Kenny Roberts (musician)

Kenny Roberts (October 14, 1926 – April 29, 2012) was an American country music singer. He was born George S. Kingsbury Jr. in Lenoir City, Tennessee, but raised on a farm outside of Greenfield, Massachusetts. He is best known for his recordings of "I Never See Maggie Alone" and "Choc'late Ice Cream Cone", and was a member of The Down Homers with Bill Haley.

He started in music at the age of 11, when he organized a band consisting entirely of young harmonica players. Later, he learned to play guitar and then bass fiddle and violin. He was inspired by Yodeling Slim Clark whom he performed with in the Red River Rangers from Athol Ma., Jimmie Rodgers and other singing cowboys and was known as a blue yodeler. Roberts learned to yodel and at the age of 17, won a New Hampshire radio contest to be chosen as "Eastern States Yodeling Champion" in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in early 1945, and moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, after World War II ended. He performed on several shows on radio station KMOX in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the CBS Saturday morning show "Barnyard Frolics." then organized and led a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called the Down Homers, recording for Vogue Records.

Rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley joined the band in 1946 as a guitarist and yodeler replacing Roberts who had joined the Navy. Before departing, Roberts taught Haley some of his yodels. When Roberts returned from service, he resumed his spot with the Down Homers relieving Haley. In the early 2000s, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered and Haley is named and performs the solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel."

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