About
Third-generation San Franciscan and Oxford dropout, Jenny Kerr came of age in the Haight and grew up inside Americana. A commanding multi-instrumentalist on dobro, clawhammer banjo, slide guitar, piano, and harmonica, she's headlined France's Mirande Festival before 30,000 fans, earned national radio play across Europe, and shared stages with Dave Alvin, Guy Clark, and Sam Bush, among many others.
Country Standard Time called her voice "thick and rich as delta soil... an instrument itself." Bill Bottrell (Sheryl Crow, Tom Petty) produced the title track of her previous album, Head of Fire. Her new album, The Girl Who Swallowed the Moon (Okey Doke Records, November 20), mixed in part by the legendary Bob Rock, is her boldest statement yet.
Kerr’s musical education began in San Francisco, where she was exposed to the European classical tradition by her grandmother, a composer and the principal violist for the Cleveland Symphony. In her formative teenage years, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Muddy Waters lured her away from the concert hall as she explored the vibrant Bay Area folk, blues and psychedelic rock scene of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.
The music of The Haight led her on a journey of discovery of the foundations of Americana – artists such as Mississippi Fred McDowell, Little Walter and Dock Boggs who initially inspired her to pick up guitar, harmonica and banjo.
Kerr and musical partner/producer/guitarist Phil “Philbillie” Milner are the core of a rotating collective of the Bay Area’s top session players, so every live show is fresh and unique, centered around Kerr’s songwriting and vocal delivery and accentuated by some of the finest soloists and support musicians in the business. Milner, a highly sought-after producer and session guitarist, had an extended tenure as guitar tech for Bob Weir & Ratdog as well as Tracy Chapman, Bonnie Raitt and Primus.
Kerr’s previous releases include the critically-acclaimed “Head of Fire,” produced and performed collaboratively with Bill Bottrell (Sheryl Crow, Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Madonna, Tom Petty), and a highly-anticipated, self-produced album is soon to be released on the pair’s independent label, Okey Doke Records.
Kerr is as much at home in the local music scene of Marin County which she now calls home as she is on major festival stages nationally and worldwide, bringing the same power, energy, heart and rootsy soul to every performance.
—Joshua Zucker, SF Chronicle
Jenny Kerr is a gifted songwriter, bringing in the traditions of blues and honky tonk while retaining a singular voice that is honest and strong. Her songs are personal and universal at once, with anthemic stories told simply and well and a balance between vulnerability and ballsy sass. Though backed by a stellar band, Kerr is skilled with a variety of instruments. It is her voice, however, that marks this release a keeper. Thick and rich as delta soil, honed and powerful, Kerr’s voice is an instrument itself, whether making you want to raise the rafters or cry in your beer. Who needs a major label?
—Tamara Bunnell, Country Standard Time