# Paul Kennerley

Paul Kennerley (born 1948) is an English singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer working in the American contemporary country music industry.

## Biography

Kennerley was born in Hoylake, Cheshire, England in 1948. In 1976, he was living in London and working in advertising when he first heard country music — particularly, the song "Let's All Help the Cowboys Sing the Blues" by Waylon Jennings. "It really excited me," Kennerley recalls in his artist biography for Universal Music Group. "I immediately hunted down every Waylon record I could find."
Kennerley quit his job in advertising and allowed himself three months to develop his talents as a songwriter.

### Recordings

In 1972, Kennerley recorded an album with a rock band called 'Holy Roller' at Virgin Records' newly opened Manor studio, with Tom Newman (Mike Oldfield, Tubular Bells etc.) and Philip Newell, and Newman subsequently sang all the songs on the demonstration tapes of the White Mansions album.
Kennerley's first project was White Mansions, a 1978 concept album set in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The project was picked up by A&M Records, with Glyn Johns producing. A number of notable artists recorded the music, including Waylon Jennings, Jessi Colter, Steve Cash of the Ozark Mountain Daredevils and Eric Clapton.
In 1980, a second concept album was released, The Legend of Jesse James, which featured more notable artists, including Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Charlie Daniels, Albert Lee and Levon Helm.
Misery with a Beat, his 1995 EP, featured Richard Bennett and Billy Bremner on guitar, Michael Rhodes on bass, and Chad Cromwell on drums with songs including "Love Match"; - "Heart Full of Rain"; - "Tryin' to Get Over You" (co-written with J Ford & Bobby Womack); - "She was Mine" - and - "The Heartbreak Kind" (co-written with Marty Stuart)

### Songwriting

Neither White Mansions nor Jesse James were commercially successful, but they did establish Kennerley as a serious songwriter. Among his early compositions was "Born to Run", which Emmylou Harris recorded in 1981 for her album, Cimarron, and she continues to frequently perform the song in her concerts.
Kennerly continued to live in London while he wrote songs, but in 1983 moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where he started working with Harris on her semi-autobiographical concept album, The Ballad of Sally Rose, co-writing and producing the album. Kennerley also collaborated with Harris on her albums Thirteen and Bluebird, and writing the songs "In My Dreams" and "Heartbreak Hill".
Kennerley also wrote songs for The Judds ("Young Love", "One Man Woman", "Let Me Tell You About Love", "Cry Myself to Sleep", "Have Mercy" and "Give a Little Love"), Marty Stuart ("Hillbilly Rock", "Western Girls", "Tempted", "Till I Found You", "Little Things"), Tanya Tucker ("Walking Shoes"), Sweethearts of the Rodeo ("Chains of Gold"), Patty Loveless ("Blue Memories"), Juice Newton ("Tell Me True"), The Everly Brothers ("The First In Line") as well as Carla Olson & John York (First In Line).

### Personal life

Kennerley was married to Emmylou Harris from 1985 to 1993.

### Awards

Kennerley was named Broadcast Music Incorporated Writer of the Year in 1989.

## Songs used in television shows

| TV Programme | Song |
| Northern Exposure | "Poor Boy Blues" |
| The Sopranos | "Heaven Only Knows" |
| Nashville | "Ball and Chain" |
| Nashville | "You're the Kind of Trouble" |
| Animal Kingdom | "That's the Truth" |
| Ken Burns : Country Music | "Born to Run" |

## Songs used in films

| Film | Song |
| Baja, Oklahoma | "In My Dreams" |
| Thelma and Louise | "I Don't Want to Love You (But I Do)" |
| The Lost Boys | "Crazy Old Soldier" |
| A Star is Born | "Diggin My Grave" |
| Wild Rose | "Born to Run" |

