About Me
NOTE: Please read the blog for information regarding the purpose of this site and the privacy of correspondence sent to Lenny via this site.
Lenny Kerley, a Benton, Illinois native, played with the following bands prior to joining The Cryan' Shames:
The Kingmen, Galaxies, and formed his own group The Novos prior to a tour in the U.S. Army.
Following the Army, he was in The Squires with Alan Dawson (who was later to join The Cryan' Shames with Lenny.)
In early 1967, Lenny took Gerry Stone's place as guitar player for The Cryan' Shames, and his newly written song "Mr.Unreliable" became one of their next hits. The Cryan Shames, opened for stars like Jimi Hendrix in the late ‘60s. “We were a fairly big group with 3 albums on Columbia Records and many number one hits - especially in the Chicago area.
As quoted from the May 1968 Cryan' Shames National Fan club Newsletter: "His musical talents are many; self-taught to read and write music and play guitar, bass, and drums. Lenny is a lover of many things: true honest people, good music, fine cars, and fresh air in the open country."
After The Cryan' Shames, Lenny was a member of Possum River (1971), which included Shames members: Tom Doody, Alan Dawson, Dave Carter and Dennis Conroy, along with Dave Curtis from the Novos and Jan Knopek. They recorded a vinyl LP under the Ovation label before disbanding.
He then played with another Chicago group called Good Foot with Marty Nicosia and Greg Johnson. Following Good Foot, he worked with Gene Cotten from Areola Records in Nashville, TN for one and a half years. Lenny then went on the road in the Houston, TX area as the back-up band for Gary Smith, before forming his own group "Blues Priority".
At one point, he was asked to be lead guitarist for Paul Revere and the Raiders, and to be a replacement for Glen Campbell when he left the Beach Boys. He declined their offers to do his own thing. This left him free to share stage time with Jimmy Hendricks, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Howlin Wolf, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins. He was also a session guitarist for Chess records, and for the Columbia, Ovation, Mercury, and Volt Stax labels.
His latest album, “Party at My Place,†includes a mix of eclectic jazz and blues music. The CD is available on cdbaby at http://cdbaby.com/cd/kerley. One reviewer said: Lenny Kerley & Blues Priority," delivers a high-energy stage presence and a strong sense of fun. This Chicago Bluesman is well known for sharing stage time with Jimmy Hendricks, Albert King, Eric Clapton, Howlin Wolf, Jerry Reed and Chet Atkins. He also wrote the music for Tanya Scarlett's blues R&B cassette "Fashionably Late."
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SkNk8QpO2k for Could Be We're in Love
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i1cPNyKkao for Up on the Roof
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_i1cPNyKkao for Mr Unreliable
See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLnR8SHnE6M for Sugar and Spice
