Jerry Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Jerry Glenn Kennedy |
| Born | (1940-08-10)August 10, 1940 (age 84) |
| Origin | Shreveport, Louisiana,United States |
| Genres | Country music,rock and roll |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer,songwriter,guitarist |
| Instrument(s) | Vocals, guitar,dobro |
| Years active | 1961–present |
| Labels | Mercury |
Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born 10 August 1940)[1] is an Americanrecord producer,songwriter andguitar player.
Kennedy was born inShreveport, Louisiana. As a child, he recalls "beating on broomsticks and other things" as his initial forays into music-making. His first guitar was aSilvertone, which his parents bought for him when he was "eight or nine." He began taking lessons from a local guitar legend,Tillman Franks. Kennedy attended various shows around the Shreveport area as a boy, including the legendaryLouisiana Hayride. One show he particularly remembers attending isHank Williams's last show at theShreveport Municipal Auditorium saying, "I was a kid sittin' on the front row."[2]
In 1954,Elvis Presley performed onLouisiana Hayride, and Kennedy was in attendance with a friend. He recalls their frustration with the young girls who screamed incessantly, preventing his friend and him from hearingScotty Moore, Presley's guitar player, clearly during the performance. "[W]e got mad at all of the girls screamin', because we couldn't hear Scotty when Elvis was doin' his shakin'. It upset us that we couldn't hear the guitar."[2]
Kennedy signed a recording contract withRCA Records at age 11. He subsequently recorded several singles, several of which included contributions byChet Atkins. Thereafter Kennedy became something of a teen idol at his high school. Though he never became a star as a vocalist, he sangbackground vocals for severalMercury Records artists as a teenager. After working in recording sessions around Shreveport for several years, he was convinced to move toNashville byIrving Green, the president of Mercury Records. Kennedy arrived in Nashville just as the country music boom of the 1960s was getting under way. Soon after his arrival, he was asked to work as a talent scout for Mercury's country subsidiary,Smash Records, and to begin producing and also playing in recording sessions.[3]
Kennedy andTommy Tomlinson, a Louisiana Hayride star fromMinden, Louisiana, developed four instrumental albums for Mercury Records in 1960. The albums, entitledTom & Jerry, covering all genres of music, also involvedHank Garland,Boots Randolph,Bob Moore, andHarold Bradley.[4]
The Jerry Kennedy Orchestra participated in the complete recording sessions forJohnny Hallyday in 1962. Five discs were issued from these sessions:Johnny Sings America's Rockin' Hits;The 1962 Nashville Sessions, Vol. 2: The French Recordings, reissued on CD asNashville Session 62, in 1990; a CD 5 titles of the Club Dial "C'est fini miss Molly" and a CD include inJohnny Hallyday: Le Livre.
Kennedy was one of the session musicians used byBob Dylan in recording his classic albumBlonde on Blonde, in 1966.
A recipient of fourGrammy Awards,[2] Kennedy’sDobro andguitar playing have been featured on the albums of artists as varied asElvis Presley,Kris Kristofferson andRingo Starr.[5] Another work done by Kennedy on Dobro wasJeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA".[1] Kennedy played on or produced nearly all of thecountry music records ofJerry Lee Lewis.[3]
In 1968,Shelby Singleton, who had served something of a mentor to Kennedy, left Smash. Kennedy took the reins, and ranSmash Records until 1970, when Mercury shut down that label and appointed him as the head of its country music division.[1][3] His time at Mercury produced memorable hits from country music artists such asRoger Miller,Reba McEntire,The Statler Brothers,Johnny Rodriguez, andTom T. Hall.[6] Hall, speaking in 1974, credited Kennedy with getting him started in the business. "I had a lot of good songs I couldn't get recorded. Jerry Kennedy of Mercury Records asked me to record them, so I did." After receiving this encouragement from Kennedy, Hall went on to record nine LPs with Mercury Records from 1968 to 1974, including his famous "Harper Valley PTA".[7] Kennedy himself left Mercury in 1984 to start JK Productions, through which he produced recordings byThe Statler Brothers,Connie Smith,Mel McDaniel,Reba McEntire and other artists.[1][3]
In 1987, Kennedy andDavid Briggs released a cut for Mercury Records credited to Joe Kenyon, which was a cover ofVangelis' "Hymne".E & J Gallo Winery used this version in its commercials, and it went to number 33 onHot Country Songs.[8]
Kennedy is the father of songwriter, musician and producerGordon Kennedy.
