Tiny Kennedy

By Marv Goldberg

© 2025 by Marv Goldberg

Tiny Kennedy had an interesting voice. While Jimmy Ricks of the Ravens, the deepest bass in the R&B world, was very comfortable singing second tenor, Tiny could handle anything from bass to soprano, with reports saying he could switch almost instantly.

Jesse James "Tiny" Kennedy, Jr was born on December 20, 1925 in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Notes:

1. His name is seen as both "Jesse" and "Jessie", but "Jesse" is correct (that's the way he signed his name, and "Jessie" is usually the feminine form).

2. That birthdate is all over the Internet, but I can't verify it independently (there's no World War 2 Draft Registration for him and he died prior to filing for Social Security, so there's no online SS record either). However, he's in two censuses and his age in those isn't at odds with a late 1925 birth.

His father was, not surprisingly, Jesse James Kennedy, Sr. and his mother was Desma Ward. His parents seemed to have an on-again, off-again marriage. She doesn't appear in the 1940 census, although Jesse said he was married. On either side of that, they were at the same address in the 1935 and 1942 Chattanooga City Directories. In the 1950 census, she was living next door to Tiny and was "separated". But they got back together and, when Jesse, Sr. died in 1966, they were still married.

I'm not sure I'd call them good parents. This was in the November 30, 1931 Chattanooga News:

Will Ward [Desma's brother], Jesse Kennedy, and Besna [sic] Kennedy were scheduled to appear before Squire Luther Hamby Monday afternoon on charges of possessing whiskey. The three were arrested Sunday night by Constable Roy W. Clinton.

On April 4, 1932, this appeared in the Chattanooga Daily Times, in a list of people arrested: "Desira [sic] Kennedy, Jesse Kennedy, and J. Cannon, violating the liquor laws." The April 22 Chattanooga News said: "Desina [sic] Kennedy and Jessie [sic] Kennedy, violating the liquor law, $250 and thirty days each."

Remember, Prohibition wasn't formally repealed until December 5, 1933, so, in some places (depending on local laws), you could be arrested for simply having a bottle of booze around the home. I'm not sure what it took to arrest proofreaders.

In the 1940 census in Chattanooga, we find Jesse Kennedy and Jesse, Jr, but not Desma (although Sr says he's married). Strangely, there's also James McDonald (16), also listed as Jesse's son. But, it also says that James' father was born in Georgia, whereas Jesse (only one line above) said he was born in Tennessee. Not a clue who James is, nor where Desma is.

But in the 1942 City Directory, Desma is there as Jesse's wife. They, and Jesse Jr, are all at the same address.

I'm not exactly sure where to put this, but sometime between the time the 1942 and 1948 Chattanooga City Directories were printed, Jesse Jr married Onnie Gurley. In 1942, she was "Onnie Gurley, maid"; and in 1948, the best they could do is that Jesse was married to "Annie". In that 1948 book, Jesse Sr and Desma are at different addresses. Jesse Jr and Onnie are living with Desma, at 202 W. 10th (Apt. 5).

But now comes the part you've desperately been waiting for: Jesse (as, finally, "Tiny Kennedy") was listed in the cast of Royal Crown Shows' "Cotton Club Revue", which had been in Logansport, Indiana on July 20, 1949. Royal Crown Shows was a traveling carnival; for most of his life, Tiny would be associated with one traveling show or another. This show had been in Nashville as early as April 21, but his name wasn't mentioned (actually, this is the only time in 1949 that it would be). The segment was later called the "King Cotton Club Musical Minstrels".

Tiny Kennedy was supposedly with pianist Jay McShann's band in the late 40s, however, there's not a single newspaper mention of Tiny Kennedy, Jesse Kennedy, or even Jessie Kennedy with McShann. From 1940 through 1950 (except for 1947), Walter Brown was McShann's vocalist.

IOn November 2, 1949, Tiny got to record for Capitol Records, waxing four songs: "Sister Flat-Top", "The Lady With The Black Dress On", "It Ain't No Use", and "Jumpin' Little Woman". Master numbers for the prior session were for Walter Brown, so it's reasonable to suspect that Jay McShann was backing Tiny (although he wasn't credited on the label). Adding to that suspicion is that "The Lady With The Black Dress On" was co-written by Tiny and McShann. Thanks to Billy Vera, we now know the musicians on that session were Jay McShann (piano), Eli Cottrell (tenor sax), Dusty Barrow (guitar), Lloyd Anderson (bass), and Jesse Price (drums).

