Charles Kenny
Birth nameCharles Francis Kenny
Born(1898-06-23)June 23, 1898
Astoria, New York, United States
Died(1992-01-20)January 20, 1992
Eatontown, New Jersey, United States
Occupation(s)Composer, author, violinist

Charles Francis Kenny (June 23, 1898 – January 20, 1992) was an American composer, lyricist, author, and violinist.

He was born in Astoria, New York.

His hit songs include "There's a Gold Mine in the Sky", "Love Letters in the Sand", "Laughing at Life", and "Because It's Your Birthday Today", all of which were written with his poet brother Nick Kenny. Nick and Charles together were a partnership that were credited on many song lyrics even though Nick alone contributed the lyrics.

In the 1920s, Kenny wrote music for Cecyl Grimes' Children's Playhouse and for radio scripts on WHN.[1] He helped produce his brother's show Nick Kenny Children's Show on WMCA, Arthur Anderson was one performer. The Kenny brothers would financially exploit the child talent, making them perform at gigs around New York City.[2]

He would later become a radio/TV editor at the New York Daily Mirror, where his brother was a columnist.

He lived in Easton, CT. He was married to actress Joy Hathaway, and they had four children, Charles Francis Jr, John, Kevin, and ZoAnne. ZoAnne died of pneumonia in infancy, and Joy Hathaway died also of pneumonia hours after ZoAnne's burial.[3] In 1958 he married Anna Susannah Mahometa.[4] He died in Eatontown, New Jersey.

Selected compositions

Songs

Other

External links

Wikisource has original works by or about:
Charles Kenny

References

  1. ^ a b c Anderson, Arthur (2010-02-03). An Actor's Odyssey: From Orson Welles to Lucky the Leprechaun. BearManor Media. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-59393-522-1.
  2. ^ Daniels, William (2017). There I Go Again: How I Came to Be Mr. Feeny, John Adams, Dr. Craig, KITT, and Many Others. Lincoln, NE: U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-61234-902-2.
  3. ^ "Joy Kenny, 41, TV Actress, Dies". The Bridgeport Telegram. Nov 5, 1954. p. 83.
  4. ^ "Couple Wed in Easton Church Yesterday Morning". The Bridgeport Post. July 20, 1958. p. 19.
  5. ^ a b "Kenny Bros. Hit Boone Bonanza". The Billboard. July 29, 1957. p. 20.
  6. ^ "Sheet-Music Leaders (Week Ending February 5)" (PDF). Billboard. February 12, 1938. p. 76 – via AmericanRadioHistory.com.
  7. ^ "A Bing Crosby Discography". BING magazine. International Club Crosby. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
  8. ^ a b Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1975). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. p. 2317.
  9. ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1975). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. p. 2332.
  10. ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1975). Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. p. 2402.
  11. ^ Ginell, Cary; Coffey, Kevin (2001-06-30). Discography of Western Swing and Hot String Bands, 1928-1942. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-313-07432-5.
  12. ^ No. 5, United States Congress House Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee (1957). Television, June 27, 28, July 11, 12, 13, September 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, and 27, 1956. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 4318.((cite book)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ a b Studwell, William Emmett; Baldin, Mark (2000). The Big Band Reader: Songs Favored by Swing Era Orchestras and Other Popular Ensembles. Psychology Press. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7890-0914-2.
  14. ^ Slide, Anthony. Incorrect Entertainment. BearManor Media.
  15. ^ Institute, American Film (1999). AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States. University of California Press. p. 394. ISBN 978-0-520-21521-4.
  16. ^ Cantor, Mark (2023-04-19). The Soundies: A History and Catalog of Jukebox Film Shorts of the 1940s (in Czech). McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-4642-8.
  17. ^ Office, Library of Congress Copyright (1946). Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 1. [C] Group 3. Dramatic Composition and Motion Pictures. New Series. p. 104.
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