Jerry Kennedy

Jerry Glenn Kennedy (born August 10, 1940 in Caddo Parish / Louisiana) is a much sought-after session guitarist and successful music producer in US country music .

Career

His father, Gordon Kennedy, was a police officer with the local sheriff. Son Jerry learned guitar from Tilman Franks in 1951, then started as a guitarist with the Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport , where he followed a live performance by Elvis Presley in 1954 . It became a ritual for him to go to the famous country music show on Saturdays. In February 1953 he recorded four tracks as Jerry Glenn on a radio station in Dallas, including his later hit 16 Chickens and a Tambourine . In September 1953 he made his first studio recordings in Nashville, again four tracks. His first recording session for RCA took place again on December 14, 1957 in Nashville. The only small success of the singles released from March 1953 is the 16 Chickens and a Tambourine , which came on the market in June 1953 and which benefits from intense airplay . He then jumped in for Tom Tomlinson as a guitarist for Johnny Horton .

Session guitarist and producer

Music producer Shelby Singleton became aware of the ambitious guitarist through the rockabilly piece Holy One , a cover version of the Freddy Fender hit from 1959, which Singleton produced for Checker Records (# 949) with Kennedy in 1960. Singleton also oversaw three Tom Tomlinson and Jerry Kennedy sessions starting October 28, 1960, when both guitarists made recordings for an LP as Tom & Jerry . In January 1961, Shelby Singleton brought him to Nashville to join Mercury Records , which were heavily involved in the country sector. Kennedy was now part of the core of the Nashville A-Team , a loose grouping of session musicians in Nashville. From then on he worked as a guitarist in a variety of recording sessions for the country repertoire of Mercury Records. This was particularly the case with Roger Miller from September 19, 1961, to whose producer he rose from January 11, 1964, and also with the hit King of the Road of November 3, 1964, where Kennedy was involved with snapping fingers and playing guitar. He also appeared on August 1, 1964 as the guitarist on Roy Orbison's million dollar seller Oh, Pretty Woman , which features one of the most famous guitar intros in popular music (played by guitarists Kennedy / Wayne Moss and Billy Sanford). From January 1963 he produced the country star Faron Young , who had just switched from Capitol Records to Mercury, but was only able to land a number one hit with him on September 28, 1971, namely It's Four in the Morning .

Jerry Lee Lewis - To Make Love Sweeter For You

As early as September 21, 1961, Kennedy produced a recording session at Sun Studios in Nashville for Jerry Lee Lewis , for whom he was responsible again as producer (together with Singleton) when he switched to the Mercury subsidiary label Smash Records (September 1963) from January 1965 . Everything is tried to bring Lewis back to the hit success, but neither a change of recording studio nor other session musicians can achieve this goal. A recording date has been set for May 9, 1967 at Chip Moman's American Sound Studios , where Kennedy will again take on the role of producer. But even the three tracks recorded here with the house's studio tape did not help him to succeed. The breakthrough came too late. When the track What's Made Milwaukee Famous was created on July 23, 1968 under the supervision of Kennedy and made it to second place on the country charts, the label had already decided not to renew the five-year contract with Lewis, which expired in September 1968. Kennedy subsequently even produced a top hit with Lewis on November 6, 1968, To Make Love Sweeter For You , which entered the country charts in January 1969. Kennedy remained loyal to Lewis as a producer until July 1970. Greil Marcus / Robert Christgau believe that the only reason Jerry Lee Lewis never released a great album was because Jerry Kennedy largely contributed to it through a conspiracy of mediocrity.

Since May 1965, Kennedy also produced Charlie Rich , who was previously under contract with Sun Records , but his great hits were made from 1973 under the supervision of Billy Sherrill .

Despite his role as a producer, Kennedy hadn't neglected his work as a session guitarist. His extraordinary dobro play, which helped shape the song, on Jeannie C. Riley's super hit Harper Valley PTA in August 1968 should be highlighted. Its author Tom T. Hall is brought to Mercury by Kennedy in 1968. Kennedy's main instrument was a Gibson ES-335 , with which he can be heard on Elvis Presley's Good Luck Charm and Devil in Disguise , Tammy Wynette's Stand By Your Man and on Bob Dylan's Blonde on Blonde album.

The 1970s and after

Johnny Rodriguez - That's the Way Love Goes

After his mentor Shelby Singleton left Mercury Records in December 1966 , Jerry Kennedy was named head of the country music department in Nashville in 1969. Kennedy celebrated the greatest success as a producer with his discovery Johnny Rodriguez . Already the first recording session on September 11, 1972 produced Pass Me By , which was ninth in the country charts. On November 21, 1972, the first hit You Always Come Back was recorded , followed by two other top hits, including That's The Way Love Goes, recorded on July 11, 1973 and co-composed by Lefty Frizzell . In total, Kennedy oversaw 17 top 10 hits, including six top hits by Rodriguez, until he moved to Epic Records in 1979 . From September 11, 1971, he also produced the Statler Brothers for Mercury Records , who for a long time had the peculiarity of not recording more than three tracks per recording date. That was also the case on January 18, 1978, when Do You Know You Are My Sunshine was created, which after its release in March 1978 became number one on the country charts for the fake brothers. Kennedy remained its producer until it broke up in 2001, after he was responsible for 24 top 10 hits - including 4 top hits.

From April 1971 he also produced the country legend Bobby Bare , the LP Where Have All the Seasons Gone (January 1971) is a characteristic trademark with Kennedy as guitarist and dobro player. In May 1973 he signed Penny DeHaven, but without any success. He persistently supervised the recordings of Reba McEntire from January 1976 until March 19, 1980 in the Sound Stage Studio of Shelby Singleton with (You Lit Me) Up to Heaven a first Top10 hit was created. Kennedy produced the first number one on the country charts for Reba on November 11, 1981 with Can't Even Get the Blues , followed by You're the First Time I've Thought About Leaving , the second top note after its release in January 1983. When Reba McEntire switched to MCA Records in November 1983, Kennedy was no longer responsible, but her successful country career continued.

In September 1984 Kennedy left the Mercury label after 23 years and founded his own production company JK Productions . Mercury no longer paid him a salary, but had to pay the production costs for the Statler Brothers to JK Productions.

When Moe Bandy moved to MCA Records in August 1986, Kennedy took over production supervision. A first success was Till 'I'm Too Old To Die Young , which reached number 6 on the country charts in March 1987. After Americana , an 8th place on the country charts, the success came to an end. Kennedy's last session with Bandy was in November 1988.

His son Gordon Kennedy plays the Gibson ES-335 when Faith Hill , Michael McDonald , Amy Grant and Garth Brooks record .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Presley's first appearance here was on October 16, 1954
2. ↑ Kip Lornell / Tracey EW Laird, Shreveport Sounds in Black and White , 2008, p 129
3. ^ Michael Kosser, How Nashville Became Music City , 2006, p. 61
4. ^ Greil Marcus / Robert Christgau, Stranded: Rock and Roll for a Desert Island , 2007, p. 4
5. ↑ Billboard Magazine, May 12, 1973, p. 27
6. ↑ Billboard Magazine, October 13, 1984