## Top 20 songs on the Billboard Country Charts written by Kennerley

| Song | Recorded by | Year | Achieved | Co Written |
| Have Mercy | The Judds | 1985 | No 1 | |
| Cry Myself to Sleep | The Judds | 1986 | No 1 | |
| Young Love (Strong Love) | The Judds | 1989 | No 1 | * |
| Let Me Tell You About Love | The Judds | 1989 | No 1 | * |
| Give a Little Love | The Judds | 1988 | No 2 | |
| Born to Run | Emmylou Harris | 1982 | No 3 | |
| Walking Shoes | Tanya Tucker | 1990 | No 3 | |
| In My Dreams | Emmylou Harris | 1984 | No 4 | |
| The Blue Side of Town | Patty Loveless | 1989 | No 4 | * |
| Chains of Gold | The Sweethearts of the Rodeo | 1987 | No 5 | |
| Tempted | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 5 | * |
| One Hundred and Two | The Judds | 1991 | No 6 | * |
| Tell Me True | Juice Newton | 1988 | No 8 | * |
| Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart | 1990 | No 8 | |
| Heartbreak Hill | Emmylou Harris | 1989 | No 8 | * |
| Little Things | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 8 | * |
| One Man Woman | The Judds | 1990 | No 8 | |
| Till I Found You | Marty Stuart | 1991 | No 12 | * |
| White Line | Emmylou Harris | 1985 | No 13 | * |
| Heaven Only Knows | Emmylou Harris | 1989 | No 14 | |
| Western Girls | Marty Stuart | 1990 | No 20 | * |
| Heart Trouble | Martina McBride | 1993 | No 21 | |
NOTE ( 18 of the above songs received BMI Awards, 15 of which were 1 million plays, 4 were 2 million plays and 1 was a 3 million play award )

## Discography
### Recordings

* 1978: White Mansions (A&M) all songs written by Kennerly and performed by other artists
* 1979: The Legend of Jesse James (A&M) all songs written by Kennerly and performed by other artists
* 1998: Misery With A Beat EP (Spinout)

### As producer

* 1985: Emmylou Harris - The Ballad of Sally Rose (Warner Bros.)
* 1986: Emmylou Harris - Thirteen (Warner Bros.)

