Kinny Abair Americana Blues “Unplugged”

Description

Kinny Abair Americana Blues “Unplugged” Release Announcement

By: CD Jefferson
November 19, 2016

Kinny Abair (Herbert William McKinney),
a little known protégé of Sam “Lightin” Hopkins, 
son of Katie and James McKinney was born October 16, 1938, in Refugio, Texas. Legend says that at the age of five Kinny made his own guitar and taught him self to play. At age 12, at the insistence of his parents he studied the Violin but his love for guitar won out and his father bought him his first real guitar.

Kinny came out of the Houston, TX, Duke/Peacock Records and The Club Matinee era, mainly noted as the home of R&B and blues greats during the fifties and sixties. His distinctive blues and jazz sound influenced by such greats as Eric Gayle, George Benson, Brown McGee, Billy Bizor, Johnny “Clyde” Copeland and Sam “Lightnin” Hopkins helped him build a loyal following. Kinny’s father was a life long friend of Houstonian Sam “Lightnin” Hopkins and “Lightnin” told Kinny he saw himself when he saw Kenny perform; Kenny thanked him and hoped he would continue playing and keeping his music alive.

After a stint in the Navy, he attended The Berkley College of Music in Boston but his internal struggle with demons forced him to move back to Texas. Kinny, like many gifted artist and musicians, found himself a victim of his own demons and spent years falling in and out of drug addiction. But even in those trying times he always worked at perfecting his hollow body guitar jazz and folksy blues playing styles while entertaining audiences across the US and Europe.

He found peace honing his guitar and vocal skills to become a truly gifted jazz and blues guitarist.
His authentic vocal and guitar performance is on full display on the release of his last CD Blues Americana Unplugged, which showcases the natural raw purity of his voice and music.

On February 15, 2003, Kinny had a heart attack and joined Johnny Clyde Copeland, Muddy Waters, Miles Davis, Sam “Lightnin” Hopkins and other greats now performing in The Big Band upstairs.

Kinny Abair’s credits include performances at the Annual Houston Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz and Blues Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, International Jazz Festival; the Kool Jazz Festival, Houston Blues Fest, Annual Blues Jam, and the TV miniseries Woman of Independent Means starring Sally Fields.

His credits also include the movie RoboCop, the soundtrack for The Strange Demise of Jim Crow, a critically acclaimed documentary about the end of segregation; the Alley Theatre’s, Houston production of August Wilson’s Seven Guitars, and many other long forgotten performances.

Kinny Abair Americana Blues “Unplugged” was recorded in 1999 and produced by Aubrey Dunham. It includes three songs written by “Lightin,” Wig Song, Jump Jump Her, and Mr. Charley. The nine other truly special original Blues Americana songs on the CD were written by Kinny.

Kinny Abair Americana Blues “Unplugged” is natural, simplistic, authentic and a truly wonderful American musical treasure to be heard and enjoys while preserving blues history for years to come,” Sirron Kyles GM, HousTone Records.

About HousTone Records

One of the key elements in working with any artist at HousTone Records is the artist must agree to record/provide two well known cover songs per each CD released. This allows HR to market unknown up-and-coming artists in a comfortable format to be judged by fans for the talent they have, based on the music the listeners already know.

Contact
To learn more, please contact:

HousTone Records
PO Box 8305
Houston, TX 77288
Phone: 713-866-4006 and 281-605-9299
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.HousToneRecords.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Houstone-Records-285802868106305/

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