Charles Ethan Kenning (born August 19, 1943 in
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
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) is an
American singer, songwriter and musician who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s
acid rock
Acid rock is a loosely defined type of rock music that evolved out of the mid-1960s garage punk movement and helped launch the psychedelic subculture. Named after lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), the style is generally defined by heavy, d ...
band,
H. P. Lovecraft. He was
adopted as a child and brought up under the name George Edwards. He reverted to his birth name of Ethan Kenning in his mid-30s.
[ H. P. Lovecraft, An interview with George Edwards]
'' Ptolemaic Terrascope'', 1991
In the mid-1960s he performed
folk
Folk or Folks may refer to:
Sociology
*Nation
*People
* Folklore
** Folk art
** Folk dance
** Folk hero
** Folk music
*** Folk metal
*** Folk punk
*** Folk rock
** Folk religion
* Folk taxonomy
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Folk Plus or Fo ...
and
blues music in clubs in Chicago and as a session singer with
Dunwich Records. He released an unsuccessful version of
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
' "
Norwegian Wood" on Dunwich Records in 1966, before forming a new band, H. P. Lovecraft.
The band featured striking
vocal harmonies
Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...
between Edwards and the
classically-trained
Dave Michaels and atmospheric instrumentation and effects on songs. Some of the band's songs were co-written by Edwards, including some inspired by the writings of
the author of the same name. The band released two albums, ''
H. P. Lovecraft'' in 1967 and ''
H. P. Lovecraft II
''H. P. Lovecraft II'' is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records. As with their debut LP, the album saw the band blending psychedelic and folk rock influence ...
'' in 1968 before splitting up in early 1969. Edwards then worked for a time as a music show promoter, before he and original H.P. Lovecraft drummer Michael Tegza formed a new band, Lovecraft. Edwards left this band after their first album.
[
Edwards, later known a]
Ethan Kenning
then worked in music production in California and in writing and producing TV and radio commercials. He won two Clio Awards for Levi's commercials with Doc Watson
Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (March 3, 1923 – May 29, 2012) was an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues, and gospel music. Watson won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. W ...
and Leon Redbone
Leon Redbone (born Dickran Gobalian; August 26, 1949 – May 30, 2019) was a singer-songwriter and musician specializing in jazz, blues, and Tin Pan Alley classics. Recognized by his hat (often a Panama hat), dark sunglasses, and black tie, Re ...
and also produced commercials for Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants founded in 1962 by Glen Bell (1923–2010) in Downey, California. Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, includin ...
, Bank of America
The Bank of America Corporation (often abbreviated BofA or BoA) is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered at the Bank of America Corporate Center in Charlotte, North Carolina. The bank ...
, and others. He has also worked occasionally with Dave Michaels. More recently he has worked as manager and producer of improvisational singer Rhiannon.
A fictional portrayal of George Edwards appears as the central character in Harry Turtledove
Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed hi ...
's short horror-adventure story "The Fillmore Shoggoth," where a performance of the Lovecraft tribute band is disrupted when Lovecraftian monsters attack the theater.[Joshi, S.T., ed.; ''The Madness of Cthulhu''. London: Titan Books, 2014.]
References
External links
www.ethankenning.com
1943 births
Living people
American rock singers
Musicians from Chicago
H. P. Lovecraft (band) members
{{US-rock-musician-stub