Earl Kennett was born in 1912 in Augusta, Kansas. He attended the Kansas State Institute for the Blind and the Horner-Kansas City Conservatory of Music.

He established some reputation as a touring pianist in the 1940s, including at the Blue Note at 56 West Madison in Chicago, the Rainbow Room in Oklahoma City, and the Casablanca Supper Club at 101 May Avenue in, I believe, Oklahoma City.

On March 1, 1945 Down Beat published a review:

Jazz Concert Given in Minneapolis

From 3 to 5 Sunday afternoon, February 11, Doc Evans conducted the first in a series of jazz concerts held in station WCCO’s auditorium studio.

… on piano was Earl Kennett, a solo fixture at the Casablanca …

… Song Of The Wanderer, the final tune, developed into an all-out jam-session … Pianist Kennett drew a tremendous, spontaneous ovation from the audience with his three sensational choruses on this closing number.

In the 1960s he sometimes played with the Original Berkshireland Jazz Band in Williamstown, MA. I have not yet found any recordings with Earl prior to his own album Musical Themes of Composure: Earl Kennett’s Original Piano Improvisations of Restful Music from circa 1967.

Though blind, he received training in audio recording. A 1957 LP on ABC-Paramount, Vinnie Burke’s String Jazz Quartet credits Earl Kennett as recording engineer.

I believe his first studio was located at 115 West 49th Street, New York City. In January 1958, he moved the studio to rented space in Carnegie Hall. The May 1959 issue of Broadcast Engineering had a three page feature on Earl with detailed information about the studio construction materials made by the Johns-Manville company, with a console built by Fred C. Roberts.

Facing Earl are saw-tooth-shaped Imperial Transitone movable walls for accurate sound reflection. Next to the piano not in use is an even-finish movable wall, also for sound reflection, and a sound-absorbing perforated Transite acoustical panel. The floor is covered with quiet-under-foot Terraflex vinyl asbestos tile and the ceiling with Permacoustic, a sound-absorbing fissured acoustical tile.

In early 1964 Earl moved his studio for a brief time to Mountain View Road in Nevis, a small town near Bard College in Tivoli.

In 1965, Earl and his wife bought Sunnyside farm in Kinderhook, New York, about 20 miles southeast of Albany. Earl converted an old dairy barn on the property into a recording studio, substituting egg cartons for the pricey asbestos baffles.

The first recording from his studio I can find is the Kynds single “So If Someone Sends You Flowers Babe” / “Find Me Gone”. Pressed through RCA in September, 1966, there is no indication of where it was recorded on the labels, but drummer Jerry Porreca recalled making the single at Kennett’s studio.

On January 8, 1967, a group called Love Minus Zero did a session at the studio and sent a photo to Earl. The group came from Albany, and I may have their recordings on an unlabeled lacquer acetate. It’s difficult to make out the names of the group – but luckily I found a lineup in Al Quaglieri’s The Old Band Chronicle #4, a list of Capital District bands compiled in 1990.

Love Minus Zero were:

Gary Siegel – vocals
Eberhard Kobryn – guitar
Fred Everhart – bass
Frank Herec – drums

I believe Everhard Kobryn passed away in 2012. Later lineups added Jack Reilly on organ, replaced by Mark Rabinow. Eventually Fred Everhart was the only original member of the group, with Steve Fuld on guitar, Gary Gardner on vocals, and Stanley ? on drums.

In 1967, Kennett engineered Nick Brignola’s first LP, This Is It! on Priam P-101M. Musicians were Nick Brignola, Reese Markewich, Glen Moore and Dick Berk, A&R by William Rezey, photography by Bob Mitchell.

Another single I can confirm was recorded at Kennett is Riccardo and the 4 Most “There’s a Reason” (written and sung by Bill White) / “Bare Footin'” (featuring Ricardo Wright) Foremost Records U4KM-0937.

The Jelly Bean Bandits made their first demo at Kennett Sound Studio, never released to my knowledge. Mike Raab wrote:

The Goodtimes had done some recording there and when we decided to lay down tracks Dave Kennedy suggested Earl’s place … We really didn’t know what we wanted to do or could do. We cut two demo songs: “Poor Precious Dreams” an original song that ushered us into the psychedelic music era; and “Hard, Hard Year” a beautiful b-side from The Hollies that we managed to brutalize.

I have found an acetate of this early version of “Poor Precious Dreams”. The duration is about thirty seconds longer than the version on their Mainstream album.

In 1967 Earl Kennett began offering pressing services through Decca’s plant in Gloversville. Some releases have “Kennett” at the bottom of the labels, but all have a distinctive four-digit release number, beginning with “00”.

There were at least twenty-three 45 rpm singles and one LP released through Kennett’s studio with this numbering system. The last release I can find dates to 1973.

In addition, I know of a number of unreleased lacquer acetates by the Cleaners, the Chain Reactions, and others:

If you or someone you know recorded at Kennett, please contact me.

If you don’t see your record listed below, please listen to these unknown and unlabeled demos!

—–

Discography of Kennett Sound Studio (possibly incomplete):

Kleener Style Records 0011 – The Cleaners – “Dust” / “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me”

Sunnyside Records 0012 – Musical Themes of Composure: Earl Kennett’s Original Piano Improvisations of Restful Music (12″ album)

0013 – ?

