On Zoom
Over 350 country, gospel, and rock performers and groups recorded at Kennett Sound Studios (KSS) in the southeast Missouri town of Kennett between 1968 to 1997. Owned and operated by musician and songwriter Joe Keene, KSS hosted a couple of well-known performers. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member and Mizzou alum Sheryl Crow is a Kennett native. Top ten country music singer Narvel Felts still lives up the road in Malden, Missouri. Most of the musicians who recorded at KSS, however, were known mainly in their home areas, largely southeast Missouri and northeast Arkansas.
During the webinar Moore will discuss the history of Kennett Sound Studios, share stories about the people who recorded there, and explain why KSS and other regional recording studios were important contributors to American popular music despite being relatively unknown. The webinar will include photographs and music from the Joe Keene-Kennett Sound Studios Collection at Middle Tennessee State University’s Center for Popular Music, located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
About the Presenter: Hunter Moore, a resident of Nashville, Tennessee, is a native of Charleston and Sikeston, Missouri. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Vanderbilt University and is a Fulbright Scholar. He is currently a PhD candidate in Public History at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Moore recorded at Kennett Sound Studios with his high school rock band, Absolute, in 1969. He later worked on Music Row in Nashville as a professional songwriter. His songs have been recorded by Ricky Skaggs, Don Williams, Kathy Mattea, Alabama, and others.