Kenny Malone

Kenny Malone (August 4, 1938 – August 26, 2021)^[1] was an American drummer and percussionist.

Life and career

Malone was born in Denver, Colorado. From the 1970s onwards, he was a prominent session musician in folk, country and many other acoustic-based genres.^[2] He was known for inventing his own style of hand drumming.^[3]

Throughout his career, Malone was asked to record for artists such as Carl Perkins, Ray Charles, George Jones, Janie Fricke, Johnny Cash, Don Williams, Dobie Gray, Donna Fargo, David Allen Coe, Merle Haggard, The Whites, Crystal Gayle, Charley Pride, Moe Bandy, Floyd Cramer, Dr. Hook, Barbara Mandrell, Johnny Paycheck, Kenny Rogers, Michael Johnson, Dottie West, Lynn Anderson, John Hartford, New Grass Revival, Béla Fleck, Barefoot Jerry, B.J. Thomas, Bobby Bare, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs, J. J. Cale, John Anderson, Dolly Parton, and Lacy J. Dalton.^[4] He provided percussion on the hits "Jolene" by Dolly Parton in 1973, and "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gayle in 1977.

He died from COVID-19 on August 26, 2021, at age 83, during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tennessee.^[5]

References

1. "Kenny Malone, drummer on Dolly, Dobie Gray hits, dies". The Independent. 26 August 2021. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
2. Chadbourne, Eugene, "Biography: Kenny Malone, Allmusic (accessed 11-16-2008)
3. Artimisi, Tony (2015). Rhythm Makers: The Drumming Legends of Nashville in Their Own Words. New York, NY: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 62. ISBN 9781442240117.
4. Flans, Robyn (July 1985). "Kenny Malone's Quest for Knowledge". Modern Drummer – via moderndrummer.com/archive/.
5. Friskics-Warren, Bill (August 30, 2021). "Kenny Malone, Premier Drummer for Top Nashville Names, Dies at 83". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2021.

External links

• Kenny Malone discography at Discogs