Ron Kenoly (born December 6, 1944) is an American Christian

worship leader Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the 20th century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found in a wide range of churches, including many ...

, singer, and songwriter. He holds several degrees, including a music degree from Alameda College, a

Master of Divinity For graduate-level theological institutions, the Master of Divinity (MDiv, ''magister divinitatis'' in Latin) is the first professional degree of the pastoral profession in North America. It is the most common academic degree in seminaries and ...

from Faith Bible College, and a

Doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

of Ministry in

sacred music Religious music (also sacred music) is a type of music that is performed or composed for religious use or through religious influence. It may overlap with ritual music, which is music, sacred or not, performed or composed for or as a ritual. Reli ...

from Friends International Christian University. His music career began following time spent in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Air Force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...

. He was originally with a group called The Mellow Fellows, but family issues caused him to leave the group. His musical career breakthrough came in 1992 when ''Lift Him Up'' became the fastest selling worship album to that point. ''Welcome Home'' produced by Tom Brooks was also critically acclaimed, becoming ''

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 advertis ...

s Top

contemporary worship music Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a distinct genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has evolved over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are of ...

album, and winning a

Gospel Music Association The Gospel Music Association (GMA) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1964 for the purpose of supporting and promoting the development of all forms of gospel music. As of 2011, there are about 4,000 members worldwide. The GMA's membership c ...

Dove Award A Dove Award is an accolade by the Gospel Music Association (GMA) of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the Christian music industry. The awards ceremonies presented annually and have been held in Nashville, Tennessee exce ...

for "Praise and Worship Album" in 1997.Dove Award Recipients for 1997
". Published by the

. Retrieved 2007-02-05. He was formerly signed to Integrity Music. Kenoly himself has only played on one of his recordings.

Biography

Kenoly was born and raised in Coffeyville, Kansas. He states that when his mother, Edith Kenoly, was pregnant with him, she would rub her stomach and pray "Lord let this one praise you." He was interested in a musical career from a young age, later saying, "As a child I remember seeing Sammy Davis Jr. and

Nat King Cole Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, alternatively billed as Nat "King" Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and Traditional pop, pop ...

for the first time. I was so impressed as I watched two Black men grace a national stage. I knew right then that was what I wanted." After graduating from high school in Coffeyville, Kenoly moved to

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, California. He served in the United States Air Force from 1965 to 1968. During his Air Force career, Kenoly was a member of the Mellow Fellows, a top 40 cover band that toured military bases. After leaving the Air Force, he returned to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to continue his music career. He sang demos of

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He achieved success at an early age, winning the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the age of 21. During his career, he established himself as one of Am ...

songs, including " Up, Up and Away," for the Audio Arts label. The label also released Kenoly's first single, "The Glory of Your Love (Mine Eyes Have Seen)." He later signed with

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. The label's executives gave Kenoly the stage name Ron Keith, and he recorded R&B tracks including as "I Betcha I'll Get Ya," "Soul Vaccination," and 1975's "Can't Live Without You." Kenoly and Candy Rae were the first act signed to George Semper's Inner City label. Semper remarked on their signing "The two of them came and sang the song at my house, and I knew straight away I wanted to sign them." Their single "Lovely Weekend", recorded in 1972 at Clark Brown Audio studio in Crenshaw, Los Angeles sold nearly 200,000 copies. Kenoly later stopped recording secular music and spent four years attempting to get a gospel record deal. In 1983, he released his first Christian album, ''You Ought to Listen to This''. Kenoly eventually started leading praise and worship for other pastors such as Jack Hayford and Lester Sumrall. This caught the attention of evangelist Mario Murillo, who introduced him to Pastor Dick Bernal, the founder of Jubilee Christian Center in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. Kenoly began working as a full-time Christian minister in 1985 as Jubilee Christian Center's worship leader, focusing on leading worship services. In 1987, he was ordained and installed as Music Pastor, becoming head of the church's music department. In 1993, Kenoly was named Jubilee Christian Center's Ambassador of Music. He began consulting churches across the United States on developing their music departments. In 1996, Kenoly received his Doctorate in Ministry of Sacred Music. In 1999, Kenoly moved to

Central Florida Central Florida is a Regions of the United States#Florida, region of the U.S. state of Florida. Different sources give different definitions for the region, but as its name implies it is usually said to comprise the central part of the state, in ...

where he continues to travel, speak, sing, teach and record. Kenoly has also written a few books, including one with Pastor Dick Bernal.

