Street date: February 16
Six albums by the late singer-songwriter Kenny Rankin were released today by Mack Avenue Records' imprint Sly Dog. The albums:
Mind-Dusters
Family
Like a Seed
Silver Morning
Inside
The Kenny Rankin Album
Rankin's easy tenor voice over his nylon-stringed guitar was such a soothing sound that it endeared him to folk and pop music enthusiasts. Besides penning such hits as "Haven't We Met" (recorded by Mel Tormé) and "Peaceful" (a Helen Reddy hit that made it to the top 10 in 1973), Rankin was also a sublime interpreter of others' songs. The Beatles' "Blackbird" is a prime example. Paul McCartney so enjoyed Rankin's version that he invited Kenny to perform it when John Lennon and McCartney were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
On a production note, Chris Rankin, Kenny's son and a longtime music industry professional, oversaw the remastering of Like a Seed, Silver Morning, Inside and The Kenny Rankin Album. Because these albums were recorded in the '70s, they were recorded using the Dolby noise reduction system of the time. That meant finding reconditioned '70s vintage Dolby machines to play back the master tapes. Talk about a labor of love.
But it's all worth it to Rankin's fans.
Available on iTunes and from the Kenny Rankin artist page at Mack Avenue Records.
Kenny Rankin died from complications of lung cancer at Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles on June 7, 2009. He was 69.
