Kathy Griffen's oldest brother,Kenny,would have turned 70 or 71 years old this December 25th. He always seemed to have a slight issue on his birthday because the guy who shared this birthday was more famous and always got more attention. I met Kenny in October of 1972 when my band was playing at "Mother's" , a club on the near north side of Chicago. My guitar player and I formed a very good band with him called "TIMMIE TOURS" in the winter of'72-'73 and played through-out the Midwest until we broke-up in January of 1978 after having moved to Southern California to "Make It Small" as we were fond of saying.We had changed our name to "SPACE COAST KIDS"in the spring of 1974 but continued to play large clubs in Mid-West college towns until we broke up. Yes, Kenny was everything his sister Kathy recalls about him but he was also a superb singer and musician. - Working with him on a professional level was like working with a human piano. Kenny was also extremely intelligent and quik-witted.He could be big-hearted and charming one minute and crazy and cruel the next, especially if he had been drinking. He had been the Lead in the Chicago cast of "HAIR" and was an impressive talent to all who knew him as a musician.My friend Kenny died of heart failure brought on by an acute asthma attack not helped by his fondness for smoking pot and later, almost anything. I will always remember him with a mixture of respect, laughter and disappointment - he was my friend.

Kenny was definitely three different people, hence the respect, laughter and disappointment responses. His stage presence, great voice and knowledge of music and entertainment was captivating and would awe listeners. When he performed with the Sounds of Dawn, he could duplicate the sound of many outstanding groups including the Beachboys, Association, Cowsills, Wilson Pickett, Boxtops, Beatles, etc. Kenny, Van, Bart, et.al. were terrific entertainers in Kalamazoo during 1967 and 68. Kenny wrote a nice song called "How Many Times" which was listenable and a good song, but he, in his humility, would joke about it being on a pick hit in Buffalo, NY. Kenny's performance in Hair was excellent but his marriage to a former neighbor and friend of mine was suffering as it often does in show business. And Kenny had already showed signs of having a reaction formation to others controlling him with an unsuccessful stint in the Army. He also detested arrogance and those with overinflated opinions of their own importance or accomplishments; and I remember that was his reaction to meeting Bill Cosby and getting to converse with him. He didn't show his anger too much at the time but talked about using his coping/calming skills during the meeting.

When Kenny would attend class at Western Michigan University (as a guest) he could fit in extemporaneously as if he had been a student all semester. He was knowledgeable in many subjects and very articulate. He came across as someone who had already graduated from college.

He loved sports and politics and entertainment. He would plan or organize pick up basketball or touch football games with me and thoroughly enjoy the gatherings. I seldom saw the demons (never a display of anger during competition) at work in his life, so Kenny and I had a wonderful friendship for about four years until I moved away from the Great Lakes area and retuned to Oklahoma. I regret that I didn't make an effort to keep in touch with Kenny, but lives take different paths; and we each do the best we can to deal with life's challenges. I do not know when Kenny left us. But I know he shared a birthday, 12.25, with my father (also a Chicagoan) and both were two of the most unforgettable people in my life.

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