On the promenade in the seaside town of Portstewart in  County Derry  there is a monument which, at the time of writing  (March 2004), is not identified with an inscription. The townspeople of course are aware of its purpose but when inquiring visitors learn that it commemorates Jimmy Kennedy their reponse is invariably, "Jimmy who?".  This reaction is, in a curious way, a tribute to the retiring and modest character of Kennedy who in his lifetime shunned publicity despite the worldwide popularity of his songs. Most people who have been hitherto ignorant of his name  are amazed when they learn of the volume, variety and popularity of his work. 

It is estimated that Jimmy Kennedy wrote around 2000 songs during his 40 years of composing music and lyrics. This equates to about one song per week and he claimed that he spent about 2 hours on each song. He once jokingly said that he must have been the only man to have had a 2-hour working week throughout his career. He would write a song 'at the drop of a hat' and many of his compositions were triggered by situations such as a snatch of overheard conversation (Does your mother come from Ireland?), the sign on a pub (Harbour Lights) or the sight of  a yacht while sitting looking out on the bay in Portstewart (Red Sails in the Sunset).

Jimmy Kennedy was born in Omagh, Co. Tyrone and after graduating from Trinity College in Dublin  he took up work as a teacher but later abandoned this in favour of a career in music following the huge success of his Teddy Bears' Picnic which sold 4 million copies within months of its publication. One success followed another and having two songs simultaneously in the American Top Twenty in 1939, when My Prayer  was No. 2 and South of the Border  was No. 1, was an   achievement unique until equalled in the 1960s by the Beatles. His work has been performed by many leading singers including Frank Sinatra, The Platters, Perry Como, Elvis Presley, Tony Bennett, Louis Armstrong, Roy Orbison, Glen Miller, Tom Jones and Nat King Cole. Bing Crosby also recorded some of his songs and they subsequently became close friends.

Jimmy Kennedy was a very private person whose work spoke for itself without the aid of gimmickry, the need for spin or having to be pushed by the cult of personality. His songs have a nostalgic ring for those of the generation for which they were originally written and they will endure for as long as people have the opportunity to hear and enjoy them.  Having died in 1984 Jimmy Kennedy  was posthumously admitted to the elite Songwriters' Hall of Fame in 1997 [See Links on the Main Menu].

APRIL IN PORTUGAL

DOWN THE TRAIL OF ACHING HEARTS

HARBOUR LIGHTS

I'M WRITING A LETTER

MANDOLINS IN THE MOONLIGHT

MY PRAYER

PLAY TO ME GYPSY

SERENADE IN THE NIGHT

SUNSET TRAIL

BLAZE AWAY

FALLING LEAVES

THE ISLE OF CAPRI

MERRY GO ROUND WALTZ

ON THE OLD SPANISH TRAIL

POOR LITTLE ANGELINE

SKYE BOAT SONG

SOUTH OF THE BORDER 

TEDDY BEARS' PICNIC

THE COKEY COKEY

HOME TOWN

IF YOU'RE GOING MY WAY

LOVE IS LIKE A VIOLIN

MILLER'S DAUGHTER MARIANNE

RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET

RICKSHAW RIDE

ROLL ALONG COVERED WAGON

WE'RE GONNA HANG OUT THE WASHING ON THE SIEGFRIED LINE