Jimmy Kennedy
| Jimmy Kennedy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Kennedy |
| Born |
20 July 1902 Omagh, County Tyrone, UK |
| Died | 6 April 1984 (aged 81) Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England |
| Occupation(s) | Songwriter, lyricist |
James "Jimmy" Kennedy OBE (20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was a Northern Irish songwriter, predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "My Prayer", or co-writing with the composers Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz (a.k.a. Hugh Williams) and Nat Simon, among others. In a career spanning more than fifty years, he wrote some 2000 songs, of which over 200 became worldwide hits and about 50 are all-time popular music classics. Until the duo of Lennon and McCartney, Kennedy had more hits in the United States than any other Irish or British songwriter.
Kennedy was born near Omagh, in Northern Ireland. His father, Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, was a policeman in the Royal Irish Constabulary, which existed before the Partition of Ireland. While growing up in Coagh, Kennedy wrote several songs and poems. He was inspired by local surroundings—the view of the Ballinderry river, the local Springhill house and the plentiful chestnut trees on his family's property, as evidenced in his poem chestnut trees. Kennedy later moved to Portstewart, a seaside resort.
Kennedy graduated from Trinity College, Dublin, before teaching in England. He was accepted into the Colonial Service, as a civil servant, in 1927.
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