Bill Kenny (singer)

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Bill Kenny
New Westminster, Canada
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • composer
  • lyricist
  • television host
  • author
  • poet
Instrument(s)Tenor vocals
Years active1932–1978
LabelsDecca, Mercury, Warwick, RCA, TEL, AUB, X (later Vik)

William Francis Kenny Jr. (June 12, 1914 – March 23, 1978) was an American vocalist with a wide vocal range spanning four octaves.[1] Often regarded as one of the most influential high-tenor singers of all time, Kenny was noted for his "bell-like" vocal clarity and impeccable diction. Although he is most famous for his role as lead tenor with the Ink Spots, Kenny also led a successful solo career after disbanding the Ink Spots in 1954.[2] Throughout the 1950s and 60s Kenny recorded, toured the world and appeared on many popular variety television shows. In 1966 Kenny became the star and host of his own musical variety show The Bill Kenny Show which aired on CBC.[3] In 1989, 11 years after his death, Bill Kenny was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[4] Kenny is often noted as being the "godfather" of R&B tenor vocalists.

Early life and education

Kenny was born William Francis Kenny Jr. in 1914 at Mercy Hospital

Douglass High School where he graduated.[5]
Here is an excerpt from a 1944 interview with the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, where Kenny recalls singing as a young boy

'I've been singing since I was 7 and never had a voice lesson in my life. I was sitting in class one day, and I began singing. My teacher wanted to know who was singing and at first I was afraid to answer, but finally, I confessed. I was singing a full soprano then and unless you knew you would have thought a girl was singing. Anyhow, the teacher kept me after school, but instead of punishing me, he arranged for me to sing in the auditorium. My voice hasn't changed much yet,' he said. 'It's still rather high.' He made a few high notes for the AFRO. 'Well, that performance started me singing in earnest.' Although his voice has always been high, kids never teased him about it. 'They always kept quiet when I sang and seemed to enjoy it,' Kenny said. Kenny's speaking voice is quite low and husky.

[8]

It was in high school that Kenny began to focus on singing more than before and often appeared singing solo in his school assemblies. After graduation, Kenny attended an art school in Washington, D.C., but would on occasion, appear as a soloist in amateur contests in theaters throughout the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.[6]

Career

While Kenny was on vacation in

ballads, he signed him to a contract. Because jobs were too difficult to get in New York City, Berle decided to release Kenny from the contract after a short time. It was around this time that Kenny sang "Trees" in an amateur contest at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, and won first place, and a position singing with a group known as "The Ink Spots".[6]

Influences and musical impact

In a 1992 interview, Kenny's twin brother Herb noted that singer

Nolan Strong and Prentice Moreland have all noted Bill Kenny as a major influence on their own singing. Elvis Presley frequently spoke of his admiration of Kenny and was once noted as saying that he could "honestly never hope to equal the musical achievements of Bill Kenny".[9] In 1971 Presley recorded Kenny's composition "There Is No God But God".[10]
In the book "Group Harmony: The Black Urban Roots of Rhythm and Blues" by Stuart L. Goosman, Bill Kenny's immense influence on other vocal group singers is expressed in this excerpt:

Before the R&B era, before The Ravens, Orioles, and Clovers, young Black Males who wanted to sing wanted to be just like Bill Kenny and The Ink Spots. The group had the sound and they had the look. During the 1950s, Harold Winley sang bass for The Clovers and remembered the impact of The Ink Spots: "But during that time" he said, "you know, the groups that you would hear around on the corner singing were mostly singing Ink Spots. You hear cats going down the street, you know guys that had tenor voices man, in the morning, at night, singing Bill Kenny and doing the hands, like he used to do. It was either Bill Kenny or Billy Eckstine. Understand what I'm saying? Those were the voices you would hear."

[11]

Some of Kenny's favorite vocalists over the years included Ella Fitzgerald, Vic Damone, Lena Horne, Paul Robeson, John Gary, Roland Hayes and Nat King Cole.

The Ink Spots

Bill Kenny with The Ink Spots

In 1936 The Ink Spots 1st Tenor Jerry Daniels left the group and was replaced by Bill Kenny. Kenny made his first recordings with The Ink Spots "

Bless You (For Being An Angel)" all reach the top of the U.S Pop charts in 1939.[16] It was around this time that The Ink Spots signed an additional five-year recording contract with Decca
.