### As composer

| Year | Song | Artist | Album | Co-written with |
| 1980 | Southern Boys | Matchbox | Midnight Dynamos | |
| 1981 | Born to Run | Emmylou Harris | Cimarron | |
| 1982 | Gonna Write a Letter | Waylon Jennings | Black on Black | |
| 1983 | Feel so Right | Dave Edmunds | Information | |
| 1983 | The Watch on my Wrist | Dave Edmunds | Information | |
| 1983 | I'll be Faithful to You | The Kendalls | Movin Ttrain | |
| 1983 | That's the Truth | Johnny Cash | Johnny 99 | |
| 1983 | Brand New Dance | Johnny Cash | Johnny 99 | |
| 1983 | Let it Roll | Charlie Daniels | A Decade of Hits | |
| 1983 | Crazy Old Soldier | David Allan Coe | Hello in There | Troy Seals |
| 1983 | In my Dreams | Emmylou Harris | White Shoes | |
| 1984 | The First in Line | The Everly Brothers | EB 84 | |
| 1984 | I'll be Faithful to You | Glen Campbell | Letter To Home | |
| 1984 | Where Would I Be (Without You) | Waylon Jennings | Never Could Toe the Mark | |
| 1984 | Rock and Roll Shoes | Ray Charles | Friendship | Graham Lyle |
| 1984 | Crazy Old Soldier | Ray Charles | Friendship | Troy Seals |
| 1984 | Nothing Can Hurt Me Now | Gail Davies | Where Is a Woman To Go | Bob McDill |
| 1984 | Take that Woman Away | John Anderson | Eye of a Hurricane | |
| 1984 | I'll Be Faithful to You | Don Williams | Cafe Carolina | |
| 1985 | I've Got Me a Woman | John Anderson | Tokyo, Oklahoma | |
| 1985 | Have Mercy | The Judds | Rockin' with the Rhythm | |
| 1985 | Cry Myself To Sleep | The Judds | Rockin' with the Rhythm | |
| 1985 | Feels so Right | Brenda Lee | Feels so Right | |
| 1985 | I'll be Faithful | Marie Osmond | There's no Stopping your Heart | |
| 1985 | | { Waylon Jennings | { | |
| 1985 | Welfare Line | { Willie Nelson | { Highway Man | |
| 1985 | | { Johnny Cash | { | |
| 1985 | | { Kris Kristofferson | { | |
| 1985 | You Make it Feel so Right | Steve Wariner | Greatest Hits | |
| 1986 | Chains of Gold | Sweethearts of the Rodeo | Sweethearts of the Rodeo | |
| 1986 | Looking for Suzanne | Waylon Jennings | Sweet Mother of Texas | |
| 1986 | I'll Be Faithful To You | Don Williams | Lovers And Best Friends | |
| 1986 | Sweetheart of the Pines | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Emmylou Harris |
| 1986 | When I Was Yours | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Emmylou Harris |
| 1986 | I Had my Heart Set on You | Emmylou Harris | Thirteen | Rodney Crowell |
| 1986 | I've Got Me a Woman | Waylon Jennings | Will the Wolf Survive | |
| 1986 | We Remember The King | Class of '55 * | Memphis Rock & Roll Homecoming | |
| 1987 | When He Calls | Emmylou Harris | Angel Band | |
| 1987 | Lying In Her Arms | John Anderson | Blue Skies Again | John Anderson |
| 1987 | Let It Shine On Me | Nanci Griffith | Lone Star State of Mind | |
| 1987 | The Blue Side Of Town | Rosie Flores | Rosie Flores | Hank DeVito |
| 1987 | Woman Walk The Line | Highway 101 | Highway 101 | Emmylou Harris |
| 1987 | Tell me True | Juice Newton | | Brent Maher |
| 1988 | The Blue Side Of Town | Patty Loveless | Honky Tonk Angel | Hank DeVito |
| 1988 | Give a Little Love | The Judds | Greatest Hits | |
| 1988 | Heaven only Knows | Emmylou Harris | Bluebird | |
| 1988 | Heartbreak Hill | Emmylou Harris | Bluebird | Emmylou Harris |
| 1989 | Away From You | Jason & the Scorchers | Thunder and Fire | Jason Ringenberg |
| 1989 | One Man Woman | The Judds | River of Time | |
| 1989 | Young Love | The Judds | River of Time | Kent Robbins |
| 1989 | Let Me Tell You About Love | The Judds | River of Time | Carl Perkins and Brent Maher |
| 1989 | When I Get My Rewards | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Will the Circle be Unbroken-V2 | |
| 1989 | Mary Danced With Soldiers | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Will the Circle be Unbroken-V2 | |
| 1989 | The Tears that I Cry | John Anderson | Too Tough to Tame | John Anderson |
| 1989 | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | |
| 1989 | Western Girls | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart |
| 1989 | Easy to Love, Hard to Hold | Marty Stuart | Hillbilly Rock | Marty Stuart |
| 1990 | Poor Boy Blues | Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler | Neck and Neck | |
| 1990 | Sweet Dreams of You | Emmylou Harris | Brand New Dance | John David |
| 1990 | Brand New Dance | Emmylou Harris | Brand New Dance | |
| 1990 | Walking Shoes | Tanya Tucker | Tennessee Woman | |
| 1990 | I Don't want to Love You, (But I Do) | Kelly Willis | Well Travelled Love | |
| 1990 | Looking for Someone Like You | Kelly Willis | Well Travelled Love | Kevin Welch |
| 1990 | Love can Build a Bridge | The Judds | | |
| 1990 | One Hundred and Two | The Judds | | Wynonna Judd & Don Potter |
| 1990 | Blue Memories | Patty Loveless | On Down the Line | Karen Brooks |
| 1990 | I've Got to Stop Loving You (and Start Living Again) | Patty Loveless | On Down the Line | |
| 1990 | I'll be Faithful to You | Marie Osmond | The Best of Marie Osmond | |
| 1991 | Trail of Tear | Tanya Tucker | What Do I Do With Me | |
| 1991 | Till I Found You | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Hank DeVito |
