EC-CHAP Acoustic Artist Series: An Evening with Songwriter & Musician Kenny White
Tickets $30.00+Fees in Advance (ONLINE) / $35.00 at the Door
EC-CHAP MEMBER DISCOUNTS & FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM AVAILABLE
Doors: 6:30pm / Show: 7:30pm
Check out Kenny White’s video interview with Mark Ramone, host of Something Different, WECS radio on Friday, October 16, 2026!
Special Note: We are honored to have Kenny White return to The Packing House stage this fall! His authentic lyrics and musicianship will make this a night to remember. Join us for an intimate musical experience.
KENNY WHITE comes to the world of the touring singer-songwriter following a long and successful musical journey.
An accomplished pianist, who also performs on guitar, Kenny has now become more known for his clever lyrics. LONG LIST OF PRIORS, his aptly named current album, is the latest collection of original songs: snapshots of the human condition. Audiences often comment that a Kenny White concert moves them to laughter and tears — sometimes within the same song! Kenny recently completed an 18-month tour performing his original songs while traveling as the opener for Stephen Stills & Judy Collins, and has toured for many years with Cheryl Wheeler. He is looking forward to returning to the road to perform his own full-length shows.
Born in New York City and raised across the river in Fort Lee, NJ, Kenny White began his career in the 1970s, touring exclusively as the keyboard player for Jonathan Edwards and later with Livingston Taylor, on Linda Ronstadt’s legendary, “Living in the USA” tour.
He became a fixture in the NYC studio scene throughout the 1980s and 1990s, producing and arranging hundreds of commercials for TV and radio, beginning with “The Unsinkable Taste of Cheerios,” nearly seven years of Chevrolet’s “Heartbeat of America” campaign, countless ads for Coca Cola and many others.
““Songs of tragedy, comedy, life and death…Kenny White is the troubadour of our sometimes sweet, often troubled times. ‘Carry You Home’ is the big song I’ve been waiting for. Bravo, Kenny, in all categories…writing, playing