Tiny was listed as part of a benefit given by Royal Crown Shows, in Winter Haven, Florida, on February 12, at the Florida Citrus Exposition. The MC was famed fan-dancer Sally Rand.

In February 1950, Capitol issued "The Lady With The Black Dress On", backed by "Sister Flat-Top", by "Tiny Kennedy With Orchestra". "Dress" is a ballad that says he's going back home to Chattanooga. On "Sister Flat-Top", Tiny is a real blues shouter. The tunes were reviewed in the February 18 Billboard:

The Lady With The Black Dress On (79): Slow blues in the nostalgia-for-down-home vein gets strong projection from a powerful shouter.

Sister Flat-Top (72): Up-tempo blues doesn't click like the flip.

In the 1950 census, Jesse and Onnie are living next door to Desma, who says she's separated (but they'd get back together). While Onnie is a waitress, Jesse, for some reason, has no occupation listed.

By this time, Tiny had joined Nat Towles, a bassist who led a very successful territory band in the Midwest. Tiny was first mentioned with Towles at the 1733 Ballroom, in Kearney, Nebraska, on April 15. Sadly, the ad misspelled Towles' name as "Mat".

On April 16, they were at the Kaliko-Kat in Wichita, Kansas. By this time the Edwards Sisters (dancers Ruth and Louise) had joined the revue. On April 26, they were at Melody Lane (Minden, Nebraska; the blurb mentioned vocalist "Tim Kennedy"), May 1 found them at Dreamland Auditorium in Little Rock, Arkansas. On May 17, it was the Bijou Theater in Nashville. After that, the Palace (Memphis; week of May 22), the Labor Temple (Minneapolis; June 3), the Sun Theater (St. Louis; two weeks starting June 16; they were the first live act to play there), the Gayway Theater, (McCook, Nebraska; July 1), back to the 1733 Ballroom (Kearney, Nebraska; July 4; this time, they spelled Nat's name correctly, but his vocalist became "Ling Kennedy"). Poor Ling; it was the last time he was advertised with Towles.

More bad parenting. The September 11, 1950 Chattanooga Daily Times reported that Desma was arrested when detectives seized a half gallon of "moonshine" whiskey. The actual charge was "possessing unstamped whiskey".

In June 1951, Tiny was singing with Charles Taylor's "Club Ebony Revue" (part of the World Of Mirth traveling shows). It was in D.C. in late April; Wilmington, Delaware in early May; then on to Milmont, Pennsylvania; New Brunswick, New Jersey; Plainfield, NJ; Garfield, NJ; Hallowell, Maine; Lewiston, Maine; Bangor, Maine; Portland, Maine; Ottawa, Ontario; Burlington, Vermont; Greensboro, North Carolina on October 2; and many other stops. (I'm going for Brad Bradford's reptile exhibit)

In an interview, the show's manager said the World Of Mirth filled 40 double-sized railroad cars, but only took half a day to set up. However, newspapers always reported 50 railroad cars.

In late 1951, Tiny joined drummer Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra. (I hope you don't think it's easy writing about two people named "Tiny" in the same aggregation. I'll try to refer to the leader as "Bradshaw".)

[I don't know why Bradshaw was nicknamed "Tiny", a monicker that went back at least to 1928 when he was drummer for the New Orleans Blackbirds. "Tiny" is usually reserved for someone who's very short or very tall or really fat. When he registered for the draft in World War 2, his height was 5'9", which is average, and his weight was around 180 pounds - possibly a bit overweight, but not strikingly so. Photos (including his high school yearbook) also show someone who isn't fat.]

They played the Apollo Theater the week of December 7 (along with the Dominoes). While Kennedy wasn't mentioned in either the ad or the write-up, Apollo owner Frank Schiffman noted that "Tiny Kennedy registered well."

