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.
You're Gonna Miss Me
The Kingston Trio Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They had a quarrel one day
Johnny vowed he would leave her
He said he was going away
Never coming home, goin' away to roam
Frankie begged and she pleaded
"My love Johnny please stay"
But please don't go away"
Then Johnny sighed, while Frankie cried
Oh, I'm a-going away, I'm a-goin' to stay
Never coming home
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the days to come
When the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up
And when you think of the way, you're gonna wish me back
Your lovin' man
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the day they say's to come
Frankie done said to her Johnny
"Now man your hour done come"
'Cause from behind her kimono
She drew her .44 gun
These love affairs are hard to bear
Johnny, he fled down the stairway
"My love, Frankie, don't shoot"
Frankie done aimed the .44
While the town went rooty-toot-toot
As Johnny fell, then Frankie yelled
Oh, I'm a-going away, I'm a-goin' to stay
Never coming home
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the days to come
When the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up
And when you think of the way, you're gonna wish me back
Your lovin' man
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the day they say's to come
Send for your rubber tired Hearses
Send for your rubber tired hacks
Carry old Johnny to the graveyard
I've shot him in the back
With a great big gun as the preacher begun
Send for some policeman to take me right away
Lock me down in the dungeon cell
And throw the key away
My Johnny's dead because he said
Oh, I'm a-going away, I'm a-goin' to stay
Never coming home
You're gonna miss me, honey
In the days to come
When the winter winds begin to blow
The ground is covered up
And when you think of the way
You're gonna wish me back, your lovin' man
You're gonna miss me, honey
In the day they say's to come
The Kingston Trio's "You're Gonna Miss Me" is a traditional song that dates back to the nineteenth century. The song recounts the story of Frankie and Johnny, two lovers who had a quarrel that goes violent. Johnny decided to leave her, but Frankie wanted to persuade him to stay, but nothing worked. She got a gun from behind her kimono and shot Johnny in the back while he tried to escape from her.
The song speaks to the idea that actions have consequences, and Frankie indeed is going to miss her lover in the days to come. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of making rash decisions and the emotional fallout that follows. The song relies heavily on repetition to emphasize the central message, which is that Frankie is going to regret her actions.
The Kingston Trio's version of "You're Gonna Miss Me" is considered one of the most famous renditions of the song. Their version features a folk-style melody with harmonious vocals that give the song an almost whimsical quality. The plucking of the guitar strings coupled with the banjo's twang creates a toe-tapping beat that masks the macabre lyrics of the song. All in all, the song is a masterpiece that tells a tough story with a cheerful tune.
Line by Line Meaning
Frankie and Johnnie were sweethearts
Frankie and Johnnie were lovers
They had a quarrel one day
They argued one day
Johnny vowed he would leave her
Johnnie promised to leave Frankie
He said he was going away
Johnnie said he was leaving
Never coming home, goin' away to roam
Johnnie was leaving for good and traveling elsewhere
Frankie begged and she pleaded
Frankie begged Johnnie to stay
"My love Johnny please stay"
"Please don't leave me, Johnny. I love you"
"Now, oh, my honey, I've done you wrong
"I've made a mistake, my love"
But please don't go away"
"Please don't leave me"
Then Johnny sighed, while Frankie cried
As Johnnie left, Frankie cried and Johnnie sighed
Oh, I'm a-going away, I'm a-goin' to stay
Johnnie was leaving for good
Never coming home
Johnnie would never come back
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the days to come
Frankie will regret not keeping Johnnie by her side
When the winter winds begin to blow, the ground is covered up
Frankie will regret losing Johnnie during cold, lonely times
And when you think of the way, you're gonna wish me back
Frankie will regret losing Johnnie and wish he were back
Your lovin' man
Johnnie was a loving man to Frankie
You're gonna miss me, honey, in the day they say's to come
Frankie will regret losing Johnnie in the future
Frankie done said to her Johnny
Frankie said to Johnnie
"Now man your hour done come"
"Your time has come"
'Cause from behind her kimono
Frankie took out her gun concealed in her garment
She drew her .44 gun
Frankie drew her .44 caliber handgun
These love affairs are hard to bear
Romantic relationships can be difficult
Johnny, he fled down the stairway
Johnnie ran down the stairs away from Frankie
"My love, Frankie, don't shoot"
"Please don't shoot me, my love"
Frankie done aimed the .44
Frankie aimed her .44 handgun
While the town went rooty-toot-toot
Amid the chaos, the sound of the town made noise
As Johnny fell, then Frankie yelled
Johnnie fell after being shot and Frankie screamed
Send for your rubber tired Hearses
Get a hearse with rubber tires
Send for your rubber tired hacks
Get a hack with rubber tires
Carry old Johnny to the graveyard
Take Johnnie to the cemetery
I've shot him in the back
Frankie shot Johnnie in the back
With a great big gun as the preacher begun
Frankie used a large weapon while the preacher started his sermon
Send for some policeman to take me right away
Call the police to take me away
Lock me down in the dungeon cell
Put me in a jail cell
And throw the key away
Throw away the key, signifying a life sentence
My Johnny's dead because he said
Johnnie died because he chose to leave Frankie
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: John Cohen, Dave Guard, Tom Paley, Mike Seeger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stevenhulett1192
May 11th 1961 -- There was a business meeting to clear the air. Dave demanded Bob and Nick A) learn to read music, B) work on more challenging folks songs that were more authentic, less fraternity-like. Bob and Nick said no. Dave then told them, "then I quit". And he did.