1940s

From 1940 to 1949 Bill Kenny was featured lead singer on 40 of 45 Ink Spots recordings that reached the top of the U.S Pop charts. During the 1940s Kenny was featured in two major motion pictures:

I'm Beginning To See The Light" and "That's The Way It Is". "I'm Beginning To See The Light" reached #5 on the U.S Pop charts. That same year, The Ink Spots manager Moe Gale, began trying to advertise the quartet as "The Ink Spots (Featuring Bill Kenny)" due to Kenny's increasing leadership role. In 1948 The Ink Spots featuring Bill Kenny appeared on the first-ever Ed Sullivan Television show. In 1949 Bill Kenny made his first solo recordings "Echoes" and "Land of Love" without The Ink Spots on Decca records. Although these were Kenny solo recordings, Decca decided to label them as "The Ink Spots". Kenny's recording of "Echoes" reached #24 on the U.S Pop charts.[2]

1950s

In 1950,

Somebody Bigger Than You And I" and the Blues number "Do Something For Me" both recorded in February 1951. In 1952 Charlie Fuqua, Baritone singer, Guitarist, and original member since 1934, decided to leave Bill Kenny to form his own Ink Spots group. It was decided by the court ruling that Fuqua would have to name his group "The 'New' Ink Spots" however after a short time he dropped the "New" and thus two groups were using the name "The Ink Spots". This resulted in great conflict and confusion however Bill Kenny kept performing with The Ink Spots and started billing them as "Bill Kenny & His Ink Spots". A few live recordings and "radio checks" of Bill Kenny's Ink Spots from 1952/1953 survive today.[2] After being with The Ink Spots for 18 years, Bill Kenny decided to leave the group for good in 1954, resulting in The Ink Spots disbanding.[6]

Solo career

In 1951, Kenny started upon a solo career that would last until his death in 1978.[17] From 1951 to 1952 all Decca recordings labeled "The Ink Spots" featured only the voice of Bill Kenny, therefore, making all Ink Spots recordings from '51 to '52 Bill Kenny solo recordings. From 1952 to 1953 Bill Kenny recorded 33 solos for Decca, some labeled as "The Ink Spots" and some as "Bill Kenny" or "Bill Kenny of The Ink Spots". Later on, Kenny recorded 14 sides for RCA's Vik label, four for the TEL label, two for the Warwick label, two for the AUB label, and two for RCA. These recordings featured arrangements by such prominent arrangers as Sy Oliver, Marty Gold, Leonard Joy, Morty Craft, Charles Shirley, and Leroy Kirkland.[17]

Solo albums

In 1951, Kenny released his first album Precious Memories on the Decca label under the "Faith Series" and recorded four songs also on the "Faith Series" that were not included in the Precious Memories album. Kenny's recorded version of the

"The Ink Spots - If I Didn't Care"
was recorded in 1977, and released in 1979, and despite the name, it was a set of Bill Kenny recordings covering previously made Ink Spots' songs. It includes "Whispering Grass (Don't Tell The Trees), "Maybe", "The Gyspy", "To Each His Own", "I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire", "I'll Get By", "If I Didn't Care", "It's A Sin To Tell A Lie", "We Three (My Echo, My Shadow, and Me", and "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano".

Compositions

Throughout his life Kenny wrote and co-wrote many songs, including "There Is No God But God" (recorded by Elvis Presley), "When The Chimes Ring (At Evening)", "I Counted on You", "You Are Happiness", "A Soldiers Rosary", "I'm Heading Back To Paradise", "The Sweetest Dream", "Rose of Roses", "Don't Put It Off Til' Sunday", "Do You Feel That Way Too?", "Sorry You Said Goodbye", "My Lonesome Years", "Movita" and many more. Kenny's composition "I Can't Stand Losing You" which was written by Kenny in the early 1930s when he was in high school, was recorded by The Ink Spots for Decca Records in 1940. Although it was recorded in 1940, Decca decided to wait to release it until March 1943. Soon after its release, the song became a #1 hit on the R&B charts and was listed there for 7 weeks.

