Kenny Price
Encyclopedia
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 #7 on that chart.
and 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.
Standing six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds for most of his professional career, he was nicknamed "The Round Mound of Sound". Many of his comedic songs made reference to his size—"The Heavyweight" is an obvious example. In later years Price became significantly thinner and lampooned himself in the song "The Boone County Weight Watchers of America".
In 1976 Price relocated to Nashville and became a regular on the television variety show Hee Haw
. (He remained with the show until his death). He served as the bass vocalist for the beloved Hee Haw Gospel Quartet, which included Grandpa Jones
, Buck Owens
, and Roy Clark
. Price and fellow Hee Haw cast member Lulu Roman
got their own short-lived spin-off series called Hee Haw Honeys, which ran from 1978-79. Price and Roman guest starred on two episodes of The Love Boat
. He later had a small role in the film Cold Justice, which was released after his death.
His wife, Donna Price, wrote a few memorable tunes for him, including the hit "Let's Truck Together". In the mid-1980s, Kenny and Donna starred in The Nashville Network (now Spike) travelogue series called Wish You Were Here, where they traveled across the United States in a RV and visited places of interest.
Price died of heart failure in 1987, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
in Erlanger, Kentucky
.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on the Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
charts between 1966 and 1980. His highest-peaking singles, "Walking on New Grass" and "Happy Tracks," both reached #7 on that chart.
Biography
Price was born in Florence, KentuckyFlorence, Kentucky
Florence is a city in Boone County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 29,951 at the 2010 census.-History:The Florence area was originally known as Crossroads, because of the convergence of several roads from Burlington and Union at Ridge Road...
and raised on a farm in Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County, Kentucky
Boone County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. It was formed in 1798. The population was 118,811 in the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Burlington. The county is named for frontiersman Daniel Boone...
. He learned to play guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
when he was five years old. At age 14, he started playing live music for WZIP in Covington, Kentucky
Covington, Kentucky
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 43,370 people, 18,257 households, and 10,132 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,301.3 people per square mile . There were 20,448 housing units at an average density of 1,556.5 per square mile...
. From 1952 until 1954, Price served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, reaching the rank of corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
. While stationed in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, 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
Midwestern Hayride
Midwestern Hayride, sometimes known as Midwest Hayride, was an American country music show originating in the 1930s from WLW-AM and later from WLWT-TV in Cincinnati, Ohio. During the 1950s it was carried nationally by NBC and then ABC television...
on WLWT
WLWT
WLWT, virtual channel 5 , is an NBC-affiliated television station in Cincinnati, Ohio, the station is owned by Hearst Television...
, 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
RCA
RCA Corporation, founded as the Radio Corporation of America, was an American electronics company in existence from 1919 to 1986. The RCA trademark is currently owned by the French conglomerate Technicolor SA through RCA Trademark Management S.A., a company owned by Technicolor...
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.
Standing six feet tall and weighing nearly 300 pounds for most of his professional career, he was nicknamed "The Round Mound of Sound". Many of his comedic songs made reference to his size—"The Heavyweight" is an obvious example. In later years Price became significantly thinner and lampooned himself in the song "The Boone County Weight Watchers of America".
In 1976 Price relocated to Nashville and became a regular on the television variety show Hee Haw
Hee Haw
Hee Haw is an American television variety show featuring country music and humor with fictional rural Kornfield Kounty as a backdrop. It aired on CBS-TV from 1969–1971 before a 20-year run in local syndication. The show was inspired by Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the major difference being...
. (He remained with the show until his death). He served as the bass vocalist for the beloved Hee Haw Gospel Quartet, which included Grandpa Jones
Grandpa Jones
Louis Marshall Jones , known professionally as Grandpa Jones, was an American banjo player and "old time" country and gospel music singer...
, Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
, and Roy Clark
Roy Clark
Roy Linwood Clark is an American country music musician and performer. He is best known for hosting Hee Haw, a nationally televised country variety show, from 1969–1992. Clark has been an important and influential figure in country music, both as a performer and helping to popularize the genre...
. Price and fellow Hee Haw cast member Lulu Roman
Lulu Roman
Lulu Roman is a former telephone operator and go-go dancer turned comedian and singer. She is probably best known as a regular on the comedy-music television series Hee Haw....
got their own short-lived spin-off series called Hee Haw Honeys, which ran from 1978-79. Price and Roman guest starred on two episodes of The Love Boat
The Love Boat
The Love Boat is an American television series set on a cruise ship, which aired on the ABC Television Network from September 24,1977, until May 24,1986.The show starred Gavin MacLeod as the ship's captain...
. He later had a small role in the film Cold Justice, which was released after his death.
