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Harrison Kennedy (musician)

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Harrison Kennedy
Born (1942-03-09) March 9, 1942 (age 82)
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
GenresElectric blues, R&B, soul blues
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, guitarist
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, harmonica, mandolin
Years activeLate 1960s–present
LabelsVarious including Electro-Fi Records
Websiteharrisonkennedy.ca

Harrison Kennedy (born March 9, 1942) is a Black Canadian[1] electric blues, R&B, and soul blues, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for being the lead vocalist on the Chairmen of the Board song, "Chairman of the Board",[2] but has had a varied solo career since the mid-1970s.[3] He was awarded the 2016 "Blues Album of the Year" Juno Award for his release, This Is From Here.[4] It was Kennedy's sixth nomination for that Award.[5] He is also a Blues Music Award,[6] and multiple Maple Blues Award nominee.[7]

Life and career

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Harrison Kennedy was born and raised in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.[3] His family had roots in New Orleans and Tennessee,.[8][9] Kennedy sang in the Stewart Memorial Church Choir as a boy, when childhood trips took him over the border to visit relations in Arkansas, Rogersville, Tennessee,[9] and Detroit, Illinois, United States, and all these experiences expanded his love of music.[6][10] in 1974

Kennedy relocated to Detroit and joined the Chairmen of the Board in 1970,[9] a group started as part of the then newly created Holland–Dozier–Holland record labels, Invictus Records and Hot Wax Records.[3] Kennedy played on the recording of Marvin Gaye's 1971 song, "What's Going On".[10] Following a string of hit records with Chairmen of the Board, which included "Give Me Just a Little More Time", "(You've Got Me) Dangling on a String", and "Everything's Tuesday", Kennedy left in 1974 and set out on a solo career.[9] Kennedy served as a corporal with the RHLI and later worked for Allied Chemical Corporation.[9]

Over the years on a part-time basis he played a variety of musical genres including funk, soul, R&B, folk, rock, and gospel.[5][11] Kennedy spent almost 30 years outside of the music industry, before returning as a blues singer and guitarist with 2003's Sweet Taste.[12] In 2007, Kennedy signed a new recording contract with Electro-Fi Records and has since released a number of internationally acclaimed albums.[5] In 2008, Kennedy was nominated for Best Blues Recording in Canada's Juno Awards.[3] He separately achieved second place against 83 others in the solo/duo category at the 2011 International Blues Challenge.[13] In 2013 he also overcame a spell of prostate cancer.[14][15]

In 2013 he released Soulscape,[10] on which he played a variety of instruments,[16] which was followed by the Juno winning album, This Is From Here. It featured Colin Linden on several tracks,[5] from a total of six of which Kennedy wrote.[17] The album has also won the Grand Prix du Disque for Blues award from the Académie Charles Cros in France, as the 2015 Blues Album of the Year. Harrison toured in late 2014 with Ruthie Foster, Eric Bibb and Jerome Michael Brown.[5][18] He also appeared as a guest performer on Bibb's 2014 album, Blues People.[19] He participated in 2018 with Jean-Jacques Milteau and Vincent Segal on the recording of Crossborder Blues, published by Naïve.[20] In 2017, this group commenced a tour.[21][22]

Discography

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Albums

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Year Title Record label
1972 Hypnotic Music Invictus Records
1989 Live in the Eye The Independent Label
2003 Sweet Taste N/K
2005 Voice + Story Black & Tan Records
2007 High Country Blues Electro-Fi Records
2009 One Dog Barkin' Electro-Fi Records
2011 Shame the Devil Electro-Fi Records
2013 Soulscape Electro-Fi Records
2014 This Is From Here Electro-Fi Records
2018 CrossBorder Blues Electro-Fi Records
2022 Thanks for Tomorrow Electro-Fi Records

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Adrienne Shadd (December 14, 2010). The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton. Dundurn. p. 189. ISBN 9781459711709. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  2. ^ "Chairmen of the Board – Chairman of the Board". Discogs.com. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d Chris True. "Harrison Kennedy | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  4. ^ "Junos award winners include Buffy Sainte-Marie, The Weeknd and Justin Bieber". CBC News, By David Bell, April 2, 2016
  5. ^ a b c d e "Harrison Kennedy". Harrisonkennedy.ca. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  6. ^ a b "2016 | The JUNO Awards". Junoawards.ca. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  7. ^ "Harrison Kennedy nominated for five blues awards". The Hamilton Spectator. October 31, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  8. ^ Eagle, Bob; LeBlanc, Eric S. (2013). Blues – A Regional Experience. Santa Barbara: Praeger Publishers. p. 252. ISBN 978-0313344237.
  9. ^ a b c d e Bob L. Eagle; Eric S. LeBlanc (May 2013). Blues: A Regional Experience. Abc-Clio. p. 252. ISBN 9780313344244. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "Harrison Kennedy breathes blues on new album 'This is from Here' – Latest Hamilton news – CBC Hamilton". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. October 31, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  11. ^ "2008 Artists | Vancouver Folk Music Festival". Thefestival.bc.ca. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  12. ^ Stewart Mason. "High Country Blues – Harrison Kennedy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "Past Artists – Bravo Niagara! Festival of the Arts". Bravoniagara.org. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  14. ^ "Virée Blues". Vireeblues.ca. February 25, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  15. ^ "Harrison Kennedy just wants a world with less hate". The Globe and Mail. November 15, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  16. ^ "HARRISON KENNEDY Soulscape – Blues Matters review". Bluesmatters.com. August 25, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  17. ^ "HARRISON KENNEDY This Is From Here". Bluesmatters.com. Archived from the original on January 20, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  18. ^ "(Featuring Harrison Kennedy "This Is From Here")". Bluesundergroundnetwork.com. February 17, 2015. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  19. ^ "Discography | Eric Bibb – Official website". Ericbibb.com. November 4, 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  20. ^ "Le blues est-il multicolore?". Lexpress.fr. September 28, 2018. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  21. ^ "Ça va jazzer - Rentrée blues 2018 : Milteau, Clapton, Basie, Chapellier, Marcus King". Jazz.blogs.liberation.fr. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  22. ^ "CROSSBORDER BLUES (Segal - Milteau - Kennedy) - Artistes - Organisation de tournées de concerts, spectacles et événements à l'international - Your European Stage". Your-european-stage.com. Retrieved August 1, 2019.
  23. ^ "Harrison Kennedy | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
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