Looking for Kenny Hall Recordings

[Marcelyn]

Hi, I found three CDs available of Kenny Hall: Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band, Kenny Hall Skiffle Synphony, and Kenny Hall and the Long Haul String Band. I wondered if anyone knows where I could get a copy of any of his other recordings. Thanks.

[Barbara Shultz]

His website!

[Marcelyn]

That's awesome, Barbara. Thanks. I love this guy.

[mildini mandolini]

Hi
I also have a record of Kenny Hall with dulcimer player Holly Tannen (1974)
I don't know hwere you could get that one maybe check on e-bay
I have two vinyls of Kenny hall with the Sweets Mill String Band (which probably were released into one CD later)


they are all great
good luck in finding his old stuff

Stefan

[allenhopkins]

I think Kenny's earliest recording was a 1974 self-titled LP on Philo Records. Couldn't find one currently available, but one sold not long ago on eBay for $6.00, so I'd keep an eye out; probably one will turn up.

[Jim Garber]

I am pretty sure I have that one. Kenny had a large collection of 78s when he was a kid and he learned some interesting tunes. That Philo LP had some of them, notably The Rose Tree, Hobb Dye and Sullivan's Hollow.

It looks like there are possibly two LPs available here.

[Marcelyn]

Hey, thanks Jim . That is the very record I was looking for. I'm looking forward to hearing it. I'll keep an eye on Ebay for the others.

[gus garelick]

The original Kenny Hall and the Sweets Mill String Band was on two LPs, recorded in 1974 or so. It was reissued on one CD by Bay Records in Berkeley, CA in 2001. It's probably still in print. He also did an unusual album for Philo in Vermont back around that same time. That was an LP, and I don't recall that it was ever reissued on a CD. It was a great album, and included Holly Tannan on dulcimer. In 2002, a local Bay Area band, The Skiffle Symphony, produced a 2 CD set, recorded mostly in Petaluma, but also including some excerpts from an interview that I did with Kenny on my radio show on KRCB FM in Santa Rosa. That CD may be a little hard to find outside of the Bay Area. Meanwhile, Kenny, who is almost 90 years old now, still performs in Fresno, CA every Wednesday night at a local Basque restaurant. His wife produced two CDs in 2005, featuring Kenny Hall and the New Santa Fe Ramblers. Quality was not nearly as good as the earlier records, but you can check his website for more info: www.kennyhallband.com. Finally, there is a book of Kenny's tunes (or some of them), transcribed by Vicki Mynde Gray. It came out on Mel Bay Publications quite a long time ago, went out of print, but now is back in print. Check the Mel Bay website.
Kenny is a unique mandolin player, still plays a round-back mandolin, and uses his fingernails for picks in a very unusual cross-picking style. Also, in case you didn't know, he's completely blind, and claims to know over 3000 tunes! A California legend.

[Jim Garber]

Just an addendum to Gus' post. Mel Bay book is here.

[RobBob]

I've got two mp3's of Kenny playing with Sam Chatmon in the early 70's. I'd heard Kenny talk about recording with Sam and serendipitously found these mp3's somewhere on the web.

[Marcelyn]

Gus, I'd already ordered the Skiffle Synphony CD from CDBaby, and it just came yesterday. I really enjoyed your interview clips. What a great recording. I had to learn Apricot Waltz right off.
Rob, if you know where I could get those MP3s, I'd be interested to hear them. Thanks.

[nrobinso]

Kenny Hall will be featured on a forthcoming CD by the Skiffle Symphony. This may be our last best chance to get new recordings by this unique master of American mandolin music. Kenny's almost ninety and hasn't recorded with the Skiffle Symphony for over ten years. Their leader Morgan Cochneuer is running a Kickstarter campaign to finance the CD -- see http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...le-symphony-cd. Please give what you can to reserve your copy of this historic and awesome CD!