His wife, Donna Price, wrote a few memorable tunes for him, including the hit "Let's Truck Together". In the mid-1980s, Kenny and Donna starred in The Nashville Network (now Spike) travelogue series called Wish You Were Here, where they traveled across the United States in a RV and visited places of interest.
Price died of heart failure in 1987, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, (Erlanger, Kentucky)
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Cemetery is located at 3227 Dixie Highway in Erlanger, Kentucky.-Background:In 1935, Marguerite Stetter, of Bellevue, Kentucky purchased the old Tom Cody Estate on the Dixie Highway for use as a cemetery. In January 1937, the first burial took place at Forest Lawn...
in Erlanger, Kentucky
Erlanger, Kentucky
Erlanger is a city in Kenton County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 16,676 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Erlanger is located at ....
.
Albums
| Year | Album | US Country | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | One Hit Follows Another | 36 | Boone |
| 1968 | Southern Bound | 23 | |
| 1970 | Heavyweight | — | RCA Victor |
| Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger | — | ||
| 1971 | A Red Foley Songbook | — | |
| The Sherriff of Boone County | 42 | ||
| Charlotte Fever | 39 | ||
| 1972 | Super Sideman | — | |
| You Almost Slipped My Mind | 37 | ||
| 1973 | Sea of Heartbreak | — | |
| 30 California Women | — | ||
| 1974 | Turn On Your Light and Let It Shine | — | |
| 1977 | Heavy Duty Country | — | MRC |
| 1980 | The Best of Both | — | Dimension |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1964 | "Low and Lonely" | — | — | singles only |
| 1965 | "White Silver Sands" | — | — | |
| "That's All That Matters" | — | — | One Hit Follows Another | |
| "Hunky Dory" | — | — | ||
| 1966 | "Walking On New Grass" | 7 | — | |
| 1967 | "Happy Tracks" | 7 | — | |
| "Pretty Girl, Pretty Clothes, Pretty Sad" | 26 | — | single only | |
| "Grass Won't Grow On a Busy Street" | 24 | — | Southern Bound | |
| 1968 | "My Goal for Today" | 11 | — | |
| "Going Home for the Last Time" | 31 | — | ||
| "Southern Bound" | 37 | — | ||
| "It Don't Mean a Thing to Me" | 59 | — | ||
| 1969 | "Who Do I Know in Dallas" | 64 | — | Heavyweight |
| "Atlanta Georgia Stray" | 62 | — | ||
| 1970 | "Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger" | 17 | 6 | Northeast Arkansas Mississippi County Bootlegger |
| "Biloxi" | 10 | 19 | The Sherriff of Boone County | |
| 1971 | "The Sherriff of Boone County"A | 8 | 9 | |
| "Tell Her You Love Her" | 55 | — | ||
| "Charlotte Fever" | 38 | — | Charlotte Fever | |
| 1972 | "Super Sideman" | 37 | 31 | |
| "You Almost Slipped My Mind You Almost Slipped My Mind "You Almost Slipped My Mind" is a single by American country music artist Kenny Price. It was released in March 1972 as the only single from his album of the same name. The song peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.... " |
44 | — | You Almost Slipped My Mind | |
| "Sea of Heartbreak" | 24 | 13 | Sea of Heartbreak | |
| 1973 | "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" | 53 | 63 | |
| "30 California Women" | 52 | 56 | 30 California Women | |
| "You're Wearin' Me Down" | 52 | — | single only | |
| 1974 | "Turn On Your Light (And Let It Shine)" | 29 | 40 | Turn On Your Light and Let It Shine |
| "Que Pasa" | 69 | — | ||
| "Let's Truck Together" | 42 | — | Heavy Duty Country | |
| 1975 | "Easy Look" | 67 | — | singles only |
| "Birds and Children Fly Away" | 65 | — | ||
| "I've Changed Since I've Been Unchained" | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Too Big a Price to Pay" | 60 | — | |
| 1977 | "I'd Buy You Chattanooga" | 60 | — | Heavy Duty Country |
| "Leavin'" | 74 | — | ||
| 1978 | "Afraid You'd Come Back" | 50 | — | singles only |
| "Sunshine Man" | 74 | — | ||
| "Daddy's Hands" | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "Hey There" | 67 | — | The Best of Both |
| 1980 | "Well Rounded Traveling Man" | 60 | — | |
| "She's Leavin' (And I'm Almost Gone)" | 79 | — | ||
| 1984 | "If I Just Had You" | — | — | singles only |
| "Pete Pete" | — | — |
- A"The Sherriff of Boone County" also peaked at #19 on Bubbling Under Hot 100.