On February 27, 1952, Tiny was part of a Bradshaw session for King Records. His two vocals were "Newspaper Boy Blues" and "Rippin' And Runnin'". He does two voices on both songs, and on "Newspaper", he demonstrates his ability to go from baritone to soprano almost instantly.

The band was at D.C.'s Howard Theater the week of March 7, 1952, along with Tab Smith, B.B. King, and H-Bomb Ferguson.


In April, King released "Newspaper Boy Blues" (credited to "Tiny Bradshaw - vocal by Little Tiny Kennedy"), backed with Bradshaw's "Mailman's Sack". They were reviewed in the April 26 Billboard, which gave "Newspaper Boy Blues" a 75 (Bradshaw's side got an 80) and said:

Little Tiny Kennedy is persuasive on the vocal while the Bradshaw ork backs expressively.

The July 2, 1952 Down Beat took a dimmer view, giving "Newspaper Boy Blues" one star (and Bradshaw's side two stars):

Little Tiny Kennedy and an unidentified male [also Kennedy] sing the desultory blues about the newspaper boy. Mailman, a fast off-beat rocker with screaming tenor, has Bradshaw singing.

The Bradshaw band was back at the Apollo the week of May 2, 1952, this time along with Sugar Chile Robinson.


King released "Rippin' And Runnin'" in June (once again as "Tiny Bradshaw - vocal by Little Tiny Kennedy"). The flip was another Bradshaw vocal: "Lay It On The Line". "Rippin'" was reviewed in the July 5, 1952 Cash Box and the August 8 Down Beat:

(CB; C): Vocalist on the flip side is Little Tiny Kennedy. Tiny gives a low down rendition of the slow piece.

(DB; 2 stars): Rippin' is a slower blues, done as a vocal duet, the only half given label credit being Little Tiny Kennedy. [If they'd only known.]

On September 11, they appeared at the Lyric Theater in Lexington, Kentucky. By this time, Mabel Scott and the Spence Twins were part of the package. On September 12, they were at the Coliseum in Evansville, Indiana. On the 16th, they moved to the Bijou in Nashville.

In late September, Tiny Kennedy had a session for Trumpet Records, at which he recorded "Early In The Morning, Baby", "Strange Kind Of Feeling" (a shouter), "Blues Disease" (another shouter), "Don't Lay This Job On Me" (on which he once again does a woman's voice), and "Have You Heard About The Farmer's Daughter".

The first two were released in December, as "Tiny" Kennedy. "Morning" is a really nice ballad, which not only features Tiny, but also "Elmer the disc jockey Rooster". Elmer was a trained bird that crowed on Chuck Thompson's show on WFOR (Hattiesburg, Mississippi). They were reviewed in the December 20, 1952 Billboard:

Strange Kind Of Feeling (78): The warbler has been rejected by his gal and he chants his feelings about the situation. Kennedy is energetic and is supported in great style by the driving ork. Good for the coin boxes.

Early In The Morning, Baby (76): Kennedy shows an interesting change of pace here. He sings the unusual blues with great warmth and conviction. A good side.

"Blues Disease" and "Don't Lay This Job On Me" were also released, but mysteriously; hang on a while.

The week of January 23, 1953 found the two Tinys back at the Apollo Theater, along with Ruth Brown and the Milt Buckner Trio.


In early March, the band was at Gleason's in Cleveland. The March 7 Cleveland Call And Post said: "The outfit has a guy named Tiny Kennedy (he weighs about 240) who is a show by himself as he sings "Baby Get Lost", imitating both Little Esther and Johnny Otis."

The April 19 Chattanooga Daily Times said: "Tiny Bradshaw and his band, including Tiny Kennedy, blues singer, formerly of Chattanooga, will play a concert and for dancing at the Memorial Auditorium the night of April 27. Tickets at Lindsey's Barber Shop." Aside from the horrible grammar, it seems to indicate that he no longer lives in Chattanooga, but I don't know where he's moved to.

