Kenn Goodman | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962 (age 62–63) Skokie, Illinois, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1980 – |
Kenneth Goodman (born 1962) is an American musician and the founder of Chicago-based independent record label Pravda Records.
Goodman is a founding member of the indie garage pop group The Service, trash rock band New Duncan Imperials, [1] pop-soul ensemble Imperial Sound, underground cover band Expo76, and Andre Williams & The Goldstars. [2] He founded Pravda Records in 1984 as a way to put out The Service’s first cassette, Foma. [3] [4] As of 2025, Pravda and its subsidiary, Bughouse Records, have over 60 artists on their combined rosters, including Glenn Mercer of The Feelies and Feelies’ off-shoots Wake Ooloo and The Trypes, Grammy-nominated violinist/songwriter Susan Voelz, Tiny Tim, [3] the late R&B musician Andre Williams, and The Flat Five (Kelly Hogan of Neko Case). [2]
Goodman was born and raised in the Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois, the youngest of three children. His father was a schoolteacher and photographer and his mother, a holocaust survivor who emigrated from Poland, was a homemaker and painter. [2] Goodman started taking piano lessons at age five and formed his first band by age twelve. His high school band Starfire often played social events in and around the Skokie area. When Goodman was sixteen, shortly after having his braces removed, he acquired a fake press credential that stated he was a reporter with Rolling Stone in order to sneak into music venues. At the same time, Goodman started playing professionally on the Chicago region’s lounge, resort, and supper-club circuit as a member of Keith Miller Featuring TCB, an Elvis impersonator group. [2] In 1980, Goodman began attending Northern Illinois University where he majored in graphic design. [5]
While enrolled at Northern Illinois University, Goodman became interested in music by bands such as The Clash, Blondie, and The Sex Pistols. Goodman along with his roommate Rick Mosher met Betsy Buenzow in the dorms, who was attending Northern on a track scholarship, and the three decided to start a power pop band, calling themselves B.B. & The Guns. Goodman was on keyboards, Mosher on guitar/vocals, and Buenzow (B.B.) was the main singer, with Goodman and Mosher writing all of the songs. The three then put an ad in the local paper looking for a bassist and drummer. Rich Bell, an older man from Dekalb, answered the ad for bassist and Doug Davis answered their ad for drummer. Davis was in a fraternity and secured rehearsal space for the band in his frat house with the group promising to play one to two frat parties per semester. The group frequently played a weekly “New Wave Night” at a local bar and their singles were often played on local radio stations. Goodman and Mosher then started Spazz Records in order to release two 7” B.B. & The Guns records. The first release in 1981 featured songs “Ain’t Sleeping With Me” and “2942” with the second record in 1982 featuring songs “Step by Step” and “I Don’t Know, I Don’t Care”. These were the only two releases Spazz Records put out. [5]
Rich Bell and Doug Davis were eventually replaced by Greg Balk and Dave Briggs and in 1983, Buenzow left B.B. & The Guns. [5] The band then became known as The Service with fellow NIU students Gary Schepers and John Smith eventually replacing Balk and Briggs on bass and drums respectively. In 1984, Goodman and Mosher founded Pravda Records in order to release The Service’s five song cassette "Foma." In 1985, Pravda released The Service’s 12-inch EP "Zebu." [3] As Goodman learned more about the record industry, he started releasing music by other bands he encountered while on tour with The Service such as the Atlanta-based rock’n’roll group The Impotent Sea Snakes, [1] Iowa City’s The Shy Strangers, and the Des Moines-based alt-rock group The Hollowmen. [1] In 1986, Pravda opened a retail store at 3730 N. Clark Street in the storefront of Wrigleyville music venue Metro Chicago. The store carried inventory made up entirely of independently made goods and music such as t-shirts, recordings, and additional band merch. Artists playing Metro would often make pre-show appearances at the Pravda Store and hang out there post-show until close. [4] In 1992, Goodman bought out Mosher's share of the label and in 1993 decided to close the retail store to shift emphasis back unto the label and its artists. [2]
With Schepers’ departure from The Service in 1989, Goodman, Mosher, and Smith went onto form the trash rock group the New Duncan Imperials, named after the iconic yo-yo. [6] Goodman (stage name Skipper Zwackinov when performing with NDI) plays bass and contributes to vocals, with Mosher (stage name Pigtail Dick) on main vocals and guitar, and Smith (Goodtime) on drums. [7] One of The New Duncan Imperials’ first shows was at long-standing Chicago bar, Phyllis’s Musical Inn, where the band debuted originals such as “Hamhocks” and “Joe Shanahan,” an ode to the Metro co-founder and close friend of NDI. [6]