well, he knocked me down with the end of a spar
(Chorus)
Wish I was Sherman Adamson, pay me my money down. Get a coke and watch the fun. Pay me my money down.
(Chorus)
Wish I was Erv Jellison, pay me my money down. Fly away and have some fun. Pay me my money down.
(Chorus, twice)
The Kingston Trio's "Pay Me My Money Down" shares an age-old tale of sailors demanding payment for their hard work before setting sail on the next voyage. The song begins with the singer overhearing a captain's demand for payment. He repeats the phrase "Pay me my money down" multiple times throughout the opening verse and chorus, serving as a reminder that payment is due. The chorus itself is a call and response, asking for payment or a trip to jail. The urgency of the captain's request is conveyed through the repeated use of the phrase "pay me" and the threat of imprisonment.
The second verse continues with the singer's experience aboard the boat. As soon as the boat is clear of the bar, he is knocked down by the end of a spar. The line "pay me my money down" is repeated again to bring the focus back to the payment that is owed. The song's pace picks up in the third verse, with the singer wishing he was someone else and could simply watch the chaos unfold. The last line of the verse, "pay me my money down," remains a constant refrain throughout the song's entirety. The song ends with a repetition of the urgent chorus, emphasizing once again the importance of paying those who have worked hard.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I thought I heard a captain say, "Pay me my money down. Tomorrow is my sailing day, pay me my money down."
The singer heard a captain demand payment before he sets sail the next day.
Chorus:
Oh, pay me. Pay me. Pay me my money down. Pay me or go to jail. Pay me my money down.
The chorus urges listeners to pay their debts or face the consequences of imprisonment.
Soon as that boat was clear of the bar, pay me my money down, well, he knocked me down with the end of a spar
Pay me my money down.
As soon as the boat was clear, the captain demanded payment and then violently attacked the singer when he didn't comply.
(Chorus)
The chorus repeats the same message of demanding payment.
Wish I was Sherman Adamson, pay me my money down. Get a coke and watch the fun. Pay me my money down.
The artist wishes they were someone else so they could take pleasure in demanding payment from others and watching them struggle to pay.
(Chorus)
The chorus repeats the same message of demanding payment.
Wish I was Erv Jellison, pay me my money down. Fly away and have some fun. Pay me my money down.
The singer wishes they were someone else so they could leave their debts behind and go have fun, while still demanding payment from others.
(Chorus, twice)
The chorus repeats the same message again, emphasizing the importance of paying debts.
Lyrics © Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN), Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DP, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Michael Boyce
Rare Outtake from the "Stereo Concert" album,but not first included until 1999.
K. Sebastian Henwood
While we're young!... (relatively!;)...
Bill Davis
Dave Guard not John Stewart ... wrong photo