Television appearances

Throughout his career Kenny made dozens of television appearances both with

The Steve Allen Plymouth Show, The Joey Bishop Show, The Robert Q. Lewis Show, The Jack Paar Tonight Show, The Generation Gap with Dennis Wholey, Flashback and four times as a solo on The Ed Sullivan Show.[6][22] In 1966 CBC Television aired a musical variety show called The Bill Kenny Show. Kenny hosted as well as performed on the program.[3] In the mid- to late 1960s Kenny hosted, emceed, and performed for a number of charity telethons in Canada.[23]

Personal life

Signature.

Kenny was married three times. His first marriage was to Zena Boyd in 1937. His second marriage came in 1947 to Marguerite Wendell, a model from Chicago introduced to Kenny by heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis.[5] Kenny's engagement to Ms. Wendell ended in 1949 when Kenny learned that she had tricked him into marrying her by claiming that her unborn child was his. Kenny later found out that Ms. Wendell had adopted the child in a plan to acquire support money from him. He filed for divorce in 1949 and sued Ms. Wendell.[24] Kenny's last marriage was to Audrey McBurney, a former model of Vancouver, British Columbia. The two were married in 1949 following McBurney's divorce from a man named Roy Norman Buchanan. Shortly after the Kenny-McBurney wedding, Buchanan charged that Kenny had lured away McBurney with gifts and promises of affection. Buchanan named Kenny as a co-respondent and asked for $50,000 "heart balm". The damage claim was dropped, however; and Kenny settled with Buchanan out of court for $1,300.[25] Kenny first met McBurney after an Ink Spots performance in Vancouver at The Cave Supper Club where she was a member of the audience.[26] Later on, Audrey became Bill's business manager.[27] On July 4, 1969, Kenny was severely burnt when the gas tank of his sports car exploded in an underground parking garage in Vancouver as he lit a cigar while starting the vehicle; third-degree burns to his face and hands contributed to later respiratory problems, stemming from the fumes he inhaled.[28] Kenny and McBurney remained married until Kenny's death in 1978.[5] Although he never had any children of his own, Kenny became acting father of McBurney's daughter, Dixie Lee, from her marriage to Roy Buchanan.[29]

Bill Kenny was tall, standing at six feet, three inches.

Activism and civil rights

Throughout his life, Kenny was known for his actions against racism and his involvement in his community. In 1945, in an interview with the

Japs about democracy when MacArthur knows nothing of that which he expects to teach Japan. If the American's set about to teach the kind of democracy practiced here in America, this entire world in time, will be full of low ideals because there can be no crime committed by man lower than that of taking away the rights of an individual or a people. The Americans have since the beginning robbed the colored man of his legitimate rights, and this is a low crime.[30]

In 1949 Bill Kenny made headlines when he spoke out against racism and the "southern bugaboos of prejudice". Here is an excerpt from an article in the June 22, 1949, Miami Beach newspaper:

An event that will go down in radio history took place over station WGBS in Miami Beach recently, when Barry Gray, the vituperant disc jockey, invited Bill Kenny, leader of the Ink Spots, to be his guest on the station.

This invitation posed many problems that had to be solved before this appearance could materialize. Radio Station WGBS broadcasts right from the Copa City Club which is definitely prohibited area for any Negro. But the Ink Spots road manager, Murray Nadel, never one to be stumped by problems, called the police department and got a special police escort to take him and Bill Kenny to the radio show.

Barry Gray, long known for his fearless tactics in fighting the problems of a minority, immediately turned the interview into a forum seeking Bill Kenny's views on race prejudices in the South. The interview lasted for a half-hour and Kenny and Gray talked about nothing but the southern bugaboos of prejudice.

After the show went off the air both Barry and Bill sat around expecting the phone to ring violently all night long with many protests for what had just been discussed on the Southern air. But a great surprise was in store for both of them because the phone did ring many times but every call was from listeners who were very amiable and agreed with Kenny and Gray on their attitude on Southern prejudice.

