The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John)
Encyclopedia
The Kingston Trio (more commonly known as Nick Bob John) is an album by the American
folk music
group The Kingston Trio
, released in 1964 (see 1964 in music
). Nick Bob John failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 53 on the Billboard
Pop Albums chart.
label after seven years,19 albums and worldwide record sales in the tens of millions (three million on "Tom Dooley
" alone) with Capitol Records
.
Two singles were released: "My Ramblin' Boy" b/w "Hope You Understand" and "I'm Going Home" b/w "Little Play Soldiers". Neither single, and notably, none of the Decca singles, reached the Top 100 in the charts.
The album was produced by Frank Werber, the Trio's manager since its inception.
"I'm Going Home", by Fred Geis, remained a concert favorite of the Trio in this and future incarnations of the group, sometimes re-titled "California". Geis was the subject of a lawsuit over the melody resembling music from the Broadway musical Milk and Honey
by Jerry Herman
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
group The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio
The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and Nick Reynolds...
, released in 1964 (see 1964 in music
1964 in music
-Events:*January 1 – Top of the Pops is broadcast for the first time, on BBC television.*January 3 – Footage of the Beatles performing a concert in Bournemouth, England is shown on The Jack Paar Show....
). Nick Bob John failed to reach the Top 40, peaking at number 53 on the Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
Pop Albums chart.
History
The Kingston Trio (Nick Bob John) was the trio's first release on the DeccaDecca Records
Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....
label after seven years,19 albums and worldwide record sales in the tens of millions (three million on "Tom Dooley
Tom Dooley (song)
"Tom Dooley" is an old North Carolina folk song based on the 1866 murder of a woman named Laura Foster in Wilkes County, North Carolina. It is best known today because of a hit version recorded in 1958 by The Kingston Trio. This version was a multi-format hit, reaching #1 in Billboard, the...
" alone) with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
.
Two singles were released: "My Ramblin' Boy" b/w "Hope You Understand" and "I'm Going Home" b/w "Little Play Soldiers". Neither single, and notably, none of the Decca singles, reached the Top 100 in the charts.
The album was produced by Frank Werber, the Trio's manager since its inception.
"I'm Going Home", by Fred Geis, remained a concert favorite of the Trio in this and future incarnations of the group, sometimes re-titled "California". Geis was the subject of a lawsuit over the melody resembling music from the Broadway musical Milk and Honey
Milk and Honey (musical)
Milk and Honey is a musical with a book by Don Appell and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. The story centers on a busload of lonely American widows hoping to catch husbands while touring Israel and is set against the background of the country's fight for recognition as an independent nation...
by Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman
Jerry Herman is an American composer and lyricist, known for his work in Broadway musical theater. He composed the scores for the hit Broadway musicals Hello, Dolly!, Mame, and La Cage aux Folles. He has been nominated for the Tony Award five times, and won twice, for Hello, Dolly! and La Cage...
.
Reception
In his Allmusic review, music critic Bruce Eder called the album "one of the strongest albums of the group's entire history, containing an embarrassment of riches among its original dozen songs. And it's also a surprisingly contemporary record for a group that was supposedly long past its prime in 1965..." but noted the sound quality was "a little flat-sounding compared with the group's prior work at Capitol's studios..."Reissues
- Nick Bob John was reissued on a remastered CD in 1991 along with two bonus tracks on the Folk Era label.
- In 2000, all of the tracks from Nick Bob John were included in The Stewart YearsThe Kingston Trio: The Stewart YearsThe Kingston Trio: The Stewart Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio's recordings when John Stewart was a member of the Trio along with Bob Shane and Nick Reynolds....
10-CD box set issued by Bear Family RecordsBear Family RecordsBear Family Records is a Germany-based independent record label that specializes in reissues of archival material ranging from country music to 1950s rock and roll to old German movie soundtracks.-History:...
