Kenny Price
| Kenny Price | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | James Kenneth Price |
| Born | May 27, 1931 |
| Origin | Florence, Kentucky |
| Died | August 4, 1987 (aged 56) |
| Genres | Country |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1964–1984 |
| Labels | Boone, RCA Victor, MRC, Dimension |
James Kenneth "Kenny" Price (May 27, 1931 – August 4, 1987) was a singer, songwriter, and actor. Nicknamed the "Round Mound of Sound," Price recorded for the Boone and RCA Victor, MRC and Dimension record labels, charting thirty-four singles on the Hot Country Songs charts between 1966 and 1980. His highest-peaking singles, "Walking on New Grass" and "Happy Tracks," both reached No. 7 on that chart.
Price was born in Florence, Kentucky, and was raised on a farm in Boone County, Kentucky. He learned to play guitar when he was five years old. At age 14, he started playing live music for WZIP in Covington, Kentucky. From 1952 until 1954, Price served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, reaching the rank of corporal. While stationed in Korea, he auditioned for a USO show, and before being discharged, he had decided to become a professional musician. He studied for a brief time at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and became a musician on Midwestern Hayride on WLWT, eventually taking over as the show's host until it went off the air in the early 1970s.
He first recorded for Boone Records, then moved on to RCA in 1969, where he stayed until 1976. For most of his career, Price worked with Ray Pennington, whose style complemented his own. Price had 34 singles chart in his career, including "Walking on the New Grass" (a top 10 hit in 1966), "Happy Tracks", "Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger" (a top 20 hit in 1969), and "The Sheriff of Boone County" (a pop crossover that hit the top 10). His novelty number "(This Is) The Shortest Song in the World", written with record producer Ronny Light, enjoyed some airplay after its release on album in 1970.
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