Kenneth Trebbe (born September 21, 1952) is an American

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer, known professionally as Kenny Starr.

Biography

He was born in

Topeka, Kansas Topeka ( ; Kansa language, Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the Capital (political), capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the County seat, seat of Shawnee County, Kansas, Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the ...

, United States, and grew up in

Burlingame, Kansas Burlingame is a city in Osage County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 971. History Burlingame was originally established as Council City and was an stop on the Santa Fe Trail. The Council City po ...

. At the age of nine, he fronted his own group, the Rockin' Rebels, and in his teens he played at local clubs leading a pop group, Kenny and the Imperials. Later switching to country music, a win in a local talent contest led him to perform on a bill containing

Conway Twitty Harold Lloyd Jenkins (September 1, 1933 – June 5, 1993), better known by his stage name Conway Twitty, was an American singer and songwriter. Initially a part of the 1950s rockabilly scene, Twitty was best known as a country music performer. ...

and Loretta Lynn. Lynn encouraged his efforts and, with her support, Starr secured a recording contract with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

. He recorded for MCA between 1973 and 1978, charting 13

singles Singles are people not in a committed relationship. Singles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Singles'' (miniseries), a 1984 Australian television series * ''Singles'' (1992 film), written and directed by Cameron Crowe * ''Singles'' ...

, and releasing one studio album. For much of the 1970s, he was a member of Loretta Lynn's touring band, the Coal Miners. Starr's biggest hit was a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of David Geddes's single "The Blind Man in the Bleachers". Starr's version was a hit single in the u.s on the country charts in 1976, reaching No. 2 on the Country Singles chart, and a hit on the pop charts peaking at No. 58 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and went to No. 1 on the country chart in Canada. The album from which it was taken, also called ''The Blind Man in the Bleachers'', reached No. 12 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Country Albums chart.

Discography

*^A

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "The Calico Cat."

References

1952 births Living people American country singer-songwriters Musicians from Topeka, Kansas MCA Records artists People from Burlingame, Kansas Singer-songwriters from Kansas {{US-singer-stub