Kenney worked early in life for Western Union as a telephone birthday singer. After moving to New York City, she recorded a demo in 1954 with Tony Tamburello; the demo was released in its entirety in 2006 by SSJ Records in 2006 under the title Snuggled on Your Shoulder. By the end of the year she had moved to Miami, where she landed a recurring engagement at the Black Magic Room. Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey heard her and took her on tour in the orchestra they co-led; she worked with them for several months before breaking off to move back to New York. Upon her return, she worked in clubs with George Shearing, Don Elliott, and Kai Winding. After a short tour of the Midwest with Larry Sonn, she signed to Roost Records and released her first album in 1956. Her second release was Come Swing with Me, and Jimmy Jones led an ensemble behind her for her third and final release for Roost in 1957.
She moved to Decca Records, and released three further LPs with them, including Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys (1958), Born to Be Blue (1959), and Like Yesterday (1959). Beverly Kenney Sings For Playboys featured liner notes by Steve Allen, which praised Kenney's vocal style and stated, "A word to Playboys: I would not recommend this album as Music to Make the Romantic Approach By. You’re apt to get more interested in Beverly than the girl you’re trying to impress."
Kenney was a critically acclaimed musician, but she saw little widespread acceptance, due at least in part to the burgeoning rock & roll movement. She had an intense personal dislike for this music, even going so far as to compose a song called "I Hate Rock and Roll", which she performed on The Steve Allen Show on May 18, 1958.
On April 13, 1960, Kenney committed suicide by an overdose of alcohol and Seconal. She was 28 years old.
She remains a cult figure in Japan, where all of her albums have been reissued to CD and have remained in print on a relatively steady basis. Japan's SSJ Records have released three collections of unreleased Beverly Kenney material: Snuggled on Your Shoulder (2006), Lonely and Blue (2007), and What Is There To Say? (2009).[4] This first in the series, Snuggled on Your Shoulder, was reissued by Cellar Door Records in 2010; it features the SSJ Records release in its entirety plus bonus tracks from a recently discovered radio show.[5] One track from Snuggled On Your Shoulder, "Tea For Two", was released on the Vintage music compilation, This is Vintage Now (2011)
Further info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Kenney
http://www.allmusic.com/artist/beverly-kenney
http://www.thisisvintagenow.com/artists/beverly_kenney.htm
http://www.thebluegrassspecial.com/archive/2011/april2011/beverly-kenney-april-2011.html
Somewhere Along The Way
Beverly Kenney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Along the avenue
Our hearts were carefree and gay
How could I know I′d lose you
Somewhere along the way
The friends we used to know
Would always smile, "Hello"
They'd say
Then love slipped through our fingers
Somewhere along the way
I should forget
But with the loneliness of night
I start remembering ... everything
You′re gone, and yet
There's still a feeling deep inside
That you will always be...
Part of me
So now I look for you
Along the avenue
And as I wander, I pray
That someday soon, I'll find you
Somewhere along the way---
Somewhere along the way...
The lyrics to Beverly Kenney's song Somewhere Along the Way describe the feeling of losing someone you love and the longing to be reunited with them. The singer reminisces on the happy times they had with their loved one, walking carefreely along the avenue and being greeted by their mutual friends. However, love slipped through their fingers somewhere along the way and they were left with the loneliness of night and memories of what once was. Despite their loved one being gone, the singer still feels a deep connection to them and hopes to find them again someday, somewhere along the way.
The lyrics paint a picture of a bittersweet longing for someone who is no longer there, but who still holds a special place in the singer's heart. The use of "Somewhere along the way" as a repeating phrase emphasizes the uncertainty of where their loved one may be or if they will ever be reunited, but also suggests a hopeful optimism that someday, somehow they will find each other again.
Line by Line Meaning
I used to walk with you
I once used to be physically and emotionally close to you
Along the avenue
We used to stroll along the avenue together
Our hearts were carefree and gay
During those times, we both felt free and happy
How could I know I′d lose you
Back then, I never imagined that I would lose you
Somewhere along the way
At some point in time, we separated from each other
The friends we used to know
Our common friends from before
Would always smile, "Hello"
Those friends would always greet us with a smile
No love like our love, They'd say
They knew that our love was special
Then love slipped through our fingers
Unfortunately, we failed to hold onto that love we had
Somewhere along the way
Once again, emphasizing the point that we lost each other at some point
I should forget
Maybe I should try to forget about you
But with the loneliness of night
But sometimes, especially at night when I'm feeling lonely
I start remembering ... everything
Old memories of us start flooding my mind
You′re gone, and yet
You are no longer with me, but still
There's still a feeling deep inside
There is still a lingering feeling inside me
That you will always be...Part of me
That part of me will always associate you with our shared memories
So now I look for you
And so now I search for you
Along the avenue
I still wander around that same avenue we used to walk along
And as I wander, I pray
As I search for you, I turn to prayer
That someday soon, I'll find you
I'm hoping that I'll find you again soon
Somewhere along the way---
Once again, emphasizing that we lost each other at some point
Writer(s): Sammy Gallop, Adams Kurt
Contributed by Samuel P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
srmichel417
Beautiful voice,great talent,and hard to choose favorites,but the great arrangement adds to this record. One of the sadly forgotten great singers,and from my home area.
Christina Hopkins
i thank the lord everyday my grandmother and greatmother introduced me to this music i couldnt live without it it takes away the dreariness out of the world if just for a little while which is what music and movies are supposed to do
David Walsh
What a talent, her vocals are so classy. I've never heard of her till this day. Simply superb.
gbunny28
she is a great singer. one of my favorite ones....
Karen Caccavale
LOVE ....
MrRatherino
just gets better and better
Dakota Gearhart
Please post, Beverly Kenneys: That's all