It is a good sign for modern progress to realize that most of the Southerners, as individuals, agree wholeheartedly that all these unseen walls should be torn down and Negro talent should get its chance on Southern radio. The radio station, received over 3,000 calls after this precedent breaking broadcast and from all that number there was not one single complaint. An added sidelight worth noting is the fact that when Bill and his road manager left the radio studio they dismissed the police escort as there was no need for this "protection."[31]

Charity work

In 1973, all of the proceeds from Bill Kenny's RCA album With Love and the proceeds from Kenny's book of Poems Who Is He went to the establishment of a local foster home for needy children. Also in 1973, Kenny was awarded the Vancouver Interfaith Brotherhood award by Justice Angelo Branca who said Kenny was "a man of outstanding human qualities".[32] Throughout his career Kenny made appearances on numerous charity telethons particularly benefiting handicapped or homeless children.[33]

Death

Kenny died from a respiratory illness on March 23, 1978, in

New Westminster, Canada.[34][35]
His funeral service was held at the Unitarian Church of Vancouver. Although there were tears from some in the congregation and from the nine eulogists, Mrs. Audrey Kenny asked that the service be kept cheerful. About 200 people – family, friends, and a few fans – were in attendance.[36]

Trivia

Kenny's voice has been featured in television shows such as

Arrested Development, The Wonder Years, Wayward Pines, Better Call Saul, Watchmen and more.[21] Kenny's unusual high singing voice and impeccable diction was often imitated on Television. The most famous example is that of Fred G. Sanford (played by comedian Redd Foxx) on the 1970s sitcom Sanford and Son. Foxx would often sing The Ink Spots hit "If I Didn't Care" while imitating Kenny's hand gestures and clear diction. In one episode ("Lamont As Othello"), Foxx sang "If I Didn't Care" but couldn't hit the last high note, at which point he remarked: "Ah! Bill Kenny used to hit that note."[37]

Kenny's voice has been featured in such films as The Shawshank Redemption, Get Low, Radio Days, Raging Bull, Revolutionary Road, The Aviator, Iris, Sphere, Tree's Lounge, Malcolm X, Maria's Lovers, How to Make an American Quilt, Men Don't Leave, Twenty Bucks, Mr. Nobody, Hyde Park on Hudson and more. Kenny appeared as himself in Pardon My Sarong, and The Great American Broadcast.[21]

Kenny's voice is featured in the video games Fallout, Fallout 3, Fallout 4, Fallout: New Vegas, L.A. Noire, BioShock and Mafia II.[38]

US Pop Hits on which Bill Kenny sang lead

Year Single Chart positions
US US
R&B
1939 "If I Didn't Care" 2 —
"Address Unknown" 1 —
"My Prayer" 3 —
"Bless You" 15 —
"Memories of You" 29 —
"
I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You
" 		26 —
1940 "When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano" 4 —
"Whispering Grass (Don't Tell the Trees)" 10 —
"Maybe" 2 —
"You're Breaking My Heart All Over Again" 17 —
"We Three (My Echo, My Shadow and Me)" 1 —
"My Greatest Mistake" 12 —
1941 "Please Take a Letter, Miss Brown" 25 —
"Do I Worry?" 8 —
"I'm Still Without a Sweetheart ('Cause I'm Still in Love With You)" 19 —
"So Sorry" 24 —
"Until the Real Thing Comes Along" 4 —
"I Don't Want To Set the World on Fire" 4 —
"Someone's Rocking My Dreamboat" 17 —
1942 "Ev'ry Night About This Time" 17 6
"This Is Worth Fighting For" — 9
"Just As Though You Were Here" — 10
1943 "If I Cared a Little Bit Less" 20 10
"I'll Never Make the Same Mistake Again" 19 —
"
I Can't Stand Losing You
" 		— 1
1944 "Don't Believe Everything You Dream" 14 6
"A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" 2 —
"I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You)" 7 4
"Someday I'll Meet You Again" 14 —
"I'm Making Believe" (Only Bill Kenny & Ella Fitzgerald) 1 2
"Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall" (with Ella Fitzgerald) 1 1
1945 "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (with Ella Fitzgerald) 5 —
1946 "The Gypsy" 1 1
"Prisoner of Love" 9 5
"To Each His Own" 1 3
1947 "You Can't See the Sun When You're Crying" 19 —
"Ask Anyone Who Knows" 17 5
1948 "
The Best Things in Life Are Free
" 		— 10
"Say Something Sweet To Your Sweetheart" (Bill Kenny & Herb Kenny with mixed chorus) 22 —
"You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love)" (Bill Kenny & Herb Kenny w/ mixed chorus 8 15
1949 "You're Breaking My Heart" (Bill Kenny & Herb Kenny with orchestra) 9 —
"Who Do You Know in Heaven (That Made You the Angel You Are?)" (Bill Kenny & Herb Kenny with orchestra) 21 —
1950 "Echoes" (Bill Kenny solo but labeled "Ink Spots) 24 —
"Sometime" 26 —
1951 "If (They Made Me a King)" (Bill Kenny solo but labeled "Ink Spots") 23 —
"It Is No Secret" (Bill Kenny solo) 18 —
1952 "(That's Just My Way of) Forgetting You" (Bill Kenny solo) 23 —

