Kenny Roberts

George S. Kingsbury Jr. (October 14, 1926 – April 29, 2012), better known as Kenny Roberts, was an American country music singer. He is best known for his recordings of "I Never See Maggie Alone" and "Choc'late Ice Cream Cone", and was a member of The Down Homers with Bill Haley. Life and career Roberts was born in Lenoir City, Tennessee, United States, and raised on a farm outside of Greenfield, Massachusetts. He started in music at the age of 11, when he organized a band consisting entirely of young harmonica players. Later, he learned to play guitar and then bass fiddle and violin. He was inspired by Yodeling Slim Clark (with whom he performed along with the Red River Rangers from Athol, Massachusetts), as well as by Jimmie Rodgers and other singing cowboys, and was known as a blue yodeler. Roberts at age 17 won a New Hampshire radio contest to be chosen as "Eastern States Yodeling Champion" in 1944. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in early 1945, then moved to Fort Wayne, Indiana, after World War II ended. He performed on several shows on radio station KMOX in St. Louis, Missouri, as well as the CBS Saturday morning show, Barnyard Frolics, then organized and led a Pennsylvania-based western swing band called the Down Homers, recording for Vogue Records. Rock and roll pioneer Bill Haley joined the band in 1946 as a guitarist and yodeler, replacing Roberts who had joined the Navy. Before departing, Roberts taught Haley some of his yodels. When Roberts returned from service, he resumed his spot with the Down Homers relieving Haley. In the early 2000s, a set of 1946 radio recordings by the Down Homers were discovered, and Haley is named and performs the solo number "She Taught Me to Yodel."