Jimmy Kennedy
Encyclopedia
Jimmy Kennedy OBE
(20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was an Irish
songwriter
, predominantly a lyricist
, putting words to existing music
such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic
" and "My Prayer
", or co-writing with the composer
s Michael Carr
, Wilhelm Grosz
(aka Hugh Williams) and Nat Simon amongst others.
. His father was Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, a member of the Irish police force
. Kennedy grew up in Coagh
where he wrote several songs and poems inspired by the view of the Ballinderry river, the local Springhill house and the plentiful amount of chestnut trees on his land where his poem chestnut trees derive from. later on Jimmy moved to Portstewart
, an Ulster seaside resort
located to the north in Derry
. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
.
He taught for a while in England
before applying to join the Colonial Service as a civil servant in 1927. His music career took off, though, while he was awaiting a posting to the colony of Nigeria
. He embarked on a career in songwriting by joining the staff of Bert Feldman, a music publisher based in London
's Tin Pan Alley
. In a career spanning more than fifty years, he wrote some 2000 song
s, of which over 200 became worldwide hits
and about 50 are all-time popular music
classics.
"My Prayer" with original music by Georges Boulanger
had English lyrics
penned by Kennedy in 1939. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926.
Until John Lennon
and Paul McCartney
, he had more hits in the United States
than any other Irish
or British
songwriter. His first success came in 1931 with the "Barmaids Song" sung by Gracie Fields
. "Red Sails in the Sunset
" (1935) was inspired by beautiful summer evenings in his native part of the world, and "South of the Border
" by a holiday picture postcard
he received from Tijuana, Mexico.
While serving in the British Army
's Royal Artillery, where he rose to the rank of Captain, he wrote the wartime hit, "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line
" for the British Expeditionary Force
. His hits also include "The Isle of Capri
", "My Prayer", "Teddy Bears' Picnic
" (music by John Walter Bratton
), "Love is Like a Violin", "Hokey Cokey
" and "Roll Along Covered Wagon".
for his contribution to music and received an honorary degree
from the New University of Ulster. He was awarded the OBE
in 1983. In 1997 he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
, aged 81, and was interred in Taunton
, Somerset
. He was survived by two sons and a daughter, Janet.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was an Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, predominantly a lyricist
Lyricist
A lyricist is a songwriter who specializes in lyrics. A singer who writes the lyrics to songs is a singer-lyricist. This differentiates from a singer-composer, who composes the song's melody.-Collaboration:...
, putting words to existing music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic
Teddy bears' picnic
"Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at...
" and "My Prayer
My Prayer
"My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by the famous salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. The lyrics for this version were added by Kennedy in 1939. Glenn Miller recorded the song that...
", or co-writing with the composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
s Michael Carr
Michael Carr (composer)
Michael Carr , real name Maurice Alfred Cohen, was a British light music composer born in Leeds. He is best remembered for the song "South of the Border ", written with Jimmy Kennedy for the 1939 film of the same name.Among Carr's other compositions were The Shadows instrumental hits "Man of...
, Wilhelm Grosz
Wilhelm Grosz
Wilhelm Grosz was an Austrian composer, pianist and conductor.Wilhelm Grosz was born in Vienna. He studied music with Franz Schreker and Guido Adler. In 1921 he was appointed conductor of the Mannheim Opera, but returned to Vienna in 1922, where he worked as a pianist and composer...
(aka Hugh Williams) and Nat Simon amongst others.
Biography
Kennedy was born near OmaghOmagh
Omagh is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers Drumragh and Camowen meet to form the Strule. The town, which is the largest in the county, had a population of 19,910 at the 2001 Census. Omagh also contains the headquarters of Omagh District Council and...
. His father was Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, a member of the Irish police force
Royal Irish Constabulary
The armed Royal Irish Constabulary was Ireland's major police force for most of the nineteenth and the early twentieth centuries. A separate civic police force, the unarmed Dublin Metropolitan Police controlled the capital, and the cities of Derry and Belfast, originally with their own police...
. Kennedy grew up in Coagh
Coagh
Coagh is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, situated five miles east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 Census...
where he wrote several songs and poems inspired by the view of the Ballinderry river, the local Springhill house and the plentiful amount of chestnut trees on his land where his poem chestnut trees derive from. later on Jimmy moved to Portstewart
Portstewart
Portstewart is a small town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,803 people in the 2001 Census. It is a seaside resort neighbouring Portrush. Of the two towns, Portstewart is decidedly quieter with more sedate attractions. Its harbour and scenic coastal paths form an...
, an Ulster seaside resort
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
located to the north in Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
.
He taught for a while in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
before applying to join the Colonial Service as a civil servant in 1927. His music career took off, though, while he was awaiting a posting to the colony of Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
. He embarked on a career in songwriting by joining the staff of Bert Feldman, a music publisher based in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
's Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley
Tin Pan Alley is the name given to the collection of New York City music publishers and songwriters who dominated the popular music of the United States in the late 19th century and early 20th century...
. In a career spanning more than fifty years, he wrote some 2000 song
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
s, of which over 200 became worldwide hits
Hit single
A hit single is a recorded song or instrumental released as a single that has become very popular. Although it is sometimes used to describe any widely-played or big-selling song, the term "hit" is usually reserved for a single that has appeared in an official music chart through repeated radio...
and about 50 are all-time popular music
Popular music
Popular music belongs to any of a number of musical genres "having wide appeal" and is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. It stands in contrast to both art music and traditional music, which are typically disseminated academically or orally to smaller, local...
classics.
"My Prayer" with original music by Georges Boulanger
Georges Boulanger (violinist)
Georges Boulanger was a Romani-Romanian violinist, conductor and composer.-Biography:Georges Boulanger was born in Tulcea, Romania from a Romani Romanian family with a very long tradition in music . His father's name was Vasile Pantazi. He was known as the typical Romanian Romani virtuoso...
had English lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
penned by Kennedy in 1939. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926.
Until John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
, he had more hits in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
than any other Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
or British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
songwriter. His first success came in 1931 with the "Barmaids Song" sung by Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
. "Red Sails in the Sunset
Red Sails in the Sunset (song)
"Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song.Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy...
" (1935) was inspired by beautiful summer evenings in his native part of the world, and "South of the Border
South of the Border (1939 song)
"South of the Border" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry....
" by a holiday picture postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
he received from Tijuana, Mexico.
While serving in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
's Royal Artillery, where he rose to the rank of Captain, he wrote the wartime hit, "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line
We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line
"We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" is a popular song written by Ulster songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, whilst he was a Captain in the British Expeditionary Force during the early stages of the Second World War. The Siegfried Line was a chain of fortifications along Germany's...
" for the British Expeditionary Force
British Expeditionary Force (World War II)
The British Expeditionary Force was the British force in Europe from 1939–1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force....
. His hits also include "The Isle of Capri
Isle of Capri (song)
"Isle of Capri" is a popular song.The music was written by Wilhelm Grosz , the lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The song was published in 1934....
", "My Prayer", "Teddy Bears' Picnic
Teddy bears' picnic
"Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at...
" (music by John Walter Bratton
John Walter Bratton
John Walter Bratton was an American Tin Pan Alley composer and theatrical producer who became popular during the era known as the Gay Nineties-Early life:...
), "Love is Like a Violin", "Hokey Cokey
Hokey Pokey
The hokey cokey or hokey pokey , also known as the okey cokey, hokey tokey, or cokey cokey, is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well known in English-speaking countries...
" and "Roll Along Covered Wagon".
Awards
Kennedy won two Ivor Novello AwardsIvor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
for his contribution to music and received an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from the New University of Ulster. He was awarded the OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1983. In 1997 he was posthumously inducted into the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.
Death
Kennedy died in CheltenhamCheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, aged 81, and was interred in Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. He was survived by two sons and a daughter, Janet.
Selected songs
- "Barmaids Song"
- "Red Sails in the SunsetRed Sails in the Sunset (song)"Red Sails in the Sunset" is a popular song.Published in 1935, its music was written by Hugh Williams with lyrics by prolific songwriter Jimmy Kennedy...
" - "South of the BorderSouth of the Border (1939 song)"South of the Border" is a popular song describing a trip to Mexico, written by Jimmy Kennedy and Michael Carr and published in 1939 for the film of the same name starring country star Gene Autry....
" - "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried LineWe're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line"We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" is a popular song written by Ulster songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, whilst he was a Captain in the British Expeditionary Force during the early stages of the Second World War. The Siegfried Line was a chain of fortifications along Germany's...
" - "The Isle of CapriIsle of Capri (song)"Isle of Capri" is a popular song.The music was written by Wilhelm Grosz , the lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. The song was published in 1934....
" - "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)Istanbul (Not Constantinople)"Istanbul " is a swing-style song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. The tune is reminiscent of "Puttin' on the Ritz," written by Irving Berlin in 1929, but the song is said to be a response to "C-O-N-S-T-A-N-T-I-N-O-P-L-E," recorded in 1928 by Paul Whiteman and His...
" - "My PrayerMy Prayer"My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by the famous salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. The lyrics for this version were added by Kennedy in 1939. Glenn Miller recorded the song that...
" - "Teddy Bears' PicnicTeddy bears' picnic"Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody by American composer John Walter Bratton, written in 1907, and lyrics added by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy in 1932. It remains popular as a children's song, having been recorded by numerous artists over the decades. Kennedy lived at...
" - "Love is Like a Violin"
- "Hokey PokeyHokey PokeyThe hokey cokey or hokey pokey , also known as the okey cokey, hokey tokey, or cokey cokey, is a participation dance with a distinctive accompanying tune and lyric structure. It is well known in English-speaking countries...
" - "Roll Along Covered Wagon"
- "Harbor LightsHarbor Lights"Harbor Lights" is a popular song by Hugh Williams with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy. This song was originally sung by Frances Langford in 1937 and was published again in 1950....
"