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KENNY HALL 1923-2013

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Kenny Hall, legendary master of the mandolin, was blind from birth and attended the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, Ca. He first took up violin there, but preferred to play the “fiddle”. Switching to mandolin soon after, it became his instrument of choice although he also played guitar and harmonica. A lot of his favorite music was old time string band style but he also enjoyed playing tunes from other genres. During his lifetime, he amassed a repertoire of more the 1,100 songs that he could play when asked, and without rehearsal. Many of these he learned from old one-sided 78 records. Others were learned from musicians with whom he played. Kenny loved to share his music as a mentor, teacher, and jam-master, as well as a member of various bands throughout his life. He knew how the songs should be played. “Kenny Hall's Music Book” published by Mel Bay Publications is available on line.

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