Kenny Roby
A songwriter's songwriter, Kenny Roby has been called a master at his craft. On his latest self titled album-Roby's seventh to date-he's joined by bassist Jeff Hill (Steve Earle, Rufus Wainwright), drummer Tony Leone (Little Feat, Chris Robinson Brotherhood) and guitarist Daniel Littleton (Amy Helm, Michael Hurley). Tracked at Applehead Recording in Woodstock, NY, the core band is augmented with special guests, including the legendary Lovin' Spoonful frontman John Sebastian on harmonica, Amy Helm and Dori Freeman on background vocals and former Bob Dylan keyboardist/accordion player Brian Mitchell. The resulting collection is full of depth and darkness, but most importantly hope. Its songs are inhabited by a cast of fully human characters and their timeless stories, while sonically the recording reflects Roby's new home in upstate New York, touching on the spirit of previous artists who once roamed the the Catskill Mountains like The Band, Bobby Charles and Tim Hardin.
A native of the Carolinas, Kenny Roby was originally known for fronting 6 String Drag, pioneers in the Alt-Country and Americana music movements of the '90s. The band was produced by roots music godfather Steve Earle and signed to his E-Squared Records. Since 6 String Drag's breakup in 1998, Roby has released 6 solo records as well as a live duo record with Neal Casal. Casal was slated to produce Roby's previous 2020 solo album ‘The Reservoir' before he unexpectedly passed away in August 2019. Dave Schools of Widespread Panic then took over production duties. Roby would later record Casal's "Too Much To Ask" on the 41 song box set tribute ‘Highway Butterfly: The Songs Of Neal Casal.'
Kenny Roby has been praised by numerous songwriting peers, including Michael Hurley, Citizen Cope, Steve Earle, Justin Townes Earle, Ryan Adams and more... He's garnered critical acclaim in Billboard, Rolling Stone, No Depression and Boston Globe, while having shared stages with a plethora of well-known artists in and out of the roots music community.