References

  1. ^ Montreal Gazette, December 24, 1974 – Pg. 31
  2. ^ a b c Goldberg, Marv (1998). More Than Words Can Say: The Ink Spots And Their Music, Scarecrow Press.
  3. ^ a b Jet Magazine, October 21, 1965, p. 56.
  4. ^ "The Ink Spots: inducted in 1989 | The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum". Rockhall.com. April 15, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Baltimore Afro-American, March 28, 1978, p. 15.
  6. ^ a b c d e f "Bill Kenny Mr. Ink Spot" Warwick Records, W 2021
  7. ^ "Ancestry.com". Trees.ancestry.com. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
  8. ^ Baltimore Afro-American, November 12, 1944, p. 12.
  9. ^ Peter Guralnick, Last Train To Memphis: The Rise Of Elvis Presley.
  10. ^ Ernst Jorgensen, Elvis Fashion: A Life In Music, p. 334.
  11. ^ Stuart Goosman, Group Harmony: The Black Urban Roots of Rhythm and Blues, p.4
  12. ^ Warner, Jay (2000). The Da Capo Book of American Singing Groups: A History, 1940–1990, Da Capo Press, p. 38.
  13. ^ New York Times, February 15, 1938.
  14. ^ "I Wish You The Best Of Everything", Decca Records – 63813A
  15. ^ Jack Lawrence Songwriter website Archived July 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ "The Ink Spots". Rockabilly.nl. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  17. ^ a b "***Herb Kennythe Ink Spots***". Inkspots.ca. July 14, 1954. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  18. ^ Bill Kenny Sings The Golden Hits of the Ink Spots, Mercury Records, SRW 16286.
  19. ^ Bill Kenny, Remember Me, DOT Records, DLP3738
  20. ^ Bill Kenny (Mr. Ink Spots), With Love, RCA Victor, LSP-4784.
  21. ^ a b c "The Ink Spots". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  22. ^ "Bill Kenny (I) (1914–1978)". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  23. ^ The Sun, January 31, 1969, p. 6a.
  24. ^ The Afro American, April 16, 1949, p. 1.
  25. ^ The Windsor Daily Star, February 21, 1952, p. 12.
  26. ^ The Calgary Herald, June 2, 1962, p. 12.
  27. ^ Los Angeles Times, October 3, 1966, p. C24.
  28. ^ Abilene Reporter-News, July 6, 1969, p. 14.
  29. ^ Evening Times, May 17, 1956, p. 4.
  30. ^ Baltimore Afro-American, September 22, 1945, p. 21.
  31. ^ Miami Beach, June 22, 1949.
  32. ^ "1973-03-02-07 | Multicultural Canada". MulticulturalCanada.ca. March 2, 1973. Archived from the original on December 27, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
  33. ^ The Vancouver Sun, January 31, 1969, p. 6.
  34. ^ "Original Inkspot Dies". The Calgary Herald: 4. March 25, 1978. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  35. ^ Bill Kenny (I) – Biography
  36. ^ Ottawa Citizen, March 28, 1978, p. 74.
  37. ^ Sanford and Son, "Lamont As Othello", September 14, 1973, NBC.
  38. ^ "The Ink Spots". IMDb.com. Retrieved July 2, 2013.
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