Jimmy Kennedy
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James Kennedy (20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was a British songwriter. He was predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as "
Teddy Bears' Picnic "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer John Walter Bratton, and lyrics added in 1932 by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. It remains popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom as a children ...
" and "
My Prayer "My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Carlos Gomez Barrera and Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title ''Avant de mourir'' (Before dying) in 1926. Kennedy ad ...
" or co-writing with composers like Michael Carr,
Wilhelm Grosz Wilhelm Grosz (11 August 1894 – 10 December 1939), sometimes credited as Hugh Williams, was an Austrian composer, pianist, and conductor, who from 1934, worked in the UK, before moving to the USA in 1938. Grosz composed both classical concert wo ...
and
Nat Simon Nat Simon (6 August 1900 – 5 September 1979) was an American composer, pianist, bandleader and songwriter. Born in Newburgh, New York, from the 1930s to the 1950s, his songs were used in over 20 films. Between 1931 and 1940, he also took part in ...
. In a career spanning more than fifty years, he wrote some 2000 songs, of which over 200 became worldwide
hits Hits or H.I.T.S. may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * '' H.I.T.S.'', 1991 album by New Kids on the Block * ''...Hits'' (Phil Collins album), 1998 * ''Hits'' (compilation series), 1984–2006; 2014, a British compilation album s ...
and about 50 are
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
classics.


Early life

Kennedy was born in
Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...
,
County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. Its county town is Omagh. Adjoined to the south-west shore of Lough Neagh, the cou ...
, Ireland. His father, Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, was a policeman in the
Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...
(RIC). While growing up in the village of
Coagh Coagh ( ; ) is a small village in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, five miles (8 km) east of Cookstown. Part of the village also extends into County Londonderry. It had a population of 545 people in the 2001 census. It owes its existence ...
, Kennedy wrote several songs and poems. He was inspired by local surroundings—the view of the Ballinderry River, the local
Springhill House Springhill is a 17th-century plantation house in the townland of Ballindrum near Moneymore, County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. It has been the property of the National Trust since 1957 and, in addition to the house, gardens and park, ther ...
and the plentiful chestnut trees on his family's property, as evidenced in his poem "Chestnut Trees". Kennedy later moved to
Portstewart Portstewart () is a small seaside town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,854 people in the 2021 United Kingdom census. It is a seaside resort, neighbouring both Coleraine in County Londonderry and Portrush in Cou ...
, a
seaside resort A seaside resort is a city, resort town, town, village, or hotel that serves as a Resort, vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of an official accreditation based on the satisfaction of certain requi ...
in
County Londonderry County Londonderry (Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster-Scots: ''Coontie Lunnonderrie''), also known as County Derry (), is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the thirty-two Counties of Ireland, count ...
. Kennedy graduated from
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
, before teaching in England. Biography by Jason Ankeny
''AllMusic''. Retrieved 23 April 2017
He was accepted into the
Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...
, as a civil servant, in 1927.


Music career

While awaiting a Colonial Service posting to the colony of
Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
, Kennedy embarked on a career in songwriting. His first success came in 1930 with "The Barmaid's Song", sung by
Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...
. Fellow lyricist
Harry Castling Henry Castling (19 April 1865 – 26 December 1933) was an English lyricist of music hall songs. Biography Castling was born in Newington, London, the son of a street musician. He began writing songs in the 1890s, often collaborating on both ...
introduced him to Bert Feldman, a
music publisher A music publisher is a type of publisher that specializes in distributing music. Music publishers originally published sheet music. When copyright became legally protected, music publishers began to play a role in the management of the intellectu ...
based in London's "Tin Pan Alley", for whom Kennedy started to work. In the early 1930s, he wrote a number of successful songs, including "Oh, Donna Clara" (1930), "My Song Goes Round the World" (1931), and "
The Teddy Bears' Picnic "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer John Walter Bratton, and lyrics added in 1932 by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. It remains popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom as a children' ...
" (1933), in which Kennedy provided new lyrics to
John Walter Bratton John Walter Bratton (January 21, 1867 – February 7, 1947) was an American Tin Pan Alley composer and theatrical producer who became popular during the era known as the Gay Nineties. Early life Raised by his grandmother, Mary Bratton, in New Ca ...
's tune from 1907. In 1934, Feldman turned down Kennedy's song " Isle of Capri", but it became a major hit for a new publisher, Peter Maurice. Kennedy wrote several more successful songs for Maurice, including " Red Sails in the Sunset" (1935), inspired by beautiful summer evenings in
Portstewart Portstewart () is a small seaside town in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It had a population of 7,854 people in the 2021 United Kingdom census. It is a seaside resort, neighbouring both Coleraine in County Londonderry and Portrush in Cou ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
; " Harbour Lights" (1937); and " South of the Border" (1939), inspired by a holiday picture
postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a postcard f ...
he received from
Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana is the most populous city of the Mexican state of Baja California, located on the northwestern Pacific Coast of Mexico. Tijuana is the municipal seat of the Tijuana Municipality, the hub of the Tijuana metropolitan area and the most popu ...
, and written with composer Michael Carr. Kennedy and Carr also collaborated on several West End shows in the 1930s, including ''London Rhapsody'' (1937). "My Prayer", with original music by
Georges Boulanger Georges Ernest Jean-Marie Boulanger (29 April 1837 – 30 September 1891), nicknamed Général Revanche ("General Revenge"), was a French general and politician. An enormously popular public figure during the second decade of the Third Repub ...
, had English
lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, ...
penned by Kennedy in 1939. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title "Avant de Mourir" in 1926. During the early stages of the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, while serving in the
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
's
Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...
, where he rose to the rank of captain, he wrote the wartime hit, "
We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" is a popular song by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, written whilst he was a Captain in the British Expeditionary Force (World War II), British Expeditionary Force during the early stages ...
". His hits also included " Cokey Cokey" (1945; known as "The Hokey Pokey" and "Okey Cokey" in several locales), and the English lyrics to "
Lili Marlene "Lili Marleen" (also spelled "Lili Marlen'", "Lilli Marlene", "Lily Marlene", "Lili Marlène" among others; ) is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied troo ...
". After the end of the war, his songs included " An Apple Blossom Wedding" (1947), "
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to th ...
" (1953), and "Love Is Like a Violin" (1960). In the 1960s, Kennedy wrote the song "The Banks of the Erne'", for recording by his friend from the war years, Theo Hyde, also known as Ray Warren. Kennedy was a patron of the Castlebar International Song Contest from 1973 until his death in 1984, and his association with the event added great prestige to the contest.


