Larry Kenney
Encyclopedia
Larry Kenney is an American radio personality
and voice actor.
In 1963, Kenney began his radio
career at the age of 15 as a disc jockey
at WIRL in Peoria
. After WIRL, he worked at WOWO
, Ft. Wayne, Indiana; WKYC (AM, now WTAM
), Cleveland (1970–1973);WHN
, New York City
WYNY
, New York City; WJJD (now WYLL
), Chicago
; and WKHK (now WLTW
), New York City until 1972.
Kenney was part of the regular cast on the Imus in the Morning
radio show from 1973 to 2007, where he recorded impersonations
of dozens of characters, including General George Patton, Andy Rooney and Ross Perot
. Also in 1973, Kenney joined 1050 WHN
(now WEPN
), a country music station in New York City. He originally announced the afternoon drive-time, before taking over the prestigious morning drive-time in 1974. He stayed at WHN until the fall of 1979. His show was a hit, not only for the music, but also for his comical characters who "joined" him while performing his deejay
duties. He was the host of the New York edition of the television
show Bowling for Dollars
on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV
) from 1976 to 1979.
He is also known for his voice work as Lion-O on the 1980s Rankin-Bass cartoon ThunderCats
, as well as Karate Kat
, a martial arts blackbelt cat featured as part of The Comic Strip
. He was also the voice of Bluegrass in SilverHawks
. In recent years, he has reprised this role for humorous ThunderCats references on the animated series Family Guy
. Warner Bros announced that a new Thundercats animated series
is in the works, set to air in 2011 on Cartoon Network. Kenney will return to the series, but will be voicing Claudus, Lion-O's and Tygra's Father.
Kenney provided voice-overs for The State
, the 1990s
sketch comedy cult classic
which featured his daughter, Kerri Kenney.
He was also the announcer for VH1
's Best Week Ever
during its run from 2004–2009, and provides introductions for Westwood One
's radio coverage of Monday Night Football
and various other commercial work. He was the announcer for "102.7 The Beat" in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
and has provided the voices for breakfast cereal commercial characters including Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird
.
and Ashley, and son Tanner. Kerri Kenney-Silver
, the eldest, is an actress, best known for her work on the series Reno 911!
and The State
. Ashley is a musician who has been in such bands as "Came to Destroy", "The Donahue Family" and "A Tribute To The Source". Tanner did a voice in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
.
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
and voice actor.
In 1963, Kenney began his radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
career at the age of 15 as a disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
at WIRL in Peoria
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
. After WIRL, he worked at WOWO
WOWO
Located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, WOWO is an independent news/talk radio station transmitting on 1190 kHz at 50,000 watts during the daylight hours and 9,800 watts during the nighttime hours. An application is on file with the Federal Communications Commission to add a fourth tower to the three...
, Ft. Wayne, Indiana; WKYC (AM, now WTAM
WTAM
WTAM — branded Newsradio WTAM 1100 — is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts primarily a news/talk format...
), Cleveland (1970–1973);WHN
WHN
WHN was a radio station in New York City located at 1050 kHz. Its best known format was country music, which the station played from 1972 to 1987...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
WYNY
WYNY
WYNY may refer to:*WYNY , a radio station licensed to serve Milford, Pennsylvania, United States*WYNY , a defunct FM radio station...
, New York City; WJJD (now WYLL
WYLL
WYLL 1160 is a "Christian Talk & Teaching" radio station located in Chicago and owned by Salem Communications. The station runs features, preaching, and other religious programs. Ministries may also buy time for programming. WYLL additionally produces a couple hours of local call-in shows every...
), Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
; and WKHK (now WLTW
WLTW
WLTW is a radio station with an Adult Contemporary format in New York City.The station is often number one or close to it in Arbitron ratings for New York City. From 2002 to 2004, the station generated more revenue than any other radio station in the New York market...
), New York City until 1972.
Kenney was part of the regular cast on the Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning
Imus in the Morning is an American radio show hosted by Don Imus on Cumulus Media Networks , and simulcast for television on Fox Business Network....
radio show from 1973 to 2007, where he recorded impersonations
Impersonator
An impersonator is someone who imitates or copies the behavior or actions of another. There are many reasons for someone to be an impersonator, some common ones being as follows:...
of dozens of characters, including General George Patton, Andy Rooney and Ross Perot
Ross Perot
Henry Ross Perot is a U.S. businessman best known for running for President of the United States in 1992 and 1996. Perot founded Electronic Data Systems in 1962, sold the company to General Motors in 1984, and founded Perot Systems in 1988...
. Also in 1973, Kenney joined 1050 WHN
WHN
WHN was a radio station in New York City located at 1050 kHz. Its best known format was country music, which the station played from 1972 to 1987...
(now WEPN
WEPN
WEPN is a 24-hour sports talk formatted radio station in New York City featuring national and local sports talk programs and live broadcasts of sports matches. It is the New York affiliate for ESPN Radio...
