Kenny (band)
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1974 |
| Headquarters | London , England, United Kingdom |
| Products | Pop, rock, glam rock music |
Kenny was a London-based English band formed in 1974, recognized for their contributions to the pop, rock, and glam rock genres, and remembered for UK chart successes such as "The Bump" and "Fancy Pants".
History
In 1973, Tony Kenny, an Irish showband vocalist previously associated with The Sands and The Vampires, recorded the track "Heart of Stone," composed by Bill Martin and Phil Coulter and produced by Mickie Most. This single, released under the name Kenny, became a hit in the UK alongside "Give It to Me Now" following Kenny's return to Ireland.
Following this achievement, Mickie Most assigned the name Kenny to an unrelated group from Enfield originally called Chuff. Keith Chegwin, a former child actor, declined the opportunity to become the band's lead singer. The majority of their hits were penned by Martin and Coulter, beginning with "The Bump," which climbed to number three on the UK charts. Additional singles that charted included "Fancy Pants," "Baby I Love You, OK!", and "Julie Anne." At one point, management of the band was handled by John Morris, spouse of singer Clodagh Rodgers.
Barry Palmer provided uncredited lead and backing vocals on the track "The Bump."
In 1989, frontman Rick Driscoll joined Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel as lead guitarist during their reunion tour; a performance in Northampton was recorded and released on video. The following year, Robbie Gladwell succeeded Driscoll in this role. Driscoll made an appearance on BBC's Never Mind the Buzzcocks in 1996. As of 2021, he resides in Corfu where he works as a charter yacht skipper.
Members
- Rick Driscoll — vocals and guitar, born 1 May 1957 in Enfield
- Yan Stile (born Ian Stile) — guitar, born 16 January 1955 in Enfield
- Chris Redburn — bass guitar, born 14 March 1956 in Enfield
- Chris Lacklison — keyboards, born 15 October 1956 in London
- Andy Walton — drums, born 1 October 1956 in Enfield
Albums
- 1975 - The Sound of Super K (RAK), reached No. 56 on the UK and No. 38 on the German charts
- 1976 - Ricochet (Polydor), released exclusively in Germany and Japan
Singles
| Year | A-Side | B-Side | Label | Peak chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AUS | BE | GER | IRE | UK | ||||
| 1974 | "The Bump" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
"Forget the Janes, the Jeans and the Might Have Beens" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
RAK 186 | 71 | 30 | 19 | 2 | 3 |
| 1975 | "Fancy Pants" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
"I'm a Winner" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
RAK 196 | — | — | 14 | 3 | 4 |
| "Baby I Love You, OK!" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
"The Sound of Super K" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
RAK 207 | — | — | 21 | 9 | 12 | |
| "Julie Anne" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
"Dancin' Feet" (Rick Driscoll, Yan Style) |
RAK 214 | 6 | — | 14 | 10 | 10 | |
| "Nice to Have You Home" (Bill Martin-Phil Coulter) |
"Happiness Melissa" (Rick Driscoll, Yan Style) |
RAK 225 | — | — | 30 | — | — | |
| 1976 | "Hot Lips" (Anthony Craig, Edward Adamberry) |
"Bangin' My Head Against a Brick Wall" (Rick Driscoll, Yan Style) |
Polydor | — | — | 20 | 20 | — |
| "Red Headed Lady" (Tony Macaulay-Roger Greenaway) |
"Alone Together" (Rick Driscoll, Yan Style) |
Polydor | — | — | 49 | — | — | |
| 1977 | "Old Songs Never Die" (Tony Macaulay-Roger Greenaway) |
"Don't Hold On" (Rick Driscoll, Yan Style) |
Polydor | — | ||||
| 1979 | "Reach Out I'll Be There" (Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier) |
"Time Is the Healer" (Nash, Style) |
Decca | — | ||||
Catalogue of Tracks Recorded by Kenny
- The Song column presents the track title; titles in bold denote singles.
- The Writer(s) column specifies the composers.
- The Time column displays the duration of each track.
- The Producer column credits the production lead.
- The Album column indicates the associated album.
