Jerry Kennedy

Jerry Glenn Kennedy (August 10, 1940 – February 11, 2026) was an American record producer, songwriter, and guitarist.

Early years Kennedy was born in Shreveport, Louisiana, on August 10, 1940. As a child, he recalled "beating on broomsticks and other things" as his initial forays into music-making. His first guitar was a Silvertone, which his parents bought for him when he was "eight or nine." He began taking lessons from a local guitar legend, Tillman Franks. Kennedy attended various shows around the Shreveport area as a boy, including the legendary Louisiana Hayride. One show he particularly remembered attending is Hank Williams's last show at the Shreveport Municipal Auditorium saying, "I was a kid sittin' on the front row."

The Jerry Kennedy Orchestra participated in the complete recording sessions for Johnny Hallyday in 1962. Five discs were issued from these sessions: Johnny Sings America's Rockin' Hits; The 1962 Nashville Sessions, Vol. 2: The French Recordings, reissued on CD as Nashville Session 62, in 1990; a CD 5 titles of the Club Dial "C'est fini miss Molly" and a CD included in Johnny Hallyday: Le Livre.

He was one of the session musicians used by Bob Dylan in recording his classic album Blonde on Blonde, in 1966.

A recipient of four Grammy Awards, Kennedy's Dobro and guitar playing have been featured on the albums of artists as varied as Elvis Presley, Kris Kristofferson and Ringo Starr. Another famous work by Kennedy on dobro was Jeannie C. Riley's "Harper Valley PTA".

In 1968, Shelby Singleton, who had served as something of a mentor to Kennedy, left Smash. Kennedy took the reins, and ran Smash Records until 1970, when Mercury shut down that label and appointed him as the head of Mercury's country music division. Hall, speaking in 1974, credited Kennedy with getting him started in the business. "I had a lot of good songs I couldn't get recorded. Jerry Kennedy of Mercury Records asked me to record them, so I did." After receiving this encouragement from Kennedy, Hall went on to record nine LPs with Mercury Records from 1968 to 1974, including his famous "Harper Valley PTA". Kennedy himself left Mercury in 1984 to start JK Productions, through which he produced recordings by The Statler Brothers, Connie Smith, Mel McDaniel, Reba McEntire and other artists.

Personal life and death Kennedy died on February 11, 2026, at the age of 85. He was the father of songwriter, musician and producer Gordon Kennedy.