Discography

* 1983: ''You Ought to Listen to This'' * 1991: ''Jesus Is Alive'' * 1992: ''Lift Him Up with Ron Kenoly'' * 1994: ''God Is Able'' * 1995: ''Sing Out with One Voice'' * 1996: ''Welcome Home'' * 1997: ''High Places: The Best of Ron Kenoly'' * 1998: ''Majesty'' * 1999: ''We Offer Praises'' * 2001: ''Dwell in the House'' * 2002: ''The Perfect Gift '' * 2005: ''Fill the Earth'' * 2005: ''Lift Him Up Collection'' * 2008: ''Powerful Hymns My Mother Sang'' * 2009: ''Solo Para Ti'' * 2010: ''Christmas with Ron Kenoly'' * 2013: ''Set Apart Is Your Name Yahuwah Vol.1'' * 2014: ''Set Apart Is Your Name Yahuwah Vol.2'' featuring David Hunter * 2019: ''Kabiosi'' (live in London)

Songs

Songs written or co-written by Kenoly * ''Jesus Is Alive'' (1991) ** "Jesus Is Alive" ** "Keeper of My Heart" with Kelly Husted * ''Lift Him Up with Ron Kenoly'' (1992) ** "Hallowed Be Your Name" with Louis Smith ** "We're Going Up to the High Places" * ''God Is Able'' (1994) ** "Our God Is Able (Rap)" ** "Use Me" with Dewitt Jones ** "Jesus Is Alive" * ''Sing Out with One Voice'' (1995) ** "Joyfully, Joyfully" ** "Give to the Lord" ** "Welcome Rap" ** "We Dedicate This Time" * ''Welcome Home'' (1996) ** "Go Ahead" ** "Heal Their Land" ** "I Testify Today" with Louis Smith ** "Welcome Home" ** "I Love To Love You Lord" with Louis Smith ** "Lord I Magnify" with Tavita Kenoly (wife) * ''Majesty'' (1998) ** "Hallelujah to the King of Kings" with Renetha Muldrew ** "The King of Kings Is Coming" with Bob Ayala ** "Return To Righteousness America" with Don Moen and Tom Brooks ** "In Righteousness You Reign" ** "Hallelujah Reprise/Hallelujah Chorus (Hallelujah to the King of Kings)" with Handel, George Frederick and Renetha Muldrew * ''We Offer Praises'' (1999) ** "We Offer Praises" ** "It Is Good" ** "Joshua Generation" ** "Plane Crash Testimony" (spoken word) ** "Broken Leg Testimony" (spoken word) ** "I Still Have Joy" * ''Dwell in the House'' (2001) ** "Praise Him" ** "All The Way"

Filmography

* 2010 - '' The Bill Collector''

Personal life

Kenoly met and married his first wife Tavita while he was serving in the military. They had three sons during their 42-year marriage: Samuel, Ronald and Tony. His cousin is American actor

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (, ; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Don Cheadle, multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award ...

. Kenoly is currently married to Diana, a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...

Ambassador, since November 24, 2014

References

External links

Ron Kenoly Official Website
*
Ron Kenoly Artist Profile
at New Release Tuesday
Ron Kenoly: The Ex-R&B singer now enjoying US CCM success
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kenoly, Ron 1944 births Living people 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singer-songwriters 20th-century evangelicals 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singer-songwriters 21st-century evangelicals African-American Christians African-American male songwriters American evangelicals American performers of Christian music Musicians from Coffeyville, Kansas Singers from Kansas Songwriters from Kansas United States Air Force airmen