Kenny Hall Saturday 9:45a Event Area A Saturday 2:00p Event Area A Web: KennyHallBand.com Audio Sample Cotton-Eyed Joe Creek's All Muddy

Born blind on October 14, 1923 in San Jose, California, now residing in Fresno, Kenny Hall is a master mandolinist and fiddler in old-time music styles (southeastern rural U.S.), music from other parts of the U.S., Ireland, Mexico, Latin America, and many parts of Europe. An energetic and passionate performer, Kenny has also been an inspiration to hundreds of musicians from around the world. A Kenny Hall program is one of world rhythms, stories and folk songs.

For Friday night’s barn dance, Kenny’s band will be joined by his wife Marta Hall (boudhran), Andy Brown (guitar), Terry Barrett (mandolin/fiddle), Bill Lehr (guitar/banjo), Linda Guerrero (fiddle), Jeff Shelby (fiddle/mandolin), Chris Darden (mandolin), and Mike Mueller (autoharp/banjo).

Last October saw the Fresno Folklore Society, as arranged by organizer Terry Barrett, introduce the “Kenny Hall Festival,” a benefit to raise funds to support the film "Circle of Friends: The Life and Music of Kenny Hall, by documentary filmmaker Chris Simon.

Currently, Kenny spends his days performing in festivals and concerts throughout the U.S. He has a standing gig, Wednesday nights 5:30 to 7:30 at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant, on Shields and Maroa Streets in Fresno. On Fridays, Kenny teaches mandolin and performs in classrooms at Mendota Unified. His energy level is still extraordinary. Friday’s barn dance will be a visit to the old-time style of Appalachian entertainment.