 |
Paul Kennerley | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | A&M Spinout |
Paul Kennerley is an English songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee.
|
Paul Kennerley | |
|---|---|
| Born | |
| Genres | Country music |
| Occupation | Songwriter |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1972–present |
| Labels | A&M Spinout |
Paul Kennerley is an English songwriter living in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kennerley was born in Hoylake, Cheshire, England, in 1948, where his father was a director of a company based in nearby Liverpool. He was the youngest of four children. At the age of 8, he attended a preparatory boarding school in Cheshire, followed by Stowe School in Buckinghamshire, and Copford Glebe in Essex.
After leaving school, Kennerley apprenticed in the design studios of a Liverpool advertising agency. In 1969, he spent several months at an agency in New York City before returning to London, where he worked as a layout artist.
For as early as he can remember, he had an over-arching passion for music. In the early 70’s Kennerley held a secondary job managing the London “pub rock” band The Winkies. 1974 he left advertising in order to pursue and develop his songwriting. In 1975 he became enraptured by country music, having heard a Waylon Jennings record. "It really excited me and led me to discover many other artists and an entire genre I had never listened to before." Kennerley recalled.
Although he wanted only to write country songs, his lack of experience of rural American life and culture seemed inauthentic. That led him to write songs set in historical settings that eventually became the much lauded Civil War concept album White Mansions .
His songs have been featured in hit films such as A Star is Born (2018) and Thelma & Louise and have been recorded by the greats of music including Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Ringo Starr, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Nanci Griffith, Dave Edmunds, Brenda Lee, Glen Campbell, The Everly Brothers, Kenny Rogers, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, Martina McBride, The Judds, Marty Stuart, Patty Loveless, Charlie Daniels, The Highwaymen, Dierks Bentley, Lonnie Donegan, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Solomon Burke, Don Williams, The Crickets, and more.
White Mansions
Kennerley's first major project was White Mansions , a 1978 concept album set in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The project was picked up by A&M Records, with Glyn Johns producing. A number of notable artists recorded the music, including Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Steve Cash and John Dillon of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils, and Eric Clapton. The Guardian described White Mansions as "the first and perhaps best outlaw country rock Civil War concept album ever recorded."
The Legend of Jesse James
In 1980 Kennerley released his second concept album, The Legend of Jesse James . It featured more notable artists, including Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Charlie Daniels, Albert Lee and Levon Helm. The Legend of Jesse James tells the story of the outlaw's life through various artists. It features Levon Helm as Jesse James and Johnny Cash as Frank James, with other notable performers including Emmylou Harris, Charlie Daniels, and Rosanne Cash. Produced by Glyn Johns, the album follows a chronological narrative and has been re-released as a two-CD set with Kennerley's previous album, White Mansions , both of which were produced by Glyn Johns.
Misery with a Beat
In 1995 Kennerley released the EP Misery with a Beat which, featured Richard Bennett, Billy Bremner, and himself on guitar, Michael Rhodes on bass, and Chad Cromwell on drums with songs including "Love Match"; - "Heart Full of Rain"; - "Tryin' to Get Over You" "She was Mine" - and - "The Heartbreak Kind" (co-written with Marty Stuart). [1]
Paul Kennerley Demos
In 2025, Kennerley released the double CD, Paul Kennerley Demos, a collection of his original rough and ragged homemade versions of songs that went on to be recorded by greats such as Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, The Judds, Marty Stuart, Tanya Tucker, Levon Helm, Patty Loveless, Charlie Daniels, John Anderson, The Highwaymen, The Class of ’55, Solomon Burke, Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler, Linda Ronstadt, Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, Wynonna and others. Several of the songs became number one and top five records on the Billboard Country Charts. On the album, all of the songs were sung and recorded by Kennerley with the exception of "You’re the Kind of Trouble," which was sung by The Wrights, and "Diggin’ My Grave" which was sung by Morgane Stapleton.
In 1979, Kennerley married Jenny Dugan Chapman in London. The couple had two children, a daughter Marisha and a son Charles. They divorced in 1984. In 1983, Kennerley moved to Nashville where he continued to have songs recorded by country music artists. In 1985 he married Emmylou Harris. They were divorced in 1991. [2] Kennerley continues to live in Nashville, Tennessee.
