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'{{Refimprove|date=June 2009}} '''Kenny Rankin''' ([[Los Angeles]], February 10, 1940 - June 7, 2009) was an [[United States|American]] pop and jazz singer and songwriter originally from the [[Washington Heights, Manhattan|Washington Heights]] neighborhood of [[New York City]], [[New York]]. ==Biography== Rankin was raised in New York and was introduced to music by his mother, who sang at home and for friends. Early in his career he worked as a singer-songwriter, and developed a considerable following during the 70s with a steady flow of albums, three of which broke into the Top 100 of the Billboard Album Chart. His liking for jazz was evident from an early age, but the times were such that in order to survive his career had to take a more pop-oriented course. By the 90s, however, he was able to angle his repertoire to accommodate his own musical preferences and to please a new audience while still keeping faith with the faithful. Rankin's warm singing style and his soft, nylon-stringed guitar sound might suggest an artist more attuned to the supper-club circuit than the jazz arena, but his work contains many touches that appeal to the jazz audience. Rankin appeared on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' more than twenty times. Host [[Johnny Carson]] was so impressed by him that he wrote the liner notes to Rankin's 1967 debut album ''Mind Dusters,'' which featured the single "Peaceful." Kenny's friend [[Helen Reddy]] would reach #2 Adult Contemporary and #12 Pop in 1973 with a cover of it, released as her follow-up single to "I Am Woman". [[Georgie Fame]] also had a hit with this song in 1969, his only songwriting credit to hit the British charts reaching number sixteen and spending 9 weeks on the chart.<ref>http://britishhitsongwriters.com/</ref> Rankin's accompanists from time to time included Alan Broadbent, Mike Wofford and Bill Watrous, and on such occasions the mood slips easily into a jazz groove. His compositions have been performed by artists such as [[Mel Tormé]] and [[Carmen McRae]], while [[Stan Getz]] said of him that he was "a horn with a heartbeat". Rankin was deeply interested in Brazilian music and his ''Here In My Heart,'' on which he used jazz guests including [[Michael Brecker]] and [[Ernie Watts]], was recorded mostly in Rio De Janeiro. More contemporary songs were given an airing following his move to [[Verve Records]], including the Beatles' "I've Just Seen A Face" and [[Leon Russell]]'s "A Song For You." Rankin's own unique gift for reworking classic songs such as The Beatles' "Blackbird," which he recorded for his Silver Morning album, so impressed Paul McCartney that he asked Rankin to perform his interpretation of the song when McCartney and John Lennon were inducted into the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]. Rankin was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer in early 2009. He died in [[Los Angeles, California]] - where he had resided for many years - from the disease on June 7, 2009. He was 69 years old. He had a mustouche a<ref>[http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gyhUd0lzQeVOf5lgYhYB70nhKlBwD98MPFRG0 AP News]</ref> ==Discography== ===Studio albums=== *''Mind-Dusters'' (1967) *''Family'' (1970) *''Like a Seed'' (1972) *''Inside'' (1975) *''Silver Morning'' (1975) *''The Kenny Rankin Album'' (1976) *''After the Roses'' (1980) *''Hiding in Myself'' (1990) *''Because of You'' (1991) *''Professional Dreamer'' (1994) *''Here in My Heart'' (1997) *''A Christmas Album'' (1999) *''A Song for You'' (2002) ===Compilations=== *''Peaceful: The Best of Kenny Rankin'' (1996) ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.kennyrankin.com Official Website] *{{imdb|id=0710269|name=Kenny Rankin}} *{{ibdb|457201}} *[http://www.legacy.com/LATimes/DeathNotices.asp?page=lifestory&personid=128225757 AP Obituary] in [[The Los Angeles Times]] *[http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-kenny-rankin9-2009jun09,0,5347669.story LA Times Obituary] {{DEFAULTSORT:Rankin, Kenny}} [[Category:1940 births]] [[Category:2009 deaths]] [[Category:American jazz singers]] [[Category:American jazz songwriters]] [[Category:American songwriters]] [[Category:Cancer deaths in California]] [[Category:Deaths from lung cancer]] [[de:Kenny Rankin]] [[it:Kenny Rankin]] [[nl:Kenny Rankin]]'