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.
Senora
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
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Didn't she sometimes, Senora, grant you a moment alone?
Once in a garden, Senora, didn't your love steal a kiss? Surely a moment remembered stirs in a setting like this.
Surely, within such a garden, wisdom can smile upon bliss.
Cruel is the curfew, Senora, cruelly and strictly imposed. Soon Don Hernando will signal, bidding the gate to be closed.
Who'd be the wiser, Senora, if, for a moment you dozed?
Don't you remember, Senora, you had a love of your own. You had a duena, Senora. You had a kind chaperone.
I love her dearly, Senora. Grant us a moment alone. I love her dearly, Senora. Grant us a moment alone.
The Kingston Trio's song Señora is a nostalgic ballad about a woman who used to have a love of her own and a kind chaperone who would occasionally grant her and her lover moments alone. The song is written as a plea from the lover who is asking the woman for a moment alone in a garden. The setting of the garden is meant to evoke memories of the past and stir up feelings of happiness and nostalgia for the lovers. The curfew is looming and closing the gate, making it impossible for the lovers to have any private time. The lover pleads with Senora to grant them a moment alone and reminisces about the love they once had.
The song is filled with emotion and paints a vivid picture of a nostalgic love story. The lyrics are simple yet evocative, and the melody is hauntingly beautiful. The song is a perfect representation of the folk music genre that the Kingston Trio was famous for. It is a song that transports the listener to a different time and place, and it is easy to get lost in the story and the beautiful melody.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you remember, Senora, when you had a love of your own?
Reflect on the past, Senora. Think back to the time when you had someone who loved you.
You had a duenna, Senora. You had a kind chaperone.
You had someone to watch over you, Senora. Someone who cared for you and kept you safe.
Didn't she sometimes, Senora, grant you a moment alone?
Did your chaperone ever give you a chance to be alone with your loved one, Senora?
Once in a garden, Senora, didn't your love steal a kiss?
Remember that time in the garden, Senora, when your lover stole a kiss from you?
Surely a moment remembered stirs in a setting like this.
Such memories would surely be awakened in a similar setting like this, Senora.
Cruel is the curfew, Senora, cruelly and strictly imposed.
The curfew is harsh and strict, Senora. It is imposed without mercy or leniency.
Soon Don Hernando will signal, bidding the gate to be closed.
Don Hernando will soon signal for the gate to be closed, Senora.
Who'd be the wiser, Senora, if, for a moment you dozed?
Would anyone know, Senora, if you closed your eyes for just a moment?
I love her dearly, Senora. Grant us a moment alone.
I love her deeply, Senora. Please allow us some time to be together.
I love her dearly, Senora. Grant us a moment alone.
I love her deeply, Senora. Please allow us some time to be together.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: DAVE GUARD, JANE BOWERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind