THE KINGSTON TRIO PT.3

[Mike Pell]

Well, THIS never happened before or since- an artist DYING while I am featuring him!
Sorry to see you go, NIck.
This episode has more hits by the Kingston Trio.
But most interesting was a song that we all associate with Frank Sinatra.
And finding out in was written for THEM, and recorded by them 4 years before in 1961!

 

Kingston Trio co-founder Reynolds dies
SAN DIEGO, California (AP) — Nick Reynolds, a founding member of the Kingston Trio who jump-started the revival folk scene of the late 1950s and paved the way for artists such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, has died. He was 75.
Reynolds had been hospitalized with acute respiratory disease and other illnesses, and died Wednesday in San Diego after his family took him off life support, said son Joshua Reynolds.
“Dad was so happy he turned people onto music in a way that people could really approach it, in a simple and honest way,” Josh Reynolds told The Associated Press. “He was a very gracious and loving performer. He was a devoted family man.”
The Kingston Trio’s version of the 19th-century folk song “Tom Dooley” landed the group a No. 1 spot on the charts in 1958, and launched the band’s career.
Born on July 27, 1933, in San Diego, Nicholas Reynolds demonstrated an early love of music and did sing-alongs with his two sisters and their Navy captain-father, who taught him to play guitar.
He graduated from Coronado High School in 1951 and attended the University of Arizona and San Diego State University before attending Menlo College, a business school near Palo Alto. He graduated from Menlo in 1956.
It was during the mid-1950s that Nicholas Reynolds met Bob Shane, who introduced him to Stanford student Dave Guard. Guard and Shane knew each other from playing music in Guard’s native Hawaii. The three formed the Kingston Trio.
In 1958, “Tom Dooley” earned Reynolds, Guard and Shane a trophy for best country and western performance at the first Grammys. The group, defined by tight harmonies and a clean-cut style, went on to win a Grammy the next year for best folk performance for its album “The Kingston Trio At Large.”
Later member John Stewart joined the group in 1961, replacing Guard. Stewart died in January, also in San Diego.
After leaving the Kingston Trio in 1967, Reynolds moved to Oregon, where he stayed until the 1980s and took a break from music to raise his family, his son said.
Reynolds moved back to California in the mid-1980s and rejoined Stewart for one album. In 1991, Reynolds rejoined Shane in a reconstituted version of the Trio. He remained with the group until retiring in 2003, his son said.
Reynolds is survived by his wife Leslie, sons Joshua and John Pike Reynolds, daughters Annie Reynolds Moore and Jennifer Reynolds, and his two sisters.

 

Here's the third link enabling you to hear this carefully crafted chapter in the series, making it a trio...soon to be a quartet, at WLSO.FM:

 

http://wlso.fm/wordpress/archives/2131

 

 
Mike

[Jon]

Yes, still like Frank's version better. The Kingston Trio's version makes me want to find a corner, curl up and cry. Not that it's bad, but both versions have different vibes, at least to me.

[Jon]

Mike, Mike, Mike.....

 

How DARE you short change Boston!

 

4 albums in, what, 35 years? That's disgusting!

 

It's actually 5 (and the greatest hits album). So, as you can see, 5 albums in 35 years is much better than 4. 

 

Funny this about that is when they had the album come out in the 80's after such a long wait, folks were stoked to FINALLY have some new Boston.

 

Then there was another long wait and another album and I don't think anybody cared. Hell, I didn't know they even had a new album out until I stumbled across it at Best Buy (when they mattered).

 

Then, another long wait and there it was, another Boston album. And I think people cared even less.

[Mike Pell]

Jon,

Glad you liked it, one more to go and it'll be here shortly.

No kidding, you like Sinatra's version better?

I went the other way, and never felt it was depressing although the damn aging process is, lol!

You got the title right.

Oh that's right, you think folk songs are violent!

Hahahahaha...there are many other ways to land in jail...especially in Tijuana, lol!

Yeah, Boston had like 4 albums and one of them was a Greatest Hits!
Did I ever post my show on Boston here?

Thanks for listening and writing, good to hear from you,

Mike

[Jon]

Oh, and I forgot...maybe Boston can learn a thing or two about putting out albums, not every 10 years.

[Jon]

Again, me like a lot.

 

However....I like Frank's version of "It Was A Very Good Year" (did I get the song title right? seems wrong to me), the KT version is not bad at all, just much more depressing.  Frank's version gives me hope!

 

As for the jail song...for such clean cut boys, why are they in jail? See? Folks songs are either violent or about something violent done to land 'em in the pokie. 

[Mike Pell]

RJ,

You old homey, lol!

The Reverend Mr. Black reminds me of Jimmy Dean and Johnny Cash, either could have done it.

Ok, 10 albums in 4 years, and we ARE lazy now!

Since the instrumentation is spare, I would think the Kingston Trio played on their albums, it's mostly guitars and banjo.

Good point you make about bands today WRITING their songs, as the Trio didn't do much of that, but they did arrange the songs to fit their style, which is not always easy.

They recorded albums in days not months, maybe owing to the fact groups were all business then with no time for boozing and drugging- that was frowned upon, studio time cost money.

But touring is no excuse.

I think you heard me say they played a college concert every OTHER day!

Here's my theory on a couple of things- most bands blow their wad on their first two albums...they have had a LIFETIME of writing their best songs when they get their break.

Then a year later they HAVE to write songs to stay up there, far more pressure than when they were dreaming their lives away for that chance.

Second, you are correct, those 15 or 17 songs are too many, and half of them suck, lol!

Plus many of them go on for over 5 or 6 minutes, ruining what could have been a nice concise, catchy 2-3 minute song.

This is undoubtedly because of CD's with their 80 minutes to fill.

Albums were better in this case, because you could do a tight 20 something minutes on each side, or less!

Hey, that's just MY considered opinion, lol!

Where Have All The Flowers Gone was written by Pete Seeger, but nobody does it better than the Trio...nobody even tries.

An anti-war song that few realized at the time.

Before doing these shows I had never known about them doing It Was A Very Good Year at all, never mind 4 or 5 years before Sinatra.

It IS better by them...but I don't really like Sinatra anyway, lol!

What a revelation that was!
Thanks for your provocative thoughts, got me going here, you damn homey, lol,

Mike

[RJhog (Admin)]

Mike, What's up homey?

 

How 'bout that song "The Reverend Mr. Black"?  I like it.  It really reminds me of Jimmy Dean's "Big Bad John". 

 

I'm still listening, so I'll have to delay the Golden Pell Award for a few moments.  It's down to two songs I'll mention momentarily.

 

And that stat you gave, 10 albums in 4 years.  I've got something to say about that.  Yes, we are lazy today, but here is the possible difference.  Did the Kingston Trio actually play the instruments on each album?  I don't know the answer, do you?  If they did not, it would be a lot easier to go in and just lay down the vocal tracks.  The good bands/artists today write their own music and play their instruments, so I can certainly see that taking longer. 

 

Also, today's bands have to tour to make money.  So you release an album and possibly tour it for 2-3 years.  They certainly aren't making a killing from album sales. 

 

But here's my overall opinion on the subject.  I would rather a band that I like put out one album every 3 years if they write 8-10 really good songs.  Forget these albums with 15 songs on them, typically (Alter Bridge's "ABIII" a notable exception) at least 5-7 of these songs are sub-par.  But that's just my opinion.

 

The Golden Pell will just have to go to two songs today, both of which I may get the title wrong.  Where Have All The Flowers Gone and It Was A Very Good Year.  And I agree with you, I like the Trio's version of that even better than Sinatras.