The Kendalls
Encyclopedia
The Kendalls was an American country music
duo, consisting of Royce Kendall (September 25, 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri
– May 22, 1998) and his daughter Jeannie Kendall (born October 30, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri
). Between the 1960s and 1990s, they released sixteen albums on various labels, including five on Mercury Records
. Their albums accounted for more than thirty singles on the Billboard
country singles charts, including the Number One hits "Heaven's Just a Sin Away
" (also a #69 pop hit), "Sweet Desire
" and "Thank God for the Radio
", as well as seven more Top Ten hits.
's "Leaving on a Jet Plane
" (previously a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary) was released in 1970. The Kendalls version of the song narrowly missed the top fifty on the U.S. country charts. The duo signed with Dot Records
in 1972, and released an album and two singles, "Two Divided By Love", (a cover version of The Grass Roots
' pop hit) and "Everything I Own", a cover of Bread
's 1972 hit. Eventually, the Kendalls parted with their record label, focusing on performing live for a number of years, before signing with the independent Ovation label in 1977. Their first single for the label, a cover of the Kitty Wells
hit "Making Believe
," made the Top 80 (Emmylou Harris
' version of "Making Believe" hit the U.S. country charts around the same time). It was the Kendalls' second single on Ovation, a "cheating" song called "Heaven's Just a Sin Away," that proved to be their breakthrough. The song topped the country charts and was also a minor crossover pop hit, and won the 1978 Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. Subsequent hits included "Just Like Real People," "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me," "Sweet Desire," "You'd Make an Angel Want to Cheat," and a cover of Dolly Parton
's "Put it Off Until Tomorrow." (Jeannie Kendall's powerful soprano has often been compared to Parton's.http://www.keithcase.com/profiles/xjeannie/bio.html) In 1981, after Ovation Records closed their doors, the duo signed with Mercury Records
, and continued to have hits with the "Teach Me To Cheat" and "If You're Waitin' On Me (You're Backin' Up)," which both made the country top ten. More hits followed with "Movin' Train" and "Precious Love," which made the Top 20.
, where they scored three mid-level hits. In 1987, they signed with Step One Records
, where they scored several minor hits. In 1989, they signed with Epic Records
, where their last chart single, "Blue, Blue Day" made the Top 70. They continued to tour and perform and released several CDs until 1998, when Royce Kendall died from a stroke. They were also performing in Branson, Missouri
, where they had built homes next door to each other. In the years since her father's death, Jeannie pursued a solo career, recording two solo albums, including a self-titled acoustic/bluegrass
CD on the Rounder
label that featured two songs recorded with Royce and several guest artists. These guest artists included Alan Jackson
, Ricky Skaggs
, Alison Krauss
, and Johnny Long, who had been the Kendalls' backup singer on the road. The second was "All The Girls I Am," a much harder edged pop/country CD released in 2005 on Golden. Jeannie continues to tour and perform.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
duo, consisting of Royce Kendall (September 25, 1935 in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
– May 22, 1998) and his daughter Jeannie Kendall (born October 30, 1954 in St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
). Between the 1960s and 1990s, they released sixteen albums on various labels, including five on Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
. Their albums accounted for more than thirty singles on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
country singles charts, including the Number One hits "Heaven's Just a Sin Away
Heaven's Just a Sin Away
"Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is song composed by Jerry Gillespie, which was recorded in 1977 by The Kendalls. Released in 1977, the song went to Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts...
" (also a #69 pop hit), "Sweet Desire
Sweet Desire
"Sweet Desire" is a 1978 single by The Kendalls. "Sweet Desire" was The Kendalls' fourth country hit and their second number one on the country chart. The single stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of 15 weeks on the charts. The song charted as a double-sided single with b-side...
" and "Thank God for the Radio
Thank God for the Radio
"Thank God for the Radio" is a 1984 single by The Kendalls. "Thank God for the Radio" was The Kendalls' third and last number one country hit. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart . The song was covered by Alan Jackson in 1994 for his...
", as well as seven more Top Ten hits.
Career
Formed in 1969, The Kendalls recorded an album for Stop Records, from which a single, a cover of John DenverJohn Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "Leaving on a Jet Plane
Leaving on a Jet Plane
"Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate to Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title....
" (previously a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary) was released in 1970. The Kendalls version of the song narrowly missed the top fifty on the U.S. country charts. The duo signed with Dot Records
Dot Records
Dot Records was an American record label and company that was active between 1950 and 1977. It was founded by Randy Wood. In Gallatin, Tennessee, Wood had earlier started a mail order record shop, known for its radio ads on WLAC in Nashville and its R&B air personality Bill "Hoss" Allen...
in 1972, and released an album and two singles, "Two Divided By Love", (a cover version of The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots
The Grass Roots is an American rock band that charted between 1966 and 1975 as the brainchild of songwriting duo P. F. Sloan and Steve Barri.In their career, The Grass Roots achieved two gold albums, one gold single and charted singles a total of 21 times. Among their charting singles, they...
' pop hit) and "Everything I Own", a cover of Bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
's 1972 hit. Eventually, the Kendalls parted with their record label, focusing on performing live for a number of years, before signing with the independent Ovation label in 1977. Their first single for the label, a cover of the Kitty Wells
Kitty Wells
Ellen Muriel Deason , known professionally as Kitty Wells, is an American country music singer. Her 1952 hit recording, "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels", made her the first female country singer to top the U.S. country charts, and turned her into the first female country star...
hit "Making Believe
Making Believe
Making Believe is a country music song written by Jimmy Work and best known for its chart-topping version in 1955 by Kitty Wells. The song is consistently on lists of all-time greatest country music songs and has been covered by scores of artists over the past fifty years, including Bob Dylan,...
," made the Top 80 (Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
' version of "Making Believe" hit the U.S. country charts around the same time). It was the Kendalls' second single on Ovation, a "cheating" song called "Heaven's Just a Sin Away," that proved to be their breakthrough. The song topped the country charts and was also a minor crossover pop hit, and won the 1978 Grammy for Best Country Vocal by a Duo or Group. Subsequent hits included "Just Like Real People," "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me," "Sweet Desire," "You'd Make an Angel Want to Cheat," and a cover of Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
's "Put it Off Until Tomorrow." (Jeannie Kendall's powerful soprano has often been compared to Parton's.http://www.keithcase.com/profiles/xjeannie/bio.html) In 1981, after Ovation Records closed their doors, the duo signed with Mercury Records
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...
, and continued to have hits with the "Teach Me To Cheat" and "If You're Waitin' On Me (You're Backin' Up)," which both made the country top ten. More hits followed with "Movin' Train" and "Precious Love," which made the Top 20.
Later career
Their last top ten hit, 1984's "Thank God for the Radio," was also their last Number One country hit. Their last Top 20's would come in 1984 and 1985 with "My Baby's Gone" and "I'll Dance Every Dance With You." In 1986, they signed with MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, where they scored three mid-level hits. In 1987, they signed with Step One Records
Step One Records
Step One Records was an independent American record label established in February 1984 in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded by singer-songwriter and producer Ray Pennington with Curtis Potter, the former of whom had produced for Waylon Jennings...
, where they scored several minor hits. In 1989, they signed with Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, where their last chart single, "Blue, Blue Day" made the Top 70. They continued to tour and perform and released several CDs until 1998, when Royce Kendall died from a stroke. They were also performing in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
, where they had built homes next door to each other. In the years since her father's death, Jeannie pursued a solo career, recording two solo albums, including a self-titled acoustic/bluegrass
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
CD on the Rounder
Rounder Records
Rounder Records, originally of Cambridge, Massachusetts, but now based in Burlington, Massachusetts, is a record label founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Bill Nowlin and Marian Leighton-Levy, while all three were still university students...
label that featured two songs recorded with Royce and several guest artists. These guest artists included Alan Jackson
Alan Jackson
Alan Eugene Jackson is an American country music singer, known for blending traditional honky tonk and mainstream country sounds and penning many of his own hits. He has recorded 13 studio albums, 3 Greatest Hits albums, 2 Holiday albums, 1 Gospel album and several compilations, all on the Arista...
, Ricky Skaggs
Ricky Skaggs
Rickie Lee "Ricky" Skaggs is a country and bluegrass singer, musician, producer, and composer. He primarily plays mandolin; however, he also plays fiddle, guitar, and banjo.-Early career:...
, Alison Krauss
Alison Krauss
Alison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
, and Johnny Long, who had been the Kendalls' backup singer on the road. The second was "All The Girls I Am," a much harder edged pop/country CD released in 2005 on Golden. Jeannie continues to tour and perform.
