Watching the “In Memoriam” segment of the Grammy Awards, I was shocked to see the name of singer/guitarist “Kenny Rankin” roll by. He passed away in June 2009.
Listening to NYC rock station WPLJ in the 70’s, Kenny Rankin was a staple on their play list. He sang mostly Jazz, but the DJ’S had eclectic tastes and would play the Beatles, James Brown, Frank Sinatra, etc. regardless of their music category.
Smooth and laid back, Kenny had a very distinctive sound and sang beautifully. He had, what I guess today would be called a “cult” following and would appear frequently on the Tonight Show (Johnny Carson). I lost track of him over the years, but I still have the memory of feeling so cool because I enjoyed his music – I loved “When Sunny Gets Blue”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrt8Y-F3U14
Kenny Rankin– thank you for your music and for nice memories.
