Jesse "Tiny" Kennedy
b. 20 December 1925, probably Chattanooga, Tennessee, USA. Blues shouter Kennedy first came to prominence in Kansas City in November 1949, where he recorded a session for Capitol Recordswith Jay McShann's Quintet. In 1951, he joined Tiny Bradshaw's Orchestra as vocalist, recording two unusual tracks with Bradshaw's band for King Records; unusual in that the two risque blues feature Kennedy duetting with himself as both deep-voiced macho male and shrill female! While touring with the orchestra in the south in 1951-52, Kennedy made some recordings under his own name with local musicians for Trumpet Records at Sam Phillips’ Sun studio in Memphis, including the successful Strange Kind Of Feelin’ which was later covered by Elmore James. Gotham Records’ 20th Century subsidiary leased the hit for the northern market, and Trumpet Records tried unsuccessfully to record another hit by Kennedy in New York City in 1953. Nevertheless, he recorded a fine session for RCA-Victor's Groove subsidiary in April 1955 as the contradictory Big Tiny Kennedy which included a remake of his Trumpet hit, after which he seems to have drifted into obscurity.