| 1991 | Tempted | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Marty Stuart |
| 1991 | Little Things | Marty Stuart | Tempted | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | Woman Walk the Line | Trisha Yearwood | Hearts in Arm | Emmylou Harris |
| 1992 | Live With Jesus | Wynonna Judd | Wynonna | |
| 1992 | Danger Ahead | Tanya Tucker | Can't Run from Yourself | |
| 1992 | Down Home | Marty Stuart | This One's Gonna Hurt You | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | Hey Baby | Marty Stuart | This One's Gonna Hurt You | Marty Stuart |
| 1992 | Letter of Love | Jason Ringenberg | One Foot in the Honky Tonk | |
| 1992 | Feels so Right | Jason Ringenberg | One Foot in the Honky Tonk | |
| 1992 | The Blue Side of Town | The Del McCoury Band | Blue side of Town | Hank DeVito |
| 1993 | World without You | Kelly Willis | Kelly Willis | Kelly Willis |
| 1993 | Sugar Babe | Billy Burnette | Coming Home | Billy Burnette |
| 1993 | Heart Trouble | Martina McBride | The Way that I Am | |
| 1994 | One More Chance | Barry & Holly Tashian | Straw into Gold | Barry Tashian |
| 1995 | Love Match | Paul Kennerley | Misery With a Beat | |
| 1995 | Heart Full of Rain | Paul Kennerley | Misery With a Beat | |
| 1995 | Tryin' to Get Over You | Paul Kennerley | Misery With a Beat | J Ford & Bobby Womak |
| 1995 | She was Mine | Paul Kennerley | Misery With a Beat | |
| 1995 | The Heartbreak Kind | Paul Kennerley | Misery With a Beat | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | Draggin' My Heart Around | Travis Tritt | The Restless Kind | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | Double Trouble | Travis Tritt | The Restless Kind | Marty Stuart & Travis Tritt |
| 1996 | Country Girls | Marty Stuart | Honky Tonkin's What I do Best | Marty Stuart |
| 1996 | Rocket Ship | Marty Stuart | Honky Tonkin's What I do Best | Marty Stuart |
| 1998 | Heartbreak Kind | Linda Ronstadt | We Ran | Marty Stuart |
| 1998 | Born to Run | Emmylou Harris | Spyboy | |
| 1999 | He Was Mine | Linda Ronstadt & Emmilou Harris | Western Wall:The Tucson Sessions | |
| 1999 | Love Match | Buddy Miller | Cruel Moon | |
| 2000 | When I Get My Rewards | The Waco Brothers | Electric Waco Chair | |
| 2001 | Rodeo or Mexico | Garth Brooks | Scarecrow | Bryan Kennedy & Garth Brooks |
| 2002 | I'll be Faithful to You | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | Will the Circle be Unbroken | |
| 2003 | Draggin' My Heart Around | Patty Loveless | On Your Way Home | Marty Stuart |
| 2003 | Heartbreak Hill | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | Emmylou Harris |
| 2003 | Heaven Only Knows | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | Born To Run | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | In My Dreams | Albert Lee | Heartbreak Hill | |
| 2003 | Jupiter Rising | Emmylou Harris | Stumble into Gracee | |
| 2003 | Heart Trouble | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | |
| 2003 | It Happens Every Time | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | Joe Brown |
| 2003 | Lonely For You | Wanda Jackson | Heart Trouble | Marty Stuart |
| 2003 | If You Want Me Around | Marty Stuart | Country Music | Marty Stuart |
| 2005 | When I Get Just My Rewards | Rick Danko | Cryin' Heart Blues | |
| 2005 | Young Love | Wynonna Judd | Her Story | Kent Robbins |
| 2005 | Let Me Tell You About Love | Wynonna Judd | Her Story | Carl Perkins and Brent Maher |
| 2006 | Honey, Where's the Money Gone? | Kenny Rogers | Water and Bridges | Barry Tashian |
| 2006 | Honey, Where's the Money Gone? | Solomon Burke | Nashville | Barry Tashian |
| 2006 | You're the Kind of Trouble | Solomon Burke | Nashville | Shannon & Adam Wright |
| 2008 | Got Me A Woman | Levon Helm | Dirt Farmer | |
| 2008 | A Train Robber | Levon Helm | Dirt Farmer | |
| 2008 | The Wishing Well | Joe Brown | More of the Truth | Shawn Camp |
| 2008 | No Cadillac | Joe Brown | More of the Truth | |
| 2009 | Diamond in my Crown | Patty Loveless | Maintain Soul II | Emmylou Harris |
| 2009 | Live With Jesus | The Oak Ridge Boys | A Gospel Journey | |
| 2010 | Fallin' for You | Dierks Bentley | Up on the Ridge | Shawn Camp |
| 2010 | You're the King of Trouble | The Holmes Brothers | Feed my Soul | Shannon & Adam Wright |
| 2011 | A Train Robber | Levon Helm | Ramble at the Ryman | |
| 2014 | When I Get My Rewards | Harry Dean Stanton | Partly Fiction | |
| 2014 | Rock And Roll Shoes | Johnny Cash | Out Among The Stars | Graham Lyle |
| 2014 | Lonely For You | Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis | Our Year | Kelly Willis |
| 2014 | Rock and Roll Shoes | Johnny Cash | Out Among the Stars | Graham Lyle |
| 2016 | Born to Run | Lee Ann Womak | The Life & Songs of Emmylou Harris | |
| 2018 | Diggin My Grave | Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper | A Star is Born | |
| 2019 | Born to Run | Jessie Buckley | Wild Rose | |
| 2021 | Born to Run | Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers | Ramble in Music City | |
* Class of 55 (Carl Perkins; Jerry Lee Lewis; Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash)