Kenny was born into a long line of coal miners and musicians in the “head of a holler” in eastern Kentucky. He started playing guitar on the front porch at 6 years old and was hired into his Uncle Ray’s band “The Slone Family” at the ripe old age of 11. Life changed when they were discovered at a bluegrass festival by the father of the genre, Bill Monroe. That put the family band on a path that would ultimately end up on the stage of the Grand Ol Opry.
During his growing up years, Kenny had the pleasure of rubbing shoulders with those considered legends in bluegrass music today. However, his life took a turn when he encountered Jesus in his late teens. He was divinely detoured from his life plan to be a working musician and recording artist by a call to ministry. Kenny left the music industry, but never left the music.
After years of pastoring and preaching, some of his old musician friends chastised him for not sharing his God-given musical gifts with the world. Their graceful course correction led to him returning to the studio to record “On the Front Porch”, as a tribute to his clawhammer banjo playing hero, his grandpa. Much to his surprise, the record was warmly received by critics and fans alike, resulting in unexpected worldwide sales and invitations for live appearances.
His latest project, “Entrusted Tones” is a collection of all original music. It’s a passing on of tones that were imparted to Kenny from his ancestors. As he says, “This music found its way into my soul years ago. I hope it finds its way into yours. It features a wide variety of his long-time friends such as, Vince Gill, Clay Hess, Ron Block, Suzanne Cox, and a host of others.
Now, one of his favorite things is performing at house concerts with up-close and personal interaction with the audience in what he calls, "An Evening on the Front Porch.” It’s a time of sharing deep mountain music, humorous stories from his life, and bits of wisdom he’s collected over the years.