| Kenny Hall | |
| Birth Name: | Kenneth Martin Hall |
| Birth Date: | October 14, 1923 |
| Birth Place: | San Jose, California |
| Death Place: | Fresno, California |
| Instrument: | Voice, Mandolin, Fiddle, and Guitar |
| Associated Acts: | Sweet's Mill String Band, The Long Haul String Band, The Skiffle Symphony, Evo Bluestein, Morgan Cochneuer, Sam Chatmon, Boys of the Lough, Doc Watson, Utah Phillips, Jean Ritchie, Jody Stecher, Kevin Keegan, Sue Draheim |
| Occupation: | Musician, teacher |
| Years Active: | 1929–2013 |
| Label: | Bay Records, Voyager Recordings, Philo Records |
Kenny Hall was born blind in San Jose, California on October 14, 1923. He attended the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, where he learned his first music on violin. He later worked in broom factories in both Oakland and San Jose. Over the course of his life, he learned over 1,100 tunes from fellow students at the School for the Blind, coworkers at the broom factories, 78rpm records, and artists like the Happy Hayseeds he heard on the radio. Though he played Old-time music on fiddle and mandolin, he played many tunes from Ireland, Mexico, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, and elsewhere in the world. He picked up the Italian-style bowlback mandolin in 1937 and learned from a blind Texas-born mandolin player named W.D. Sanford. His eclectic repertoire and distinctive mandolin style were influential among folk musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley.[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
Kenny Hall and Vykki Mende Gray. (1999) Kenny Hall's Music Book: Old-Time Music for Fiddle and Mandolin (Mel Bay Publications)