Kevn Kinney

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CL Critic Hal Horowitz Recommends: Few people reading this don’t know the irrepressible Kinney or his decades long frontman work with Drivin’ N’ Cryin’. He’s an Atlanta Southern rock icon and his solo shows, where he gets a chance to chat with the audience on a more personal level, are unique affairs regardless of how often you have seen him. - HH

From Kevn’s website:

Kevn Kinney is the lead singer / songwriter of the Atlanta rock band, Drivin N Cryin, who recently celebrated the release of their 9th studio album, ‘Live the Love Beautiful’, on Drivin N Cryin Records. Since the band’s 1985 inception, he’s released some spare acoustic records on his own, often collaborating with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.

MacDougal Blues, released on Island Records in 1990, announced the rocker’s arrival on the folk scene, with the engaging title cut and nine more acoustic tracks, produced by Buck, and mostly played by his bandmates from Drivin N Cryin.

Though often cited as a working-class lyricist, Kinney cannot easily be thrown into the same bag as Springsteen, Mellencamp, or Dave Alvin. Instead, his is a unique spin on class, not urban yet not completely rural.

Kinney still continues to tour as a solo artist in-between dates with Drivin N Cryin, and is known to help host the annual Christmas Jam in Asheville with Warren Haynes. Darius Rucker cut Kinney’s song, Straight To Hell, on his album When Was The Last Time. The Drivin N Cryin song was a major hit on their album, Mystery Road, originally released in 1989.