- The Year column lists the year of release.
| Song | Writer(s) | Time | Producer | Album | Year | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Alone Together" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:14 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | B-side to "Red Headed Lady" |
| "Baby I Love You, OK!" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:54 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | Lead track on "The Sound of Super K" |
| "Bangin' My Head Against a Brick Wall" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:22 | Miki Dallon | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1976 | B-side to "Hot Lips" |
| "Be My Girl" | Andy Walton, Chris Redburn | 2:13 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "Dancin' Feet" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:00 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1975 | B-side to "Julie Anne" |
| "Don't Hold On" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 2:59 | Edward Adamberry | none | 1977 | B-side to "Old Songs Never Die" |
| "End of a Love Affair" | Yan Style | 3:03 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "Fancy Pants" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:24 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | Lead track on "I'm a Winner" |
| "Forever and Ever" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:30 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | UK No.1 hit for Slik |
| "Forget the Janes, the Jeans and the Might Have Beens" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:11 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1975 | B-side to "The Bump" |
| "Glad, Glad, Glad" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:59 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | |
| "Go into Hiding" | Yan Style | 3:07 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "Happiness Melissa" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 2:29 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1975 | B-side to "Nice to Have You Home" |
| "Hey! Mr. Dream Seller" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:14 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | |
| "Hot Lips" | Anthony Craig, Edward Adamberry | 2:53 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | Lead track on "Bangin' My Head Against a Brick Wall" |
| "I Won't Cry" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 4:02 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "I'm a Winner" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:09 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1975 | B-side to "Fancy Pants" |
| "I'm Coming Home" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 2:58 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "Julie Anne" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 2:59 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | Lead track on "Dancin' Feet" |
| "Just a Word Away" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | ||
| "Little Darlin'" | Maurice Williams | 4:15 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | |
| "Long Lost Summers" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | 3:08 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | |
| "Make Up, Break Up" | Andy Walton, Yan Style | 2:59 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "Memories" | Rick Driscoll, Yan Style | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | ||
| "Nice to Have You Home" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:43 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1975 | Lead track on "Happiness Melissa" |
| "Old Songs Never Die" | Tony Macaulay-Roger Greenaway | 3:16 | Edward Adamberry | none | 1977 | Lead track on "Don't Hold On" |
| "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier | 3:13 | Kenny & Gwen Mathias | none | 1979 | Lead track on "Time Is the Healer" |
| "Red Headed Lady" | Tony Macaulay-Roger Greenaway | 2:30 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | Lead track on "Alone Together" |
| "The Bump" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 2:33 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Sound of Super K | 1974 | Lead track on "Forget the Janes, the Jeans and the Might Have Beens" |
| "The Sound of Super K" | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | 3:14 | Bill Martin-Phil Coulter | The Singles Collection Plus... | 1975 | B-side to "Baby I Love You, OK!" |
| "Time Is the Healer" | Nash, Style | 3:03 | Kenny & Gwen Mathias | none | 1979 | B-side to "Reach Out (I'll Be There)" |
| "You Wrote the Words" | Andy Walton, Yan Style | 2:49 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 | |
| "When You Dance, I Can Really Love" | Neil Young? | unknown | none | 1979 | Unreleased track | |
| "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" | Carl Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner | 4:22 | Miki Dallon | Ricochet | 1976 |
Cover versions
| Title | Composer(s) | Original performer | Album | Release Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Little Darlin'" | Maurice Williams | The Gladiolas | 1957 | ||
| "Reach Out I'll Be There" | Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier | Four Tops | Reach Out | 1967 | |
| "The Bump" | Bill Martin and Phil Coulter | Bay City Rollers | Rock 'N' Rollers: The Best of Bay City Rollers | 1974 | Featured as B-side to October 1974 single "All of Me Loves All of You" |
| "(Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher and Higher" | Carl Smith, Gary Jackson, Raynard Miner | Jackie Wilson | Higher and Higher | 1967 |
Kenny compositions interpreted by other artists
| Title | Composer(s) | Initial performer(s) | Track title | Album | Year issued | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Forever and Ever" | Bill Martin and Phil Coulter | a) Slik b) Peter Orloff Sound Orchester c) Michael Born d) Délizia e) Jean Guinéa f) Pippis g) Bobby Vinton h) Terrorvision i) Motown Corps |
a) Forever and Ever b) Forever and Ever (instrumental) c) Ich will dir für immer gehören (German) d) Le procès de l'amour e) Des tonnes de soleil f) Det måste vara kärlek (Swedish) g) Forever and Ever h) Forever and Ever i) Forever and Ever |
a) Slik b) Disco Hits Instrumental c) none d) none e) none f) Fyllda Segel! g) none h) The Essential Terrorvision i) none |
a) 1975 b) 1976 c) 1976 d) 1978 e) 1978 f) 1978 g) 1981 h) 1997 i) unknown |
|
| "Julie Anne" | Bill Martin and Phil Coulter | a) James Last b) Billy Larkin c) Tonix |
a) Julie Anne b) Julie Anne c) Juliet (Swedish) |
a) Non Stop Dancing 1976 b) Uptown Country c) Shang-A-Lang |
a) 1975 b) 1976 c) 1976 |