2014-04-22
There aren't enough boogie-woogie piano players out there. The world needs more performers like Kenny 'Blues Boss' Wayne. Sit him down in front of a piano (or Rhodes, or Hammond organ), let his left hand go to work, and you're in heaven. He sings, too. His singing voice is passable, and when he's in a boogie-woogie mood his lyrics make the joint rock. He slogs a bit in the few tracks where he lets the guitarist take over and relies on his voice to carry the song, and when he relies on silly animal-noise sound effects, like in #2. Kenny Wayne was born in 1944 in Spokane, Washington, and followed his family as they moved to San Francisco, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and Compton, California. Now he makes his home in British Columbia, Canada where he records and performs and wins awards such as Canada's Juno.
--Gerald Etkind
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