. - Nick Bob John was reissued on CD in 2002 by Folk Era along with the rest of their Decca releases on The Decca YearsThe Decca Years (Kingston Trio album)The Decca Years is a compilation of The Kingston Trio's four albums recorded for the Decca Records label. Folk Era had previously reissued The Kingston Trio , Stay Awhile and Children of the Morning, each including tracks from Somethin' Else as bonus tracks...
.
Side one
- "Midnight SpecialMidnight Special (song)"Midnight Special" is a traditional folk song thought to have originated among prisoners in the American South. The title comes from the refrain which refers to the Midnight Special and its "ever-loving light" ....
" (Lead Belly) – 2:07 - "Love's Been Good to Me" (Rod McKuenRod McKuenRod McKuen is an American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer. He was one of the best-selling poets in the United States during the late 1960s. Throughout his career, McKuen produced a wide range of recordings, which included popular music, spoken word poetry, film soundtracks, and classical music...
) – 3:05 - "Poverty Hill" (Fred HellermanFred HellermanFred Hellerman, born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at Brooklyn College, is an American folk singer, guitarist, producer and song writer, primarily known as one of the members of The Weavers, together with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert...
, Fran MinkoffFran MinkoffFrances "Fran" Minkoff was an American lyricist.She is best known for her songs co-written with Fred Hellerman of The Weavers...
) – 3:22 - "Someday Soon" (Ian TysonIan TysonIan Tyson CM, AOE is a Canadian singer-songwriter, best known for his song "Four Strong Winds". He was also one half of the duo Ian & Sylvia.-Career:Tyson was born to British immigrants in Victoria in 1933, and grew up in Duncan B.C...
) – 2:49 - "Gotta Travel On" (Paul Clayton, Larry Ehrlich, Ronnie GilbertRonnie GilbertRonnie Gilbert is an American folk-singer. She is one of the original members of the Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman.-Career:...
, Lee Hays, Fred HellermanFred HellermanFred Hellerman, born in Brooklyn, New York and educated at Brooklyn College, is an American folk singer, guitarist, producer and song writer, primarily known as one of the members of The Weavers, together with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, and Ronnie Gilbert...
, Dave Lazar, Pete SeegerPete SeegerPeter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
) – 3:18 - "Hope You Understand" (John Stewart) – 2:20
Side two
- "Little Play Soldiers" (Martin Cooper) – 2:20
- "Love Comes a Trickling Down" (Jonathan Harris) – 2:53
- "My Ramblin' Boy" (Tom PaxtonTom PaxtonThomas Richard Paxton is an American folk singer and singer-songwriter who has been writing, performing and recording music for over forty years...
) – 3:42 - "More Poems" (Mason WilliamsMason WilliamsMason Williams is an American guitarist and composer, best known for his guitar instrumental "Classical Gas". He is also a comedy writer, known for his writing on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, and Saturday Night Live...
) – 1:42 - "Farewell (Fare Thee Well)" (Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
) – 3:16 - "I'm Going Home" (Fred Geis) – 2:22
- 1991 reissue bonus tracks:
- "Long Time Blues" (Williams) – 2:21
- "Come Gather the Time" (Stewart) – 2:26
Personnel
- Bob ShaneBob ShaneBob Shane is an American singer and guitarist and, with Nick Reynolds' passing in October 2008, the only surviving founding member of The Kingston Trio. In that capacity, Shane became a seminal figure in the revival of folk and other acoustic music as a popular art form in the U.S...
– vocals, guitar - Nick ReynoldsNick ReynoldsNick Reynolds was an American folk musician and recording artist. Reynolds was one of the founding members of The Kingston Trio, whose largely folk-based material captured international attention during the late fifties and early sixties.- Early life :Growing up in Coronado, California, his...
– vocals, tenor guitar - John Stewart – vocals, banjo, guitar
- Dean Reilly – bass
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | Billboard Pop Albums | 53 |