Then, there's the other Trumpet record: "Blues Disease", backed with "Don't Lay This Job On Me" (once again as "Tiny" Kennedy). I really have no idea when this came out. The songs were recorded in September 1952 and released as Trumpet 188 ("Strange Kind Of Feeling" had been 187). Trumpet number 189 was reviewed in Billboard on December 20, 1952, but Tiny's doesn't show up in Billboard's Advance Record Releases column until August 1, 1953 (and was never reviewed). Trumpet 192 was mentioned in an early February Trumpet ad, but not 188. So, I'll precisely date it to 1953.

Trumpet had a deal with a European label called 20th Century, which released "Blues Disease" and "Strange Kind Of Feeling", probably in 1953.


The band was at Chilhowee Park in Knoxville, Tennessee on April 29, 1953 and at the Tobacco Planters Warehouse No. 2 in Rocky Mount, NC on June 22 (along with the 5 Royales and the Sweethearts Of Rhythm).

When they played the Roller Rink in Paducah, Kentucky on September 2, 1953, Tiny was referred to as "Mr. Go-Go-Go". Earlier in the year, Bradshaw had had a #3 R&B hit with the instrumental "Soft", and he'd sometimes be referred to as "Mr. Soft", as he was when they played the Mambo Club (Wichita, Kansas) on September 6. Thanksgiving found them at the Labor Temple in Minneapolis. I guess Tiny's "Go-Go" nickname could be explained by this piece in the November 20 St. Paul Recorder:

Featured soloist with the Bradshaw Band will be "Big Tiny Kennedy" who racks 'em with his songs and has the fans shouting "Go, go, go!"

New Year's Eve 1953 found them at the Armory in Louisville. The January 7, 1954 Louisville Defender said:

Popular entertainers Dinah Washington and bandleader Tiny Bradshaw might have been the headliners on the recent New Year's Eve Armory gig, but it was Tiny Kennedy (Bradshaw's vocalist) who rocked the crowds with his torrid vocalizing. The buxom [first time I've ever seen this word applied to a man] artist, who bears a striking resemblance to Alex Wilde [sic], tenor with the Orioles Quartet, was at his best singing "Woke Up This Morning", "Do I Worry", and "Two-Timing Baby".

We'll soon see why it wasn't good to resemble the Orioles' Alex Sharp.

When they were at the Comedy Club in D.C., the February 20, 1954 Baltimore Afro-American said:

Assisting Bradshaw with the vocals is Tiny Kennedy. Strange thing about Mr. Kennedy, he weighs 230 pounds, and yet they call him Tiny.

The vocalist has the darndest trick of singing in a falsetto and then dropping back into his normal voice without losing a beat. You have to see him in action to really appreciate this trick.

The band was back at the Apollo the week of February 26, along with Scatman Crothers and Chuck Willis.

I told you to remember Alex Sharp. This is from the April 1, 1954 Jet:

Being mistaken for Alec (Orioles) Sharpe [sic; should be Alex Sharp] almost caused Tiny Kennedy, singer with Tiny Bradshaw's orchestra, to be chopped up by an angry woman in Atlanta, who pulled a switchblade on him.

Remember, boys and girls: "Hell hath no fury like the lawyer of a woman scorned."

The Bradshaw band was at El Rancho (Wilmington, Delaware) the week of May 7, 1954. Then, it was on to the Loop Lounge in Cleveland. The May 29 Cleveland Call And Post said this about Tiny (although it's somewhat garbled):

Vocalist with the outfit is an old Cleveland favorite, Tiny Kennedy, the 25 virtuoso who does things the 325 voice . . . such as going from an almost true soprano (falsetto of course) to the bass range quick as a flash. [That's verbatim from the article, but the important part came through.]

This was in the June 12, 1954 Pittsburgh Courier:

Tiny Bradshaw has already put up his $500 [to become a life member of the NAACP]. It was the amount he won from his manager, Milton Bowser, saxman Sil Austin, and singer Tiny Kennedy. Seems his manager and saxman couldn't stop smoking and Tiny failed to drop fifty of his 270 pounds.

The July 3, 1954 Pittsburgh Courier told us of a blessed event: "The Tiny Kennedys (he's Tiny Bradshaw's 270-pound vocalist) have added a tiny tot to their household, Yvonne by name." Nice of them to report it, but it took them 5 months! Yvonne Victoria Kennedy had actually been born on January 25!