), a country music station in New York City. He originally announced the afternoon drive-time, before taking over the prestigious morning drive-time in 1974. He stayed at WHN until the fall of 1979. His show was a hit, not only for the music, but also for his comical characters who "joined" him while performing his deejay
Deejay
A deejay is a reggae or dancehall musician who sings and toasts to an instrumental riddim .Deejays are not to be confused with disc jockeys from other music genres like hip-hop, where they select and play music. Dancehall/reggae DJs who select riddims to play are called selectors...
duties. He was the host of the New York edition of the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Bowling for Dollars
Bowling for Dollars
Bowling for Dollars is a television game show on which people could play the sport of bowling to win cash and sometimes prizes based on how well they bowled....
on WOR-TV (now WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV
WWOR-TV, virtual channel 9 , is the flagship station of the MyNetworkTV programming service, licensed to Secaucus, New Jersey and serving the Tri-State metropolitan area. WWOR is owned by Fox Television Stations, a division of the News Corporation, and is a sister station to Fox network flagship...
) from 1976 to 1979.
He is also known for his voice work as Lion-O on the 1980s Rankin-Bass cartoon ThunderCats
ThunderCats
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1984, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. The series follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens...
, as well as Karate Kat
Karate Kat
Karate Kat is an animated children's television series. It was developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1987. The show is about Karate Kat, a brown cat who's somehow skilled in Martial arts and uses it against crime. He is usually seen wearing a blue suit with a red tie...
, a martial arts blackbelt cat featured as part of The Comic Strip
The Comic Strip (TV series)
The Comic Strip was an American animated series which featured four rotating cartoon segments. The 30-minute series ran in first-run syndication during the 1987-1988 season and was also seen on RPN-9 in the Philippines....
. He was also the voice of Bluegrass in SilverHawks
Silverhawks
SilverHawks is an American animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation. In total, 65 episodes were made...
. In recent years, he has reprised this role for humorous ThunderCats references on the animated series Family Guy
Family Guy
Family Guy is an American animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series centers on the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their children Meg, Chris, and Stewie; and their anthropomorphic pet dog Brian...
. Warner Bros announced that a new Thundercats animated series
ThunderCats (2011 TV series)
ThunderCats is an American animated television series executive produced by Sam Register, and produced by Ethan Spaulding and Michael Jelenic and is a reboot of the original series by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. It is produced by Warner Bros. Animation with animation provided by the Japanese Studio 4°C.The...
is in the works, set to air in 2011 on Cartoon Network. Kenney will return to the series, but will be voicing Claudus, Lion-O's and Tygra's Father.
Kenney provided voice-overs for The State
The State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
, the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
sketch comedy cult classic
Cult Classic
Cult Classic is a Blue Öyster Cult studio recording released in 1994, containing remakes of many of the band's previous hits.-Track listing:# " The Reaper" - 5:05# "E.T.I...
which featured his daughter, Kerri Kenney.
He was also the announcer for VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
's Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever
Best Week Ever is a weekly television program on the United States cable/satellite network VH1. It started airing in 2004 and was put on hiatus in the summer of 2009...
during its run from 2004–2009, and provides introductions for Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
's radio coverage of Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
and various other commercial work. He was the announcer for "102.7 The Beat" in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
and has provided the voices for breakfast cereal commercial characters including Count Chocula and Sonny the Cuckoo Bird
Sonny the Cuckoo Bird
Sonny the Cuckoo Bird is the cartoon mascot for Cocoa Puffs, a General Mills-produced cereal. He often appears in its television commercials.-History:...
.
Family
He and his wife Carol Ann Jacobs Kenney have three children: daughters KerriKerri Kenney-Silver
Kerri Kenney-Silver is an American actress, comedian, singer and writer best known as a cast member on MTV's The State and for her role as Deputy Trudy Wiegel on the Comedy Central series, Reno 911!.-Early life:...
and Ashley, and son Tanner. Kerri Kenney-Silver
Kerri Kenney-Silver
Kerri Kenney-Silver is an American actress, comedian, singer and writer best known as a cast member on MTV's The State and for her role as Deputy Trudy Wiegel on the Comedy Central series, Reno 911!.-Early life:...
, the eldest, is an actress, best known for her work on the series Reno 911!
Reno 911!
Reno 911! is an American comedy television series on Comedy Central that ran from 2003 to 2009. It is a mockumentary-style parody of law enforcement documentary shows, specifically COPS, with comic actors playing the police officers. Most of the material is improvised, using a broad outline, and...
and The State
The State (TV series)
The State is a half-hour sketch-comedy television show, originally broadcast on MTV between December 17, 1993 and July 1, 1995. The show combined bizarre characters and scenarios to present sketches that won the favor of its target teenaged audience...
. Ashley is a musician who has been in such bands as "Came to Destroy", "The Donahue Family" and "A Tribute To The Source". Tanner did a voice in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV
Grand Theft Auto IV is a 2008 open world action video game published by Rockstar Games, and developed by British games developer Rockstar North. It has been released for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 video game consoles, and for the Windows operating system...
.
Interviews
- Larry Kenney e-mail interview (2000) on Thundercatslair.com
- Larry Kenney interview (2002) on Matt Blank website
- Larry Kenney audio interview with Nick Mills (2008) on Thundercatslair.com
- Larry Kenney interview (c. 2008) with Rob Shan Lone on insomniacmania.com — transcript
- "ThunderCat Has His Tongue" (2009) with Don E. Smith Jr. on Cosmic Booknews