In Memory of My Friend, Kenny Rankin

Kenny Rankin died on June 7th. He was 69 years old and died of lung cancer in Los Angeles, where he lived.

I first started listening to Kenny's music when I was in college in 1976. His vocal range, from a falsetto to rich, bluesy tenor was remarkable. I had the good luck to run into him at LA airport a few years back and tell him how much his music meant to me. He offered to perform at any charitable event I might be affiliated with, schedule permitting. Last year, Kenny made good on that promise and did a show at the Stephen Talkhouse on Long Island to benefit the East Hampton Daycare Center.

Kenny played the hell out of the guitar and put on a wonderful show for the relatively small crowd. He never mentioned that he was sick.

When the Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1987, Paul McCartney asked Kenny to accept the award on the group's behalf. Rankin had recorded beautiful and lilting versions of a number of Beatles' songs. Kenny wrote for Peggy Lee, Mel Torme and Helen Reddy in the 60's and 70's. He played guitar on Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Hom e" album in 1965.

Kenny Rankin, the self-described "jazz singer," a great guitarist and vocalist, died last Sunday. Rest in peace, Kenny.

Comments

[grata2ude]

Deepest sympathy. I saw Kenny perform live a few years back. It was one of the best I'd seen. Kenny was a tremendous talent.

[Whitley2009]

"When Sunny Gets Blue" has been one of my favorites songs over the past several decades. We all will surely miss this great talent.

[PhyllisJane]

He recorded a song called "Regrets" (or a song about regrets, can't remember) way back in the Dark Ages but I can't find it anywhere. Anyone remember this song? He had a most smooth singing voice.
Rest In Peace....

[raker]

The album is called "After the Roses," one of his best, I think. It must be out of print. Used copies are selling for a fortune on Amazon.

[ddDinah]

Sorry for your lose. I wonder how many more will die of this dreaded dease, some may survive if there's treatment for it, but with Obama's latest request for cuts in federal aid to the unprivileged, many may die because they can't get treatment....WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE? I'm really mad, really, really mad at him for wanting more cuts on top of the other cuts he's already asked for.

[littlepeople]

Trying to find out if KR ever got to record song "I'm just your Dad" that he composed :
http://www.kennyrankin.com/rankinbbs/Read/2776.html

[HarlemFreeThought]

WFUV is airing a tribute to Kenny now.
http://www.wfuv.org/

[Dana DuGan]

Long time fan of Kenny Rankin's and so sorry to hear of his death. THanks FUV for honoring him.

[DragonFly]

I am most sad to hear of Rankin's death.
I've been a fan of his music for many years.
RIP, Kenny.

[foxlair]

Lovely tribute, Alec. I share the sadness at the sudden, stunning loss of Kenny Rankin to lung cancer. Like Alec and so many of Kenny's fans, his music provided a soundtrack to my life from the early 1970s and the dawn of that "Silver Morning" clear through to his most recent recordings of standards. We've all evolved through such a vast landscape of popular music and the bumps in the road of life, but Kenny's glorious voice and his gorgeous playing endured throughout those rocky decades - solid and sure - like a dear, trusted friend.
In the course of the past sadness-filled week since the news of Kenny's passing emerged, I've scoured the internet, watched the videos repeatedly, and read vignettes and stories from all corners of the country. I revisited not only his musical genius and talent, but I also learned of his immense kindness, his generosity, and his great heart. Here was a man whose spirit, whose tremendous gifts, and whose special understanding of life - its joys and its sorrows - combined in him in such a humble way that, when he shared them with us through his music, we always were enriched simply by having heard him sing and play.
I mourn his untimely death, that such a gifted artist is no longer with us to share his songs, but I take real comfort in knowing that he leaves a lasting legacy in his beautiful music. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and fans

[ragz2008]

I had the good fortune of co-producing and writing the liner notes for his Peaceful collection. He was a wonderful person to work with. The Silver Morning album still one of my favorite albums ever. What a beautiful, natural talent he was.

[steve-oo]

Wow, sorry to hear this .. thanks Alec for putting this out there ... it would have gone mostly unnoticed, much like his musical accomplishments. But this distinctive and gifted artist stands shoulder to shoulder with musics very best.

I can't ell you how many hours I've spent relaxing and enjoying his songs and beautiful voice. I have every album and loved them all and always thought he was a brilliant. A mix of covers and originals that will be with me forever. Songs that bring back happy memories and lots of loving and romantic moments in my life. "Lost Up In Love With You", "Sunday Kind of Love". He dazzled with his covers of various songs, always making them as good or better than the original artist, as evidenced by the Beatles "Penny Lane" or "On and On by Stephen Bishop, just to name a few!

I sit hear listening to his music as I write this with tears in my eyes, not because I knew him personally, but rather how personally he effected me and made my short time on this earth a lot better.

Thank You Kenny, you'll be remembered and appreciated forever ... Peace

[Charity]

"silver morning" - one of the best albums ever. i've listened to kenny from the get-go, bought all of his albums as they were released. and even now, long long after "silver morning" was released, i play it at least once a month. i will miss him.

[carmina]

A real tragedy. Kenny Rankin has been one of my favorite singers from the moment I first heard him in the 70's. I had the great good fortune to hang out with him for a bit at the college where I teach voice a year or so ago. He was warm, funny and generous; he talked about the book he was writing, and the new love of his life, his baby grand-daughter. His voice was still gorgeous, supple and clear, and didn't sound like the voice of a smoker to me. Apparently, he only found out three weeks before he died that he had lung cancer. A real loss.

[flamenco]

Though that's sad news, Alec, thanks for that nice tribute. Though I played jazz for years, I only like a few jazz singers, and Kenny was one of them. Beautiful tone and feel.

The song that comes to mind for me goes....(paraphrasing)
"How can you please me,
then torture and tease me,
and do it in the name of love..."

[NickyD]

Sorry for your loss Alec.
-Nicole from the Coffee Roaster in Sherman Oaks...

[Linda Milazzo - Huffpost Blogger]

I had no idea Kenny Rankin passed. I'm so sorry to hear this. I can't compute the number of hours I've spent listening to his voice and his mastery of every song. If Kenny sang it, Kenny ultimately owned it. For me, no one sang it better. Through my youth and adult life, I've spent consecutive days replaying his music with no other artist between. It was often -- ALL Kenny ALL THE TIME -- especially my favorite, "When Sunny Gets Blue."

He'll fill my home again today.

Thanks, Alec, for this tribute.