Kennerley was named Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) Country Writer of the Year in 1989.
| TV programme | Song(s) |
|---|---|
| Northern Exposure | "Poor Boy Blues" |
| The Sopranos | "Heaven Only Knows" |
| Nashville | "Ball and Chain", "You're the Kind of Trouble" |
| Animal Kingdom | "That's the Truth" |
| Country Music | "Born to Run" |
| Film | Song |
|---|---|
| Baja Oklahoma | "In My Dreams" |
| Thelma and Louise | "I Don't Want to Love You (But I Do)" |
| The Lost Boys | "Crazy Old Soldier" |
| A Star Is Born | "Diggin’ My Grave" |
| Wild Rose | "Born to Run" |
| Song | Recorded by | Year | Achieved | Co-written |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Have Mercy" | The Judds | 1985 | No 1 | |
| "Cry Myself to Sleep" | The Judds | 1986 | No 1 | |
| "Young Love (Strong Love)" | The Judds | 1989 | No 1 | * |
| "Let Me Tell You About Love" | The Judds | 1989 | No 1 | * |
| "Give a Little Love" | The Judds | 1988 | No 2 | |
| "Born to Run" | Emmylou Harris | 1982 | No 3 | |
| "Walking Shoes" | Tanya Tucker | 1990 | No 3 | |
| "In My Dreams" | Emmylou Harris | 1984 | No 4 | |
| "Blue Side of Town" | Patty Loveless | 1989 | No 4 | * |
| "Chains of Gold" | Sweethearts of the Rodeo | 1987 | No 5 | |
| "Tempted" | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 5 | * |
| "One Hundred and Two" | The Judds | 1991 | No 6 | * |
| "Tell Me True" | Juice Newton | 1988 | No 8 | * |
| "Hillbilly Rock" | Marty Stuart | 1990 | No 8 | |
| "Heartbreak Hill" | Emmylou Harris | 1989 | No 8 | * |
| "Little Things" | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 8 | * |
| "One Man Woman" | The Judds | 1990 | No 8 | |
| "Till I Found You" | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 12 | * |
| "White Line" | Emmylou Harris | 1985 | No 13 | * |
| "Heaven Only Knows" | Emmylou Harris | 1989 | No 14 | |
| "Western Girls" | Marty Stuart | 1990 | No 20 | * |
| "Heart Trouble" | Martina McBride | 1993 | No 21 |
NOTE ( 18 of the above songs received BMI Awards, 15 of which were 1 million plays, 4 were 2 million plays and 1 was a 3 million play award )
| Year | Song | Artist | Album | Co-written with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | "Southern Boys" | Matchbox | Midnight Dynamos | |
| 1981 | "Born to Run" | Emmylou Harris | Cimarron | |
| 1982 | "Gonna Write a Letter" | Waylon Jennings | Black on Black | |
| 1983 | "Feel So Right" | Dave Edmunds | Information | |
| 1983 | "The Watch on My Wrist" | Dave Edmunds | Information | |
| 1983 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | The Kendalls | Movin Train | |
| 1983 | "That's the Truth" | Johnny Cash | Johnny 99 | |
| 1983 | "Brand New Dance" | Johnny Cash & June Carter | Johnny 99 | |
| 1983 | "Let It Roll" | Charlie Daniels | A Decade of Hits | |
| 1983 | "Crazy Old Soldier" | David Allan Coe | Hello in There | Troy Seals |
| 1983 | "In My Dreams" | Emmylou Harris | White Shoes | |
| 1984 | "The First in Line" | The Everly Brothers | EB 84 | |
| 1984 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | Glen Campbell | Letter to Home | |
| 1984 | "Where Would I Be (Without You)" | Waylon Jennings | Never Could Toe the Mark | |
| 1984 | "Rock and Roll Shoes" | Ray Charles | Friendship | Graham Lyle |
| 1984 | "Crazy Old Soldier" | Ray Charles | Friendship | Troy Seals |
| 1984 | "Nothing Can Hurt Me Now" | Gail Davies | Where Is a Woman to Go | Bob McDill |
| 1984 | "Take That Woman Away" | John Anderson | Eye of a Hurricane | |
| 1984 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | Don Williams | Cafe Carolina | |
| 1985 | "I've Got Me a Woman" | John Anderson | Tokyo, Oklahoma | |
| 1985 | "Have Mercy" | The Judds | Rockin' with the Rhythm | |
| 1985 | "Cry Myself to Sleep" | The Judds | Rockin' with the Rhythm | |
| 1985 | "Feels So Right" | Brenda Lee | Feels So Right | |
| 1985 | "I'll Be Faithful" | Marie Osmond | There's No Stopping Your Heart | |
| 1985 | "Welfare Line" | Willie Nelson | Highway Man | |
| 1985 | "You Make It Feel So Right" | Steve Wariner | Greatest Hits | |
| 1986 | "Chains of Gold" | Sweethearts of the Rodeo | Sweethearts of the Rodeo | |
| 1986 | "Looking for Suzanne" | Waylon Jennings | Sweet Mother of Texas | |
| 1986 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | Don Williams | Lovers and Best Friends | |
| 1986 | "Sweetheart of the Pines" | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Emmylou Harris |
| 1986 | "When I Was Yours" | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Emmylou Harris |