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | Certifications | Label | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country | CAN Country | US Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
CAN Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
|||
| 1971 | Meet the Kendalls | — | — | — | — | Stop |
| 1972 | Two Divided by Love | — | — | — | — | Dot |
| 1977 | Let the Music Play / Heaven's Just a Sin Away | 5 | — | Gold | Platinum | Ovation |
| 1978 | Old Fashioned Love | 16 | 6 | — | — | |
| 1979 | Just Like Real People | 12 | 1 | — | — | |
| 1980 | Heart of the Matter | 24 | — | — | — | |
| 1981 | The Best | 34 | — | — | — | |
| Lettin' You In | 42 | — | — | — | Mercury | |
| 1982 | Stickin' Together | 38 | — | — | — | |
| 1983 | Movin' Train | 16 | — | — | — | |
| 1984 | Two Heart Harmony | 27 | — | — | — | |
| 1986 | Thank God for the Radio | 59 | — | — | — | |
| Fire at First Sight | 47 | — | — | — | MCA | |
| 1987 | Break the Routine | 51 | — | — | — | Step One |
| 1989 | 20 Favorites | — | — | — | — | Epic |
| 1995 | Make a Dance | — | — | — | — | Lonesome Dove |
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... |
US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
CAN Country | |||
| 1970 | "Leaving on a Jet Plane Leaving on a Jet Plane "Leaving on a Jet Plane" is a song written by John Denver in 1966 and most famously recorded by Peter, Paul and Mary. The original title of the song was "Oh Babe I Hate to Go" but Denver's then producer, Milt Okun, convinced him to change the title.... " |
52 | — | — | Meet the Kendalls |
| "Please Tell Me Why" | — | — | — | ||
| 1971 | "Love Love Love" | — | — | — | |
| 1972 | "Two Divided by Love" | 53 | — | — | Two Divided by Love |
| "Everything I Own" | 66 | — | — | ||
| 1973 | "You and Me" | — | — | — | Singles only |
| "I Wanna Live Here in Your Love" | — | — | — | ||
| 1975 | "Love Do or Die" | — | — | — | |
| "Diesel Gypsy" | — | — | — | ||
| 1976 | "Imaginary Harmony" | — | — | — | |
| 1977 | "Making Believe Making Believe Making Believe is a country music song written by Jimmy Work and best known for its chart-topping version in 1955 by Kitty Wells. The song is consistently on lists of all-time greatest country music songs and has been covered by scores of artists over the past fifty years, including Bob Dylan,... " |
80 | — | — | Let the Music Play / Heaven's Just a Sin Away |
| "Heaven's Just a Sin Away Heaven's Just a Sin Away "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" is song composed by Jerry Gillespie, which was recorded in 1977 by The Kendalls. Released in 1977, the song went to Number One on the Billboard Hot Country Singles charts... "A |
1 | 69 | 1 | ||
| 1978 | "It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' to Me" | 2 | — | 2 | Old Fashioned Love |
| "Pittsburgh Stealers" | 6 | — | 28 | ||
| "Sweet Desire" | 1 | — | 2 | ||
| "Old Fashioned Love" | flip | — | — | ||
| 1979 | "I Had a Lovely Time" | 5 | — | 4 | Just Like Real People |
| "Just Like Real People" | 11 | — | 4 | ||
| "I Don't Do Like That No More" | 16 | — | 33 | ||
| "Never My Love" | flip | — | — | ||
| 1980 | "You'd Make an Angel Wanna Cheat" | 5 | — | 17 | Heart of the Matter |
| "I'm Already Blue" | 5 | — | 25 | ||
| "Put It Off Until Tomorrow" | 9 | — | 5 | ||
| 1981 | "Heart of the Matter" | 26 | — | 31 | |
| "Teach Me to Cheat" | 7 | — | 42 | Lettin' You In | |
| 1982 | "If You're Waiting on Me (You're Backing Up)" | 10 | — | — | |
| "Cheater's Prayer" | 30 | — | — | Stickin' Together | |
| "That's What I Get for Thinking" | 35 | — | — | ||
| 1983 | "Precious Love" | 19 | — | — | Movin' Train |
| "Movin' Train" | 20 | — | — | ||
| 1984 | "Thank God for the Radio Thank God for the Radio "Thank God for the Radio" is a 1984 single by The Kendalls. "Thank God for the Radio" was The Kendalls' third and last number one country hit. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of twelve weeks on the country chart . The song was covered by Alan Jackson in 1994 for his... " |
1 | — | 16 | |
| "My Baby's Gone" | 15 | — | 35 | ||
| 1985 | "I'd Dance Every Dance with You" | 20 | — | — | Two Heart Harmony |
| "Four Wheel Drive" | 27 | — | — | ||
| "If You Break My Heart" | 26 | — | 30 | ||
| "Two Heart Harmony" | 45 | — | — | ||
| 1986 | "Too Late" | 42 | — | 31 | Fire at First Sight |
| "Fire at First Sight" | 60 | — | — | ||
| "Little Doll" | 46 | — | 53 | ||
| 1987 | "Routine" | 54 | — | — | Break the Routine |
| "Dancin' with Myself Tonight" | 51 | — | — | ||
| "Still Pickin' Up After You" | 62 | — | — | ||
| 1988 | "Rhythm of Romance" | 57 | — | — | |
| 1989 | "Blue Blue Day" | 69 | — | — | 20 Favorites |
| 1995 | "Make a Dance" | — | — | — | Make a Dance |
- A"Heaven's Just a Sin Away" also peaked at #37 on the RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and #59 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada.
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | "Make a Dance" | Michael Killen |
External links
- [ Biography] at allmusic
- Artists Page at CMTCMT- Medicine :* California mastitis test* Certified Massage Therapist* Cervical motion tenderness, a sign of pelvic inflammatory disease* Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease* Chemically modified tetracyclines* Circus Movement Tachycardia...
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