The band was at the Crystal Ballroom, in the Hotel Ben Lomond (Ogden, Utah), on August 21. They were in Cincinnati when they played the Regal Theater on October 23 (along with Dinah Washington). Another act on the bill was The Hines Kids (ages 9 and 11; anyone remember Maurice and Gregory Hines?).

Although the Regal show was only for a single night, they hung around Cincinnati for some reason. While there, on November 4, 1954, Bradshaw suffered a stroke that left him paralyzed on the left side of his body (it was the third time he'd had a stroke). The package show, with Dinah Washington, continued on without him.

The band was at the Magnolia Ballroom in Atlanta on November 16, along with the Cherokees, the Cashmeres, Zilla Mays, Bobby Tuggle, and Piano Red. Bradshaw himself was recuperating in Florida at the time; he'd rejoin the band on November 29.

It's been suggested that, sometime in early 1955, Tiny, as "Mr. Rain", cut "Rain, Rain, Rain" and "Who Dat?" for Jay Miller's Feature Records of Crowley, Louisiana. These were released in February and were advertised by a record store in early March. I've listened to "Who Dat?" and it sounds like him to me. The only problem is that he was nowhere near Louisiana in either late 1954 or early 1955. I'll include it just in case.

The April 30, 1955 Billboard reported that Big Tiny Kennedy had been signed by Groove Records (an RCA subsidiary). Following industry practice, it wouldn't have been reported unless he'd already recorded. Probably in early April, he'd waxed four tunes: "Strange Kind Of Feeling" (which he'd previously recorded for Trumpet), "Country Boy", "I Need A Good Woman", and "'Taint Right".

In May, Groove issued "Country Boy", backed with "I Need A Good Woman", as "Big Tiny Kennedy And His Orchestra" (probably Bradshaw's). They were reviewed in the May 14 Cash Box and the May 21 Billboard:

I Need A Good Woman (CB; B): Big Tiny Kennedy makes his bow for Groove with a middle tempo bounce blues. Big Tiny observes the comparative merits of a good as against a bad woman. Ok evergreen.

Country Boy (CB; B): Tiny sings another country blues of similar tempo and feeling. The shouter puts loads of feeling into his readings. Should make a good impression on Southern markets.

Country Boy (BB; 74): Bradshaw [sic] should ingratiate himself with the non-urban sectors of the R&B belt via this personable shout. [It's possible that the documentation sent to Billboard, along with the review copy of the record, mentioned that the backing band was Bradshaw's, leading to the reviewer's confusion.]

I Need A Good Woman (BB; 70): The former [?] Tiny Bradshaw vocalist debuts on Groove as an impressive shouter, tho his material here is routine.

Hardly a former Bradshaw vocalist, they appeared together at Ocean Beach Park (New London, Connecticut) on May 29, 1955; the Masonic Hall (St. Louis) on September 24; and the Labor Temple (Minneapolis) on October 28.

In December, Groove released "Strange Kind Of Feeling", coupled with "'Taint Right", once again as "Big Tiny Kennedy And His Orchestra". They were reviewed in the December 31 Billboard:

'Taint Right (74): Ingratitude is the topic here, and it makes a listenable Southern blues in this fine slice of wax. Can move with exposure.

Strange Kind Of Feeling (72): He's got a premonition that his gal has put him down. Kennedy shouts it strongly and is handed good support.

NOTE: In 2011, two of his Groove sides ("Country Boy" and "Strange Kind Of Feeling") were issued on a TINY K label 45 (designed to look like Groove).

In March 1956, Tiny became part of the "Rock 'N' Roll Cavalcade" show, without Bradshaw. He was the MC and probably sang. Others in the show were the 5 Royales, Little Willie John, Joe Tex, Percy Mayfield, Camille Howard, Roy Brown, and the Jimmy Coe orchestra. Although the March 3 Billboard said that it would start that very day at the City Auditorium in Houston, it had already played, the day before, at the Municipal Auditorium in Oklahoma City. Other cities were:

March 16 - Birmingham
March 22 - Atlanta
March 23 - Durham, NC
March 26 - Chattanooga
March 30 - Blythedale, MO
April 1 - Kansas City
April 2 - St. Louis
April 3 - Clarksville, TN
April 15 - Cleveland
April 20 - Syracuse, NY

The April 13 St. Paul Recorder said: "... Kennedy, dubbed '300 pounds of rhythm and emcee', keeps routines and members of the package in stitches with his rollicking comedy routines and attempts to take over the cooking chores for the group."