Awards

Kennedy won two
Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Welsh entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and Musical composition, composing. They have been presented annually in London by the The Ivors Academy, Ivors Academy, formerly called the Britis ...
for his contribution to music and received an honorary degree from the
New University of Ulster Ulster University (; Ulster Scots dialects, Ulster Scots: or ), legally the University of Ulster, is a multi-campus Public university, public research university located in Northern Ireland. It is often referred to informally and unofficially a ...
. He was awarded the
OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
in 1983. In 1997 he was posthumously inducted into the
Songwriter's Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work represent and maintain the heri ...
.


Death

Kennedy died in
Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...
on 6 April 1984, aged 81, and was interred in
Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...
, Somerset. He was survived by two sons and a daughter.


Selected songs

*"Blaze Away", added lyrics to the
Abe Holzmann Abraham Holzmann (19 August 1874 – 16 January 1939) was an American composer, famous for his American march music, march "Blaze Away!". Life and career Abraham Holzmann was born in New York City on 19 August 1874. His parents were Jacob Ho ...
marching song in 1931 *"Barmaids Song" *" Red Sails in the Sunset" *" South of the Border" *"
We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line "We're Going to Hang out the Washing on the Siegfried Line" is a popular song by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy, written whilst he was a Captain in the British Expeditionary Force (World War II), British Expeditionary Force during the early stages ...
" *" The Isle of Capri" *"
Istanbul (Not Constantinople) "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)" is a 1953 novelty song, with lyrics by Jimmy Kennedy and music by Nat Simon. It was written on the 500th anniversary of the fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Empire, Ottomans. The lyrics humorously refer to th ...
" *"
My Prayer "My Prayer" is a 1939 popular song with music by salon violinist Georges Boulanger and lyrics by Carlos Gomez Barrera and Jimmy Kennedy. It was originally written by Boulanger with the title ''Avant de mourir'' (Before dying) in 1926. Kennedy ad ...
" *"
Teddy Bears' Picnic "The Teddy Bears' Picnic" is a song consisting of a melody written in 1907 by American composer John Walter Bratton, and lyrics added in 1932 by Irish songwriter Jimmy Kennedy. It remains popular in Ireland and the United Kingdom as a children ...
" *"Love is Like a Violin" (derived from 'Mon cœur est un violon' by Miarka Laparcerie - J.Richepin - see Wiki.) *" Cokey Cokey" *"Roll Along Covered Wagon" *" Harbour Lights"


References


External links


Jimmy Kennedy obituary, ''The New York Times'', 7 April 1984

J.J. Kennedy, ''The Man Who Wrote The Teddy Bears' Picnic'', AuthorHouse, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy, Jimmy 1902 births 1984 deaths Alumni of Trinity College Dublin Lyricists from Northern Ireland Male songwriters from Northern Ireland People from Omagh Officers of the Order of the British Empire Royal Artillery officers People educated at Cookstown High School Musicians from County Tyrone 20th-century songwriters from Northern Ireland