Royce Kendall, one half of the father and daughter team of the Kendalls,
died Friday. Mr. Kendall was 63 years old. Mr. Kendall had
suffered a stroke
on Wednesday just prior to a show in LaCrosse, Wis.
The Kendalls had a rare father-daughter duo. The duo, Royce
and Jeannie, scored 11 top 10 hits. Those hits included
Pittsburgh Stealers, It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' To Me and
probably their biggest hit Heavens Just A Sin Away.
Mr. Kendall had just completed their sound check and were
greeting fans when he clutched his chest and fell to the floor.
Paramedics arrived and he was flowen to a Wisconsin
hospital.
The funeral plans had not been announced as of this time, and
the funeral will take place in his hometown of Harrison, Ark.
Royce Kendall
The Kendalls
(b. 25 September 1934, St. Louis, Missouri, d. 22 May 1998)
Royce learned guitar from the age of five and formed a duo, the Austin
Brothers, with his brother, Floyce. After serving in the US Army, Royce
and his wife Melba started a hairdressing business in St. Louis. Their
only child, Jeannie, began harmonizing with her father on old-time country
songs, and they were soon entertaining family and friends. Their first
record, for a small local label, was Round Round Round, and their talents
were recognized in Nashville by Pete Drake, although they simply recorded
country versions of pop hits such as Leavin' On A Jet Plane, Proud Mary
and You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'. Jeannie Kendall was among the backing
singers on Ringo Starr's Nashville album, BEAUCOUPS OF BLUES. The family
moved to Hendersonville, just outside Nashville, and the Kendalls had success
with Dot Records, notably Two Divided By Love and Everything I Own. In
the mid-70s, Ovation Records started a country division and the Kendalls,
who had a contemporary sound with traditional overtones, were to test the
market. When a single of Live And Let Live was released, Ovation found
that country disc jockeys preferred the b-side, Heaven's Just A Sin Away.
It topped the US country charts and became the Country Single of the Year.
The father and daughter followed the record with other ‘cheating’ songs,
notably It Don't Feel Like Sinnin' To Me and Pittsburg Stealers. They had
a further US country number l with the double-sided, Sweet Desire/Old Fashioned
Love, plus further Top 10 hits with I'm Already Blue and Dolly Parton's
Put It Off Until Tomorrow. In 1981, they moved to Mercury and continued
their success with Teach Me How To Cheat and If You're Waiting On Me (You're
Backing Up). They had their third chart-topper in 1984 with Thank God For
The Radio. Jeannie, who takes most of the lead vocals, married band member,
Mack Watkins.
Music Central '96