I'll let you try to figure this one out. It's from the April 14, 1956 Pittsburgh Courier:

Universal Attractions' "Rock 'n Roll" Cavalcade pulled the boner of the week on a recent Ohio date. Traveling by car, the boys and girls (including Roy Brown, Percy Mayfield, et al) got their signals crossed. One group went to Toledo, the other arrived in Cleveland. The show was scheduled for Cleveland ONLY!

Okay, so there was a mix-up; it happens. But not this time. As I said, the item came from an April 14 paper, but the "recent" Cleveland show was scheduled for the next day!

On September 15, 1956, Tiny was back with Bradshaw at the Mambo Club in Wichita, Kansas.

In March 1957, Desma's sister died. The text of the obituary indicated that Tiny's parents were still married.

More appearances with Bradshaw: the Regal Theater (Cincinnati) on March 23; the Dude Ranch Nite Club (Cincinnati) on April 12-14; the CIO Hall (Cleveland) on April 27.

After that appearance, Tiny joined another carnival and never seemed to appear with Bradshaw again.

He was advertised with Heth Shows' "Rock And Roll Minstrels" revue in August 1957, when they played the Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, Missouri.

In June 1958, Tiny, "a 350 pound vocalist" was the star of Charles A. Taylor's "Rock 'N' Roll Revue", part of World's Finest Shows. At the time, they were in Regina, Saskatchewan. After that, it was Red Deer, Alberta, where the July 30 Red Deer Advocate called Tiny:

... the biggest (350 pounds), swinginest Rock 'N Roll vocalist in all America. Known from coast to coast as the real big man with the real big voice. Tiny has starred in many New York and Chicago shows. His rendition of "Bony Marony", "Further Up The Road", and "Woke Up This Morning" really rocks the house.

While Tiny may have been planning to return to Bradshaw's band after the carnival season, Bradshaw had suffered a second paralytic stroke in mid-1958. He kept working, in spite of doctors' orders, and passed away on November 26.

More trouble: the December 20, 1958 Cincinnati Enquirer, in a column listing suits filed in Common Pleas Court had: "Onnie Kennedy vs. Jesse Kennedy Jr. For divorce, custody of child, and alimony."

New Year's Eve found Tiny as MC at the Copa Club in Cincinnati. From this point on, he would be known as more of a comedian and MC than a singer.

In late April 1959, Onnie's divorce was granted in Cincinnati.

By late May, Tiny was part of Leon Claxton's "Harlem In Havana" revue with Royal American Shows. Also there was Al Jackson formerly of Patterson & Jackson. He was also really fat, and also able to slip in and out of soprano. They did comedy routines and were advertised as "700 lbs. of Laugh Splitting Comedy".

This was in the May 29, 1959 St. Louis Argus:

While we were talking [to Leon Claxton at the show], 300-lb funny man Tiny Kennedy came over to say something to the boss man. After his shop talk with Claxton, Kennedy told us that he had previously worked with the late Tiny Bradshaw [at] the Apollo and Paramount theaters in New York City.

"I have realized my top ambition in show business", he confided. "The first to play the Apollo in New York and now to work in the Leon Claxton production."

About his boss, Kennedy said that he was the best person in the world to work for if you do what you are supposed to do, and the damndest, if you don't.

[In the show,] Tiny Kennedy came out in red highlander cap, striped blazer, blue Bermuda shorts, and white (well, once white) tennis shoes. His top act was a two-part blues ditty in which he sang both soprano and bass parts. Then he confessed "I'd better stop. I'm killing myself up here." He was enjoying Tiny Kennedy to be sure.

June 3 found the show at the Davenport Levee in Davenport, Iowa. In early July, it was Calgary, Alberta. While ads still used his one known publicity picture (dating from 1950), at this point, some papers printed current photos of Tiny posing with other members of the troupe.

In December 1959, Tiny (A Laugh Riot) was at the Key Club in St. Paul, Minnesota.


