Charles Ethan Kenning (born August 19, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American singer, songwriter and musician who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid rock band, H. P. Lovecraft. [1] [2] He was adopted as a child and brought up under the name George Edwards. He reverted to his birth name of Ethan Kenning in his mid-30s. [3]
In the mid-1960s he performed folk and blues music in clubs in Chicago and as a session singer with Dunwich Records. He released an unsuccessful version of The Beatles' "Norwegian Wood" on Dunwich Records in 1966, before forming a new band, H. P. Lovecraft. [4] [5] The band featured striking vocal harmonies between Edwards and the classically-trained Dave Michaels and atmospheric instrumentation and effects on songs. Some of the band's songs were co-written by Edwards, including some inspired by the writings of the author of the same name. The band released two albums, H. P. Lovecraft in 1967 and H. P. Lovecraft II in 1968 before splitting up in early 1969. Edwards then worked for a time as a music show promoter, before he and original H.P. Lovecraft drummer Michael Tegza formed a new band, Lovecraft. Edwards left this band after their first album. [3]
Edwards, later known as Ethan Kenning, then worked in music production in California and in writing and producing TV and radio commercials. He won two Clio Awards for Levi's commercials with Doc Watson and Leon Redbone and also produced commercials for Taco Bell, Bank of America, and others. He has also worked occasionally with Dave Michaels. More recently he has worked as manager and producer of improvisational singer Rhiannon. [6]
A fictional portrayal of George Edwards appears as the central character in Harry Turtledove's short horror-adventure story "The Fillmore Shoggoth," where a performance of the Lovecraft tribute band is disrupted when Lovecraftian monsters attack the theater. [7]
The Shadows of Knight were an American rock band from Chicago, Illinois, that played a version of British blues influenced by their native city. When they began recording in 1965, the band's self-description was "the Stones, Animals and the Yardbirds took the Chicago blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch," to which rock critic Richie Unterberger commented: "The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate."
Dunwich Records was an independent American record label started by Bill Traut, Eddie Higgins and George Badonsky in Chicago in 1965. Dunwich was also a production company which licensed recordings to other labels, including Atlantic, Atco, Columbia, Mercury and SGC. The label was primarily known for the release of singles from the emerging Chicago rock scene in the 1960s. Only two artists, the Shadows of Knight and Amanda Ambrose, released albums on the label.
"The Dunwich Horror" is a horror novella by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in 1928, it was first published in the April 1929 issue of Weird Tales (pp. 481–508). It takes place in Dunwich, a fictional town in Massachusetts. It is considered one of the core stories of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Terrence Orlando "Terry" Callier was an American soul, folk and jazz guitarist and singer-songwriter.
H. P. Lovecraft was an American psychedelic rock band, formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1967 and named after the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. Much of the band's music was possessed of a haunting, eerie ambience, and consisted of material that was inspired by the macabre writings of the author whose name they had adopted. Combining elements of psychedelia and folk rock, the band's sound was marked by the striking vocal harmonies of ex-folk singer George Edwards and the classically trained Dave Michaels. In addition, Michaels' multi-instrumentalist abilities on organ, piano, harpsichord, clarinet and recorder provided the band with a richer sonic palette than many of their contemporaries.
Jimmie David Post was an American folk singer-songwriter, composer, playwright and actor. In 1968 his pop song "Reach out of the Darkness" charted on the Billboard Hot 100 for 14 weeks, peaking at number 10.
Jerry McGeorge came to prominence in late 1965 as an American guitarist with the Chicago rock band The Shadows of Knight. He later joined the psychedelic rock band H.P. Lovecraft on bass in the summer of 1967, appearing on their debut album, H. P. Lovecraft.
David Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was co-founder of the 1960s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft.
The Shag were an American garage and psychedelic rock band in the 1960s, best known for their 1967 single "Stop and Listen". They were one of numerous bands at the time using the name "The Shags".
Jon and Lee & the Checkmates are a Canadian music group, best known for containing future members of Elektra band Rhinoceros. Together with Mandala, they spearheaded Toronto's R&B scene during the mid-1960s. As the Jon-Lee Group, the band released a lone single for ABC Records before splitting up in September 1967. The group has more recently reformed, released its debut album in late 2006.
Jeffrey Lawrence Williams is an American jazz drummer, composer, and educator.
George Edwards may refer to:
The Cellar was a short-lived music venue in Arlington Heights, Illinois outside of Chicago that provided live early rock music in the mid-1960s to young people in the Chicago area. Founded in 1964 by Paul Sampson, a local record store owner who later became a music promoter and manager, The Cellar primarily featured early rock and roll acts, although some Chicago blues bands also performed there. The Cellar closed in 1970.
Live May 11, 1968 is a live album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in 1991. The eight tracks included on the album were all recorded at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California, on May 11, 1968, soon after the band's original bass player Jerry McGeorge had been replaced by Jeffrey Boyan. The album consists of material taken from the band's first two studio albums and features very good sound quality considering the era in which it was recorded.
H. P. Lovecraft is the debut album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft. It was released in October 1967 by Philips Records.
H. P. Lovecraft II is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records. As with their debut LP, the album saw the band blending psychedelic and folk rock influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than on their first album. H. P. Lovecraft II failed to sell in sufficient quantities to reach the Billboard Top LPs chart or the UK Albums Chart, despite the band being a popular act on the U.S. psychedelic concert circuit. Legend has it that the album was the first major label release to have been recorded by musicians who were all under the influence of LSD.
Aorta were an American psychedelic rock band from Chicago who recorded two albums in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
"The White Ship" is a song released by the American psychedelic rock band, H. P. Lovecraft, in November 1967. The songwriting is credited to band members George Edwards, Dave Michaels, and Tony Cavallari. Acting as the opening song on the second side of their debut LP, H. P. Lovecraft, it was the album's longest track, and an edited version was also released as the band's second single. The name and theme of the song derive directly from author H. P. Lovecraft's short story, "The White Ship". Despite its failure to chart nationally, it is widely considered to be H. P. Lovecraft's most accomplished piece, and helped establish the group, who were originally from Chicago, in the West Coast music scene.
Oh Yeah! The Best of Dunwich Records is a garage rock compilation issued by Sundazed Records featuring music made by acts who recorded for Dunwich Records in Chicago during the 1960s. Dunwich quickly became one of the top independent labels in Chicago and, with national distribution through Atco Records, enjoyed hits by artists such as the American Breed and the Shadows of Knight, who were some of the best-known acts in garage rock, and are included here, along with the Del-Vetts, another well-known act. The set represents the stylistic diversity of the genre, featuring cuts that range from harder-edged and blues-based numbers to more pop-oriented fare. Some of the tracks display folk rock and psychedelic influences and there are a few advertising jingles, which appeared local radio stations, as well as an interview with the Shadows of Knight thrown in for good measure. The packaging includes thorough and we-researched liner notes by Jeff Jarema that provide information for the acts and their songs.
William Raymond Traut was an American jazz musician, rock music producer, manager and record label executive. He co-founded the Dunwich and Wooden Nickel record labels, and produced The Shadows of Knight, The American Breed, the Siegel-Schwall Band, and Styx, among others.