Kenny Roberts Born:  October 14, 1927 WCOP Hayloft Jamboree WOWO Hoosier Hop

Kenny Roberts career took a road that we will find as we go along here. He was born in Lenox City, Tennessee. In mid-1949, Kenny signed a recording contract with Coral Records, a division of the Decca record label. His first release was an immediate smash, a tune called "I Never See Maggie Alone". The song was actually written in published back in 1926 and Kenny did a modern rendition of it that obviously got the listeners attention. And he followed that hit recording up with tunes such as "River of Tears", "I've Got The Blues", "Yodel Polka" and "Hillbilly Style". He started in music at an early age. When he was just eleven years old, he organized a band that was made up entirely of young harmonica players. Around that time, he started to take up guitar playing. Later on, he learned the bass fiddle and violin, too. From Tennessee, his childhood took him to the New England area where we have few details. But, when he was just 16, he broke in to the radio business. About a year later, he left home to work in a lumber mill and then moving to a New Hampshire radio station. No sooner had he gotten there did he win out over 38 other contestants for the title of "Easter States Yodeling Champion". And yodeling would become one of his trademarks. Kenny was not only a good singer, who made good records, but he was a good entertainer when he got in front of the audiences. He was booked at shows at such venues as the amusement parks in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Pennsylvania, the New England area, Illinois, Missouri and many southern states. And from those appearances, he would get many return engagements. He not only yodeled but was a bit of a jumper while doing his tunes, too. He was quite a hit with the younger kids with his yodeling, jumping cowboy tunes. By 1953, he had returned to the Cincinnati area, and had a television show that was on from 5:00 to 5:45pm over WKRC-TV, but the show originated from WHIO-TV in Dayton. He first caught media attention when he was at WLW-T. As time went by after he left WLW-T, he kept on going and improving as time went by. Folks who turned in to Arthur Godfrey's CBS network programs would be able to hear that talent for themselves. He was known as an 'exceedingly wholesome chap both on and off tv" and had an easy going nature with children, perhaps as a result of being a father to his three young sons back then. The new Cincinnati show he was doing over WKRC had a mixture of entertainment. There was a hayseed comedian, 'a singing, instrumental trio of clean-cut lads in cowboy outfits', and a puppet named "Windy", who was a lovable character that wore a Mexican sombrero. Now they say that "Windy" was known to tell a little fib now and again. But it seems everytime he did that, his nose would give him away as it would "balloon" in size. Kenny would keep a tab on Windy's fibs and if it got to be about ten fibs, why, wouldn't you think the nose would 'balloon' to such a size it would explode? Kenny's career saw him make stops at such places as the Hoosier Hop that was out of Fort Wayne, Indiana as well the WCOP Hayloft Jamboree. We'll be updating this story as we go along. Credits & Sources Cowboy Songs Magazine No. 25; March 1953; American Folk Publications, Inc.; Derby, CT. Country Song Roundup No. 5; April 1950; Charlton Publishing Corp.; Derby, CT. Get The Music Ernest Tubb Record Shop

Printer Friendly Version

Recordings

Coral Rec. No. Side Song Title   60025 A The Christmas Cannonball   60025 B Christmas Roses   60932 A Hush Puppies   60932 B Sweet Little Cherokee   64012 A I Never See Maggie Alone   64012 B Wedding Bells   64015 A I've Got The Blues   64015 B River Of Tears   64021 A Jealous Heart   64021 B There's a Bluebird on Your Windowsill   64025 A The Christmas Cannon Ball   64025 B Christmas Roses   64027 A Slide Them Jugs Down The Mountain   64027 B When I'd Yoo-Hoo In The Valley   64032 A Hillbilly Fever   64032 B Choc'late Ice Cream Cone   64045 A Boogie Woogie Yodel Song   64045 B Billy and Nanny Goat   64053 A Our Lady Of Fatima   64053 B Mother Dear, O Pray For Me   64059 A Choo Choo Ch' Boogie   64059 B I Finally Got Maggie Alone   64064 A If You've Got The Money I've Got The Time   64064 B Molasses, Molasses   64070 A Cry Baby Blues   64070 B One Way Ticket   64073 A May The Good Lord Bless And Keep You   64073 B Wide Is The Gate   64078 A If You've Got The Money   64078 B When I'd Yoo Hoo In The Valley   64079 A Mickey The Chickey   64079 B Casper, The Candy Cowboy   64089 A I Believe I'm Entitled To You   64089 B Just Yodel For Me   64105 A Grandfather Kringle   64105 B He'll Be Coming Down The Chimney   64108 A The Sissy Song (w/Tommy Sosebee)   64108 B She Said (w/Tommy Sosebee)   64112 A It's Great To Be A Christian (w/Tommy Sosebee)   64112 B Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart (w/Tommy Sosebee)   64115 A F.O.B. Tennessee   64115 B Good Old Mountain Dew   64142 A Hillbilly Style   64142 B The Yodel Polka   64151 A Call Of The Wild   64151 B Love Makes A New Fool Every Day   69004 A Casper The Candy Cowboy   69004 B Mickey The Chickey   Dot Rec. No. Side Song Title   1246 A Tennessee Spelling Bee   1246 B I'm Unwanted   King Rec. No. Side Song Title   5543 A Two Steps Forward   5543 B Goodbye For Him   5773 A Choc'late Ice Cream Cone   5773 B Twenty-Four Hours With The Blues   5911 A Never See Maggie Alone   5911 B I'm Crying On The Inside   Starday Rec. No. Side Song Title   716 A Guitar Ringing   716 B Tavern Town   736 A Fly Away Mockingbird   736 B If I'm A Man   769 A Anytime   769 B Tying The Leaves   788 a Blue   788 A Sioux City Sue   788 b Sioux City Sue   805 A Just Look, Don't Touch   805 B Singing River   851 A Country Music Singing Sensation   851 B Fugitive Of Love   869 A Gonna Whistle Me A Tune   869 B Artificial Flowers   890 A The Bottle Holds The Man   890 B You Left Too Much   908 A Best Part Of My Years Wondering   908 B Green River

Artist Lists A  B  C  D  E  F  G  H  I  J  K  L  M  N  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U  V  W  X  Y  Z