In mid-May 1960, Big Tiny Kennedy (Blues Singer - M.C. - Comedian - Formerly with Tiny Bradshaw) was at George's Bar in Indianapolis. The June 4 Indianapolis Recorder said "Big Tiny Slayin' 'Em At George's":

Big Tiny Kennedy is really layin' 'em in the aisle at George's Bar with his risque jokes and blues singing. The fella is real good and a master of repartee or joke-ology. He really slays you - and if you haven't heard him and his combo, then trot on down to George's Bar this week-end and dig the goings on - for you have truly been missing a treat.

But then, it was back to carnival life, as he joined Kunz's Heth Shows, in a revue called "Beatniks". In mid-August 1960, they were at the Ozark Empire Fair in Springfield, Missouri. By October, they'd been at the Madison County Fair (Huntsville, Alabama), the West Tennessee District Fair (Jackson, TN), and the Cousa Valley Fair (Rome, Georgia). In spite of really bad weather, the show did very well.

In April 1961, Tiny (and His Sensational Beatniks Combo), was back at George's Bar in Indianapolis. A long engagement, he was still there in November.


Once again with Heth Shows in 1962, the revue was now called "Tiny's Peppermint Twist". They were in Springfield, Missouri in early August. September 24-29, found them at the Madison County Fairgrounds in Huntsville, Alabama. The ad needed a serious proofreader, since it was called "Tiny Peppermint Twist Review" (instead of "Tiny's Peppermint Twist Revue"). Worse than that, "Tiny" was identified as Tiny Bradshaw! On October 8, they opened in Meridian, Mississippi. It was now called "Tiny Kennedy's Peppermint Lounge Show".

On March 8, 1963, the Tiny Kennedy Revue was at the Royal Theater in Louisville, Kentucky. From there, it was the Palace Theater in Dayton, Ohio. By the end of May, the Peppermint Twist Revue was in Decatur, Alabama. This time, Tiny was with Kunz's Century 21 Shows. (Al Kunz ran both the Heth and Century 21 Shows.) In early June, they were in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. By late July, Kunz had switched him back to the Heth Shows when they played Harrisburg, Illinois.

This is the last we hear of Tiny Kennedy for three years, until April 1966, when he was heading some kind of package tour (called the "Shindig-A-Go-Go Revue"). It included Leroy "Prince Phillip" Mitchell (who'd later become famous in his own right) and Bill McWhorter. The revue had been at the Ford County Fair in Bloomington, Illinois (on July 8); the Martinsville (Illinois) Agricultural Fair (on July 19); and the Northern Wisconsin State Fair, at Chippewa Falls (from August 2-7). Looks like he went around to state fairs with the package, but it doesn't seem to have been part of a full carnival.

Early June 1967 found Tiny back with Royal American Shows, in Davenport, Iowa. This time as a comedian/MC in the "Harlem Revue". Later that month, they were in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

A new venture. I haven't mentioned it before, but every song Tiny ever recorded was either written or co-written by him. In 1968, he wrote the theme song to a movie called "Fireball Jungle" that started filming in Tampa, Florida in April. This was an Americana Entertainment Association film, starring John Russell (from TV's "Lawman"), Lon Chaney, Jr (from the old wolfman films), and Randy Kirby (son of Durward Kirby). Tiny also appeared in the film, as a nightclub singer, doing another tune he wrote: "Please Don't Give Him My Love".

Those two songs were released on an Americana Productions 45. There was also an Americana Productions promotional EP, with those two songs on one side and four different 30-second advertising spots on the flip. The film had its world premiere in Tampa, on December 12, 1968.

The December 10 Tampa Tribune had a column by John Frasca. It said:

With the world premiere of the Tampa-made movie "Fireball Jungle", scheduled here Thursday, governor Claude Kirk says it's his dream to make Florida the film capital of the world. [We pause for riotous laughter.]

I'd like to think it opened to rave reviews, but it doesn't seem like any reviewer ever bothered to see it.

I guess being in a movie wears you out. There was nothing at all about Tiny in either 1969 or 1970.

