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.
Rider
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well, I know you, Rider, gonna miss me when I'm gone. (Repeat)
You're gonna miss your daddy rollin' in your arms.
Well, the sun's gonna shine on my back porch some day. I said (Repeat)
Then the wind from the river's gonna blow all my troubles away.
[Chorus]
Well, I ain't got a nickel, no, I ain't got a lousy dime. (Repeat)
But I got a long way to go 'fore the end of my time.
[Chorus]
It takes a hard hearted woman to make a long time men feel bad. (Repeat)
'Cause it makes him remember the long hard road that he's had.
[Chorus]
The Kingston Trio's song "Rider" is a classic folk tune that tells the story of a man who is leaving his lover behind. The song opens with the chorus, where he reassures his lover that she will miss him once he is gone. He also acknowledges that she will miss the intimate moments they shared together when he used to roll in her arms.
The second verse of the song offers a glimmer of hope to the man. He believes that there will come a day when the sun will shine on his back porch and the wind from the river will blow away all of his troubles. The man clings to this hope as he prepares to depart from his lover.
The third verse describes the man's current financial state, where he reveals that he doesn't have a penny to his name. However, he recognizes that he has a long journey ahead of him before he meets his end.
The final verse of the song is a reflection on the woman who has caused the man great pain. He acknowledges that it takes a cold-hearted woman to make a man feel so bad as it reminds him of the long, hard road that he has traveled. Overall, the song conveys the themes of love, hope, and perseverance in the face of difficulties.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, I know you, Rider, gonna miss me when I'm gone. (Repeat)
The singer is aware that the Rider will regret not valuing their relationship once the singer has left.
You're gonna miss your daddy rollin' in your arms.
The Rider will regret not having their fatherly figure (the singer) around to comfort them.
Well, the sun's gonna shine on my back porch some day. I said (Repeat)
The singer believes that they will experience good times in the future.
Then the wind from the river's gonna blow all my troubles away.
The artist believes that nature will alleviate their problems with time.
Well, I ain't got a nickel, no, I ain't got a lousy dime. (Repeat)
The artist does not have any money in their possession.
But I got a long way to go 'fore the end of my time.
The singer believes there is still much in life that they want to experience before they die.
It takes a hard hearted woman to make a long time men feel bad. (Repeat)
The singer believes that women who are emotionally distant cause significant emotional pain to long-term partners.
'Cause it makes him remember the long hard road that he's had.
Such women remind men of the difficult trials they have had to overcome in their lives.
Well, I know you, Rider, gonna miss me when I'm gone. (Repeat)
The song concludes with a reaffirmation that the Rider will regret not valuing their relationship with the artist.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: BOB SHANE, JUDY HENSKE, NICK REYNOLDS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kirk Barkley
Simply stated = they were the best folk singers in pop history; just wish that the original group recorded more
Nolan Bowen
This is a great song! The Kingston Trio have a higher percentage of songs I love and like than any other group.
Kirk Barkley
Well said and I agree!
Mark Newton
So true. I have all their vinyl albums...and play them!
Donald Spaeth
Perfect Folk Song. Verses are so powerful you can tell every word has been stripped down and time-tested leaving only the knee-trembling Truth coming at us over those huge chords. The sun's gonna shine on my back door some day...oh, yeah.
Charlie Kucharski
I would put this song in the top ten Kingston Trio songs of all time. It has it all.
Kirk Barkley
YES
Mark Newton
Darn right!
wyldebill23
Yes! It's on the expanded CD version (not the original vinyl LP) and is terrific! McGuinn and Crosby were really magical together.
Bill Arnold
Glen Campbell did the banjo solo. What a musician!!!