| 1986 | "I Had My Heart Set on You" | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Rodney Crowell |
| 1986 | "I've Got Me a Woman" | Waylon Jennings | Will the Wolf Survive | |
| 1986 | "We Remember the King" | Class of '55 | Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming | |
| 1987 | "When He Calls" | Emmylou Harris | Angel Band | |
| 1987 | "Lying in Her Arms" | John Anderson | Blue Skies Again | John Anderson |
| 1987 | "Let It Shine on Me" | Nanci Griffith | Lone Star State of Mind | |
| 1987 | "Blue Side of Town" | Rosie Flores | Rosie Flores | Hank DeVito |
| 1987 | "Woman Walk the Line" | Highway 101 | Highway 101 | Emmylou Harris |
| 1987 | "Tell Me True" | Juice Newton | Brent Maher | |
| 1988 | "Blue Side of Town" | Patty Loveless | Honky Tonk Angel | Hank DeVito |
| 1988 | "Give a Little Love" | The Judds | Greatest Hits | |
| 1988 | "Heaven Only Knows" | Emmylou Harris | Bluebird | |
| 1988 | "Heartbreak Hill" | Emmylou Harris | Bluebird | Emmylou Harris |
| 1989 | "Away from You" | Jason & the Scorchers | Thunder and Fire | Jason Ringenberg |
| 1989 | "One Man Woman" | The Judds | River of Time | |
| 1989 | "Young Love" | The Judds | River of Time | Kent Robbins |
| 1989 | "Let Me Tell You About Love" | The Judds | River of Time | Carl Perkins and Brent Maher |
| 1989 | "When I Get My Rewards" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Levon Helm | Will the Circle be Unbroken: Volume 2 | |
| 1989 | "Mary Danced with Soldiers" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Emmylou Harris | Will the Circle be Unbroken: Volume 2 | |
| 1989 | "The Tears That I Cry" | John Anderson | Too Tough to Tame | John Anderson |
| 1989 | "Hillbilly Rock" | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | |
| 1989 | "Western Girls" | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart |
| 1989 | "Easy to Love, Hard to Hold" | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart |
| 1990 | "Poor Boy Blues" | Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler | Neck and Neck | |
| 1990 | "Sweet Dreams of You" | Emmylou Harris | Brand New Dance | John David |
| 1990 | "Brand New Dance" | Emmylou Harris | Brand New Dance | |
| 1990 | "Walking Shoes" | Tanya Tucker | Tennessee Woman | |
| 1990 | "I Don't Want to Love You, (But I Do)" | Kelly Willis | Well Travelled Love | |
| 1990 | "Looking for Someone Like You" | Kelly Willis | Well Travelled Love | Kevin Welch |
| 1990 | "One Hundred and Two" | The Judds | Wynonna Judd & Don Potter | |
| 1990 | "Blue Memories" | Patty Loveless | On Down the Line | Karen Brooks |
| 1990 | "I've Got to Stop Loving You (And Start Living Again)" | Patty Loveless | On Down the Line | |
| 1990 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | Marie Osmond | The Best of Marie Osmond | |
| 1991 | "Trail of Tears" | Tanya Tucker | What Do I Do with Me | |
| 1991 | "Till I Found You" | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Hank DeVito |
| 1991 | "Tempted" | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Marty Stuart |
| 1991 | "Little Things" | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | "Woman Walk the Line" | Trisha Yearwood | Hearts in Arm | Emmylou Harris |
| 1992 | "Live with Jesus" | Wynonna Judd | Wynonna | |
| 1992 | "Danger Ahead" | Tanya Tucker | Can't Run from Yourself | |
| 1992 | "Down Home" | Marty Stuart | This One's Gonna Hurt You | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | "Hey Baby" | Marty Stuart | This One's Gonna Hurt You | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | "Letter of Love" | Jason Ringenberg | One Foot in the Honky Tonk | |
| 1992 | "Feels So Right" | Jason Ringenberg | One Foot in the Honky Tonk | |
| 1992 | "The Blue Side of Town" | The Del McCoury Band | Blue Side of Town | Hank DeVito |
| 1993 | "World Without You" | Kelly Willis | Kelly Willis | Kelly Willis |
| 1993 | "Sugar Babe" | Billy Burnette | Coming Home | Billy Burnette |
| 1993 | "Heart Trouble" | Martina McBride | The Way That I Am | |
| 1994 | "One More Chance" | Barry Tashian & Holly Tashian | Straw into Gold | Barry Tashian |
| 1995 | "Love Match" | Paul Kennerley | Misery with a Beat | |
| 1995 | "Heart Full of Rain" | Paul Kennerley | Misery with a Beat | |
| 1995 | "Tryin' to Get Over You" | Paul Kennerley | Misery with a Beat | |
| 1995 | "She Was Mine" | Paul Kennerley | Misery with a Beat | |
| 1995 | "The Heartbreak Kind" | Paul Kennerley | Misery with a Beat | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | "Draggin' My Heart Around" | Travis Tritt | The Restless Kind | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | "Double Trouble" | Travis Tritt | The Restless Kind | Marty Stuart & Travis Tritt |
| 1996 | "Country Girls" | Marty Stuart | Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | "Rocket Ship" | Marty Stuart | Honky Tonkin's What I Do Best | Marty Stuart |
| 1998 | "Heartbreak Kind" | Linda Ronstadt | We Ran | Marty Stuart |
| 1998 | "Born to Run" | Emmylou Harris | Spyboy | |
| 1999 | "He Was Mine" | Linda Ronstadt & Emmylou Harris | Western Wall: The Tucson Sessions | |
| 1999 | "Love Match" | Buddy Miller | Cruel Moon | |
| 2000 | "When I Get My Rewards" | The Waco Brothers | Electric Waco Chair | |
| 2001 | "Rodeo or Mexico" | Garth Brooks | Scarecrow | Bryan Kennedy & Garth Brooks |
| 2002 | "I'll Be Faithful to You" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band with Emmylou Harris | Will the Circle Be Unbroken | |
| 2003 | "Draggin' My Heart Around" | Patty Loveless | On Your Way Home | Marty Stuart |
| 2003 | "Heartbreak Hill" | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | Emmylou Harris |
| 2003 | "Heaven Only Knows" | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | "Born to Run" | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | "In My Dreams" | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | "Jupiter Rising" | Emmylou Harris | Stumble into Gracee | |
| 2003 | "Heart Trouble" | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | |
| 2003 | "It Happens Every Time" | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | Joe Brown |
| 2003 | "Lonely for You" | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | Marty Stuart |
| 2003 | "If You Want Me Around" | Marty Stuart | Country Music | Marty Stuart |
| 2005 | "When I Get My Just Rewards" | Rick Danko | Cryin' Heart Blues | |
| 2005 | "Young Love" | Wynonna Judd | Her Story | Kent Robbins |
| 2005 | "Let Me Tell You About Love" | Wynonna Judd | Her Story | Carl Perkins and Brent Maher |
| 2006 | "Honey, Where's the Money Gone?" | Kenny Rogers | Water and Bridges | Barry Tashian |
| 2006 | "Honey, Where's the Money Gone?" | Solomon Burke | Nashville | Barry Tashian |
| 2006 | "You're the Kind of Trouble" | Solomon Burke | Nashville | Shannon & Adam Wright |
| 2008 | "Got Me a Woman" | Levon Helm | Dirt Farmer | |
| 2008 | "A Train Robbery" | Levon Helm | Dirt Farmer | |
| 2008 | "The Wishing Well" | Joe Brown | More of the Truth | Shawn Camp |
| 2008 | "No Cadillac" | Joe Brown | More of the Truth | |
| 2009 | "Diamond in My Crown" | Patty Loveless | Mountain Soul II | Emmylou Harris |
| 2009 | "Live with Jesus" | The Oak Ridge Boys | A Gospel Journey | |
| 2010 | "Fallin' for You" | Dierks Bentley | Up on the Ridge | Shawn Camp |
| 2010 | "You're the Kind of Trouble" | The Holmes Brothers | Feed My Soul | Shannon & Adam Wright |
| 2011 | "A Train Robbery" | Levon Helm | Ramble at the Ryman | |
| 2014 | "When I Get My Rewards" | Harry Dean Stanton | Partly Fiction | |
| 2014 | "Rock and Roll Shoes" | Johnny Cash | Out Among the Stars | Graham Lyle |
| 2014 | "Lonely for You" | Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis | Our Year | Kelly Willis |
| 2016 | "Born to Run" | Lee Ann Womack | The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris | |
| 2018 | "Diggin' My Grave" | Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper | A Star Is Born | |
| 2019 | "Born to Run" | Jessie Buckley | Wild Rose | |
| 2021 | "Born to Run" | Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers | Ramble in Music City | |
| 2022 | "Night After Night" | Daniel Tashian | Night After Night | Daniel Tashian and eight others |
| 2023 | "Cry Myself to Sleep" | Wynonna and Trisha Yearwood | A Tribute to the Judds | |
| 2023 | "Have Mercy" | LeAnn Rimes | A Tribute to the Judds | |
| 2023 | "Young Love (Strong Love)" | Ella Langley & Jamey Johnson | A Tribute to the Judds | Kent Robbins |
| 2023 | "Let Me Tell You About Love" | Carl Perkins & Raul Malo | A Tribute to the Judds | Carl Perkins and Brent Maher |
| 2024 | "Time on My Hands" | Ringo Starr | Look Up | Daniel Tashian and T-Bone Burnett |
| 2025 | "Night After Night" | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Night After Night (EP) | Daniel Tashian |
* Class of 55 (Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash))
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