Sunny-Side Records 0014 – Psychedelic Sound – “Sorry Baby = Goodbye” / “Stars Cease To Shine” produced by M. Rizzi. Tina was the drummer for the band, and (I believe) one of the vocalists.

Charter Records 0016 – The East Coast Clique – “Dust” / “Last Stop (Everybody’s Getting Off)”

0017 – Those Two Plus – “I’ll Be There” / “It’s Rainin’ (Where I’m Bound)” (both by Alex Rotter, arranged by “Those Two”) Kennett Sound, 1969

0018 – The Villagers ‎– “Wishes and Memories” / “Cry On” (Chuck Petit)

J.D.S. 0019 – Jim DeSorbo and the Country Casuals – “For Crying Out Loud” (Music, lyrics, vocal – Rusty Howard) / “I’ve Had All I Can Take from You” copyright ’69 BMI

The Gallery 0020 – The Gallery / Peter Dean – “Forever Sunshine” (Sal Costanzo) / “Our Man Jack” (Edward Duggan), Kennett Sound, Mlester Pub. BMI. The Gallery – label name or group?

0021 – ?

S Bar S Records 0022 – Slim Skellett & the Slim Skellett Trio – “Ghost Riders in the Sky” / “Wanderers of the Wasteland” (Brad Husson guitar, banjo; Bob Skellett bass)

S Bar S Records 0023 – Slim Skellett & the Slim Skellett Trio – “Strawberry Roan” / “Billy Richardson’s Last Ride” (Brad Husson guitar, banjo; Bob Skellett bass)

King Town 0024 – Coming Generation – “Tell Me Now” (Jim Du Bois) / “This Troubled Life” (Ed Barnhart) copyright ’69

0025 – ?
0026 – ?

Third Wave 0027 – Morning After – “I Don’t Need You Today” / “Dream” (Tate, Talbott, Kearney) Copyright 70 Dyad Music BMI, Prod. by Lance Naylor, group from Lake Latrine area

0028 – ?
0029 – ?
0030 – ?
0031 – ?
0032 – ?

Casino 0033 – The Coachmen – “Green Green Grass of Home” / “Hang Up Your Rock and Roll Shoes”
Produced by Kennett AND QUINN

Ranch Bar Records 0034 – Billy D. Hunter with the Santa Fe Riders – “I Still Belong to You” (Grace Hamilton, Billy D. Hunter) / “Will You Remember Me” (Gorden Bainbridge, Billy D. Hunter) – Waterford, NY

Drift 0035 – Denny and the Drifters – “Mountain of Love” (Harold Dorman) / “It’s Only Make Believe” (Twitty – Nance)

Ranch Bar Records OO36 – April Starr the Bluebirds and Chorus – “Lonely Heart” / “At the End of the Bar” (Del Monday) – arranged by M. Leddick’ produced by T. Carbonare, R. Hastings, B. Herold, D. Smith, and D. Oliver, from Crescent, NY.

Drift 0037 – Denny and the Drifters – “Broken Hearted Dreamer” (Ted Craver and Denny Haughney) / “Why Do I Love You” (Kenny White, Paul Desroches) produced by Kennett

Reeb 0038 – The Fownds – “Rosalin” (Sal Gambino) / “Comin On Strong” (Donald Moore) (1971)

0039 – ?
0040 – ?

Mojo 0041 – Exit 19 – “Angel of the Morning” / “To Be Alone” (written by Joe Cashara who also did lead vocal) produced by Lanse Dowdell, 1972

Quellthom 0042 – Bob Thomas – “It’s Just Not Fair” / “I’m Walkin’” / “Hello Mary Lou” (1973)

Parker 0043 – Country Express – “Trying to Quit” / “Ode to a $164 Plane Ticket” (both songs by D.B. Boucher, vocal by Frenchie La Shay) 1970

Reeb 0044 – The Founds – “Wheels” / “Remember” – vocal by Roy Jackson, both songs by Donald Moore, 1973

Ranch Bar 0045 – Jimmy DeSorbo and the Country Casual’s ‎– “Listen to the Mocking Bird” / “Let the Rest of the World Go By” (Dolly McIntyre – producer)

King Records 0046 – Tommy Gene with the Kings of Country – “Somewhere U.S.A.” (words by Carol Curtis, music by Tommy Gene) / Tommy Gene and Don Horne – “Me Too” (accompanied by Alice Horn, words by Don Horne). A-side has 1968 copyright while B-side has 1973 copyright.

——————

Any help with additional releases, photos or memories of the Kennett Sound Studio would be appreciated.

The Gallery (formerly the Gayblades) included Sal Costanzo (organ), Peter Dean (drums, vocals), Holly Gregg, John Dean, Bob Dean, and Robbie Howard, though I am not sure exactly who played on their single “Forever Sunshine”.

The Gallery info from History of Syracuse Music.

Note: there was a Kennett Sound Studios operating out of Kennett, Missouri recording mostly country music, 1,100 miles away and unrelated to this studio.

Background on Earl Kennett from a National Park Service publication Plant Yourself in My Neighborhood (PDF file) by Cathy Stanton.

This article is being rewritten starting in August 2022.

Thank you to Brian Kirschenbaum and Mike Markesich for help with this article, and to Peter Aaron for lending the Those Two Plus 45.

Special thank you to Dorothy Kennett.