It was a stupid move. Even with his partners' resistance to some of his suggestions, Dave was getting more challenging material onto the albums -- "Frankie and Johnny", "Razors In The Air", "Riu Riu Chi", etc. He could have walked away three or four years later when the act's commercial clout wound down, when the Capitol recording contract was finished. They were making HUGE money (millions per year) and he threw all that away ... and reportedly regretted it later.
But he was 26-years-old, and when you're that age you're convinced of your own rightness and ability to pick up and repeat the big success somewhere else. Because why not?
Only it didn't happen. And Bob and Nick went on with John Stewart and DID make it keep happening. (Their manager Frank Werber said years later that, commercially, 1963 was the Trio's biggest year -- the albums were still selling, and they had a LOT of hit singles that year: "Greenback Dollar," "Reverend Mr. Black", "Desert Pete", and "Ally Ally Oxen Free".)
Dave led the Trio for four-plus years, recorded eight Top Ten albums with the group in three years, five that hit #1 and two that attained the second spot. It would have been nice if the original lineup had stayed together, but I'm glad it lasted as long as it did.
@stevenhulett1192
@@jkdm7653 From William J. Bush's in-depth bio of the Trio "Greenback Dollar": "It all came to a head on May 10, 1961, in attorney Sid Rudy's office. Nick, Bob, Frank, and Sid Rudy sat on one side of a conference table while Guard sat on the other. Guard finally broke the silence saying, "Well, what's it going to be boys?" fully expecting his demands [listed above] to be met. "We're not going to do it, Dave." Guard was incredulous -- and angry. "Then, I'm OUT; you'll be hearing from my lawyers." ...
"I wasn't surprised by it," said Joan Reynolds, "but I didn't see it coming because they were playing a card game and Dave thought he had the cards and he didn't. Frank called them. Dave lost the card game, Frank trumped him. And Frank didn't try to." ... [Bush; p. 130]
If you read contemporary articles and interviews, it's clear that Dave was the acknowledged leader; he formed the group, he was the front man, he did most of the arrangements and brought a lot of the songs in. Reynold's acknowledged that "Dave wanted to take it to another level, have us learn to read music ... but we were working WAY to hard as it was. Bobby and I just wanted to hang out and have a good time."
Guard, I think was a bit over-bearing, something that's easy to fall into when you're an overnight star and in your middle twenties. They'd been fighting for a year. Frank Werber said Guard had spent a lot of time "belittling the other two". If Guard had spent some time using diplomacy and some sweet-talk, he might have gotten farther. You listen to various cuts on "Last Month of the Year", "Make Way", and "Going Places", it's reasonably clear he wanted to keep moving. (Reynolds said Guard wanted to use electric guitars.)
But it's hard to get acceptance to new ideas when you're ticking people off. As Shane said years later: "... [Dave] very badly wanted us to do his ideas. And if he'd had the savvy for being able to talk to people correctly, he could have gotten us to do that probably. But he alienated himself from us. He just got to believing that he was better than anybody else..." [Bush; p. 130]
So Dave left. (Guard's last appearance with the group was in August, '61; he stayed around to fulfill contractual obligations.) Guard realized after the fact it had been a mistake to walk out. (John Stewart said that years later Guard had advised him: "NEVER give up your power base.") But Stewart ended up having some of the same frustrations Guard did, and he too departed.
@michaelminarik7468
When I was 15 years old all the guys in school wanted to play guitar for the babes. I however wanted to play banjo instead and I got into the Kingston Trio and Johnny Cash. The Trio played at the Plymouth Memorial Hall and I sat front row. After the show they came out to sign records and I had my opportunity! I ran out to the car to grab my banjo and asked them if they would sign it. When I opened the case they all asked, “what is it?” I said, “what do you mean what is it? It’s a five string banjo!” We all laughed and George Grove was kind enough to show me some things and we played a bit. I showed him my style of playing which is a combination of multiple styles. A moment I’ll never forget and such an underrated influencing group.
@nolanbowen8800
This is the best group ever especially if you count the John Stewart years. January 26, 2020 saw the passing of Bob Shane the last of this great group. I'm grateful we can listen to recordings like this until I'm past my time.
@marknewton6984
I have all the vinyl albums from Capitol and Decca. Still play them on my Hi-Fi. Wonderful!
@XMLarry
Another great song that I believe is overlooked by a lot of Trio fans.
@jackscholze
Dave Guard's banjo is superb, and the catalyst for making this song the best Frankie and Johnie tune ever.
@scotnick59
Dave Guard rules!!
@robertbaggs8657
I fondly remember Dave showing me this song's fingering.
@ikelajoie
@@robertbaggs8657 Do you have that tabbed....great song..
@scotnick59
Trio was never quite as good with the great Dave Guard.
@marknewton6984
He was a great banjoist!