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The Kennedys | |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Pete and Maura Kennedy |
| Origin | New York, US |
| Genres | Folk-pop |
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| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels |
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| Members | Pete Kennedy Maura Kennedy |
| Website | kennedysmusic |
The Kennedys are an American folk-rock band, consisting of husband and wife Pete and Maura Kennedy. They are recognized for their harmonies and instrumental prowess, blending elements of country music, bluegrass, Western swing and janglepop.
Pete and Maura Kennedy met in Austin, Texas in 1992, when Pete was playing in Nanci Griffith's band. For their first date, they each drove 500 miles to meet at Buddy Holly's grave in Lubbock, Texas. [1]
In June of 1993, Maura Kennedy (née Boudreau) joined Griffith's band as a harmony singer, and Maura and Pete began their career as a duo when they opened for Griffith during her UK and Ireland tour. [2]
Pete is from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.; Maura grew up in Syracuse, New York. They lived for many years in the East Village in New York City, and in 2006 they joined other folk musicians living in Northampton, Massachusetts. They then returned to the East Village in 2008. {They currently reside in Tarrytown, NY. [3]
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and after losing concert engagements in 2020, the Kennedys started a weekly, all-request livestreaming show, beginning on Sunday, March 15, 2020, and running every Sunday. After the first several shows, they began including specialty shows, paying tribute to some of their favorite musical influences such as Bob Dylan, Buddy Holly, The Everly Brothers, John Lennon, Nanci Griffith, Patsy Cline, The Byrds, and a four-part Beatles mini-series.[ citation needed ] In addition, they have presented hours dedicated to specific genres, including the Summer of Love, a Beach Party, California Country Rock, British Invasion, and a Motown special. [4]
Their first album, River of Fallen Stars, was released under the name "Pete and Maura Kennedy"; they released all subsequent albums as "The Kennedys".
Their 1998 album Angel Fire featured many songs with literary references, such as "A Letter To Emily" and "Just Like Henry David".[ original research? ]
When performing live, Pete plays the acoustic and electric guitar, electric sitar, bass, mandolin, and ukulele, while Maura plays acoustic and electric guitars and ukulele.[ citation needed ]
They have performed in clubs and theatres throughout the United States, on a cruise, and at Bill Clinton's first and second inaugurations.[ citation needed ]
The Kennedys were awarded the Kate Wolf Memorial Award by the World Folk Music Association in 2001. [5]
In late 2006, [6] Pete and Maura joined with Chris and Meredith Thompson to form The Strangelings, a folk-rock band prominently featuring Pete's electric sitar. Their first performance was on January 12, 2007. The music includes songs by both the Kennedys and the Thompsons in addition to traditional songs and covers. The full lineup of The Strangelings includes Pete, Maura, Chris Thompson, Eric Lee on fiddle, Cheryl Prashker on percussion, and Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall, also known as Hungrytown.
Some of the Kennedys's influences include Nanci Griffith, Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan, Dave Carter,[ citation needed ] and Buddy Holly. [2] They have toured with Griffith several times, and covered songs by Thompson, Dylan, and Carter.
 | This section may contain an excessive amount of intricate detail that may interest only a particular audience.(August 2021) |
James Roger McGuinn is an American musician, best known for being the frontman and leader of the Byrds. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for his work with the Byrds. As a solo artist he has released 10 albums and collaborated with, among others, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Chris Hillman. The 12-string Rickenbacker guitar is his signature instrument.
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Nanci Caroline Griffith was an American singer, guitarist, and songwriter. She often appeared on the PBS music program Austin City Limits starting in 1985. In 1994 she won a Grammy Award for the album Other Voices, Other Rooms.
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Other Voices, Other Rooms is the tenth studio album by American singer Nanci Griffith. It was released on March 2, 1993, by Elektra Records. Her first since leaving MCA Records, it consisted entirely of cover songs, in tribute to songwriters who influenced her own songwriting. Guest artists who appear in their own compositions included Frank Christian playing guitar on "Three Flights Up", Bob Dylan playing harmonica on "Boots of Spanish Leather", and John Prine lending harmony vocals on "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness". The album was titled after the Truman Capote novel of the same name.
The Last of the True Believers is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith, released in 1986 by Philo Records. The acclaim accorded her from her previous album, Once in a Very Blue Moon, and this album earned her a contract with a major recording company. Here, Griffith continued her turn toward a more country-oriented work than her first two albums, which were primarily folk-sounding. It also includes two songs which were later hits for Kathy Mattea, "Love at the Five and Dime" from Walk the Way the Wind Blows (1986) and "Goin' Gone", her first number one, from Untasted Honey (1987).
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The Strangelings resulted from the union of The Kennedys and Chris & Meredith Thompson. They perform a mixture of Kennedys and Thompsons songs along with traditional music and covers. All the songs of each set are performed as a suite with no breaks. In contrast to the naturalistic style of the Kennedys and the Thompsons, the Strangelings affect a stage persona. They have performed in New England, and also appeared at the 2007 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. At the festival, 18-year-old fiddler Eric Lee sat in with the band at two campsite performances, then two days later debuted as the band's newest member headlining the main stage.
Intersection is the 20th and final album by singer-songwriter Nanci Griffith. It was released on 20 February 2012 on Proper Records/Hell No label. The album was recorded in her own home studio in Nashville and includes 12 tracks including five covers. This was Griffith’s last studio album before her retirement from the music business in 2013 and her death in 2021.
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