But by July 1971, he was back with Century 21 Shows. The Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Gazette of July 11 had this:

Tiny Kennedy is a comic, movie actor, and husband of the 850-pound fat lady on the midway. Tiny, not skinny himself, has starred in "Fireball Jungle" and has other films in the works. He has worked professionally with Stan Kenton, Tiny Bradshaw, and others.

Most entertainers get their start in the carnival, Tiny said. He cited Little Richard, of recent fame, as a prime example.

Tiny was a shoeshine boy as a child in Chattanooga, Tenn. "You know that song, 'The Chattanooga [sic; should be "Chattanoogie"] Shoeshine Boy'," he asked, "that's me."

"Once you get in show business, it's hard to get away from it," he said. "When it's good, it's good. When it's bad, it's good too."

Tiny attacked show business, though, calling it "a phony world. You've got to be on your P's and Q's all the time."

He said he prefers the carnival. "Out here, you can do your own thing," he said.

This is the only article that ever mentioned his being married to the fat lady, whose name I couldn't discover. Keep in mind that weights and sizes of sideshow people were routinely exaggerated.

In August 1972, Tiny was at the Indiana State Fair, part of Gooding's Million Dollar Midway. Once again, he's a comic/MC. At the end of 1972, he appeared, as a comic, at the Backstage Lounge in Tampa.

Nothing at all in 1973. The last Tiny Kennedy ad I can find was for the Bijou Art Theater (Knoxville, Tennessee), from February 14-23, 1974.


There was one more movie for Tiny: 1978's "Mr. No Legs", filmed in Tampa by Cinema Artists Productions and released in May 1978 (the earliest ad I can find is on May 10). Although it starred Richard Jaeckel, Lloyd Bochner, and John Agar, it looks so mind-numbingly stupid that I couldn't watch much of it. (It tells the heartwarming story of a mob enforcer, with no legs, who has shotguns mounted in his wheelchair.) Tiny plays a bartender during a fight scene, and seems to have only one line: "I'll be damned". You probably need to know that it was directed by Ricou Browning, whom you probably remember as being the "Creature From The Black Lagoon".

That was the last mention I could find of Jesse "Tiny" Kennedy. A couple of family trees claim that he died, in Tampa, in 1986, but they don't give a specific date and I can't verify it independently, since there was never an obituary.

Tiny Kennedy had a career more varied than most: soloist, band singer, comedian, master of ceremonies. What's more, he seemed to do it all well.



CAPITOL (Tiny Kennedy with orchestra)
F840 Sister Flat-Top / The Lady With The Black Dress On - 2/50

   CAPITOL UNRELEASED
      It Ain't No Use
      Jumpin' Little Woman

KING (Tiny Bradshaw - vocal by Little Tiny Kennedy)
4537 Newspaper Boy Blues / (Mailman's Sack - voc by Tiny Bradshaw) - 4/52
4547 Rippin' And Runnin' / (Lay It On The Line - voc by Tiny Bradshaw) - 6/52

TRUMPET ("Tiny" Kennedy)
187 Early In The Morning, Baby / Strange Kind Of Feeling - 12/52
      ("Morning" is with Elmer, the Disc Jockey Rooster)
188 Blues Disease / Don't Lay This Job On Me - 53

TRUMPET UNRELEASED
Have You Heard About The Farmer's Daughter

20th CENTURY ("Tiny" Kennedy; European; Trumpet cuts)
75002 Blues Disease / Strange Kind Of Feeling - 53?

FEATURE (as "Mr. Rain")
2010 Rain, Rain, Rain / Who Dat? - 2/55

GROOVE (Big Tiny Kennedy & His Orchestra)
0106 Country Boy / I Need A Good Woman - 5/55
0133 Strange Kind Of Feeling / 'Taint Right - 12/55

AMERICANA PRODUCTIONS (Tiny Kennedy; from the movie "Fireball Jungle")
5969 Fireball Jungle (Theme Song) / Please Don't Give Him My Love - 68
6249 Fireball Jungle (Theme Song) / Please Don't Give Him My Love //
      The flip of this EP has four different 30 second advertising spots - 68

TINY K (reissues of Groove sides, on a label designed to look like Groove)
1025 Country Boy / Strange Kind Of Feeling - 2011