Kenny Roberts (musician)
Encyclopedia
Kenny Roberts was a country music
singer, born in Lenoir City, Tennessee
, but raised on a farm outside of Greenfield, Massachusetts
.
He started in music at the age of 11, when he organized a band consisting entirely of young harmonica
players. Later, he learned to play guitar
and then bass fiddle and violin
. He was inspired by Yodeling Slim Clark, Jimmie Rodgers
and other singing cowboys and was known as a blue yodeler.
Roberts learned to yodel and at the age of 17, won a New Hampshire
radio contest to be chosen as "Eastern States Yodeling Champion" in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy
in early 1945, and moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., after World War II
ended. He performed on several shows on radio station
KMOX in St. Louis, Mo
., as well as the CBS Saturday morning show "Barnyard Frolics." then organized and led a Pennsylvania-based western swing
band called the Down Homers, recording for Vogue Records
.
Rock and roll
pioneer Bill Haley
joined the band in 1946 as a guitarist and yodeler. In the early 2000s, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is named and performs the solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel."
Roberts signed a recording contract
with Coral Records
in 1949, a division of Decca. His first release "I Never See Maggie Alone" was an immediate hit. He followed with other hits including "River of Tears," "I've Got the Blues," "Yodel Polka," "She Taught Me to Yodel," and "Hillbilly Style."
He soon began to jump while yodeling and became popular with youngsters thanks to the jumping, yodeling and his cowboy tunes. He starred in a children's TV show in 1953, performing in Cincinnati on WLW-TV
. He performed on Arthur Godfrey
's CBS network
talent program.
Roberts played at the Hoosier Hop in Fort Wayne, Ind., as well as the WCOP Hayloft Jamboree. He later performed on the Midwestern Hayride during the 1950s from Cincinnati. He became a regional star through television shows in Dayton, OH., and Indianapolis, Ind.
Kenny Roberts began a daily cartoon show on WNEM TV-5 in Saginaw, Mich., about 1961, as "The Kenny Roberts Show" where he was known as "The Yodeling Cowboy." The popular black-and-white show featured Roberts singing and playing guitar as he hosted children in the studio, and presented cartoons.
His best-known locally-performed song was "Cheer Up, Things Could Be Worse." The program stayed on the air for about five years. Roberts moved back to Dayton in the early 1970s, and later, moved back to Massachusetts. He played concerts in the region, and released on album for Palomino around 1980, followed by Longhorn's "Then and Now," which combined historical cuts with new recordings.
Though essentially retired, he continued to give concerts around the Northeast throughout the decade.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer, born in Lenoir City, Tennessee
Lenoir City, Tennessee
Lenoir City is a city in Loudon County, Tennessee, United States. Its population was 8,642 at the 2010 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area....
, but raised on a farm outside of Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
.
He started in music at the age of 11, when he organized a band consisting entirely of young harmonica
Harmonica
The harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
players. Later, he learned to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and then bass fiddle and violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
. He was inspired by Yodeling Slim Clark, Jimmie Rodgers
Jimmie Rodgers (country singer)
James Charles Rodgers , known as Jimmie Rodgers, was an American country singer in the early 20th century known most widely for his rhythmic yodeling...
and other singing cowboys and was known as a blue yodeler.
Roberts learned to yodel and at the age of 17, won a New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
radio contest to be chosen as "Eastern States Yodeling Champion" in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
in early 1945, and moved to Fort Wayne, Ind., after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
ended. He performed on several shows on radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KMOX in St. Louis, Mo
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
., as well as the CBS Saturday morning show "Barnyard Frolics." then organized and led a Pennsylvania-based western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
band called the Down Homers, recording for Vogue Records
Vogue Records
Vogue Records was a short-lived United States based record label of the 1940s, noted for the artwork embedded in the records themselves. Founded in 1946 as part of Sav-Way Industries of Detroit, Michigan, the discs were initially a hit, because of the novelty of the colorful artwork, and the...
.
Rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
pioneer Bill Haley
Bill Haley
Bill Haley was one of the first American rock and roll musicians. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and their hit song "Rock Around the Clock".-Early life and career:...
joined the band in 1946 as a guitarist and yodeler. In the early 2000s, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is named and performs the solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel."
Roberts signed a recording contract
Recording contract
A recording contract is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist , where the artist makes a record for the label to sell and promote...
with Coral Records
Coral Records
Coral Records was a Decca Records subsidiary formed in 1949. It recorded pop artists McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer, as well as rock and roller Buddy Holly....
in 1949, a division of Decca. His first release "I Never See Maggie Alone" was an immediate hit. He followed with other hits including "River of Tears," "I've Got the Blues," "Yodel Polka," "She Taught Me to Yodel," and "Hillbilly Style."
He soon began to jump while yodeling and became popular with youngsters thanks to the jumping, yodeling and his cowboy tunes. He starred in a children's TV show in 1953, performing in Cincinnati on WLW-TV
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
. He performed on Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
's CBS network
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
talent program.
Roberts played at the Hoosier Hop in Fort Wayne, Ind., as well as the WCOP Hayloft Jamboree. He later performed on the Midwestern Hayride during the 1950s from Cincinnati. He became a regional star through television shows in Dayton, OH., and Indianapolis, Ind.
Kenny Roberts began a daily cartoon show on WNEM TV-5 in Saginaw, Mich., about 1961, as "The Kenny Roberts Show" where he was known as "The Yodeling Cowboy." The popular black-and-white show featured Roberts singing and playing guitar as he hosted children in the studio, and presented cartoons.
His best-known locally-performed song was "Cheer Up, Things Could Be Worse." The program stayed on the air for about five years. Roberts moved back to Dayton in the early 1970s, and later, moved back to Massachusetts. He played concerts in the region, and released on album for Palomino around 1980, followed by Longhorn's "Then and Now," which combined historical cuts with new recordings.
Though essentially retired, he continued to give concerts around the Northeast throughout the decade.
External links
- Hill Billy Music The Down Homers
- [ Kenny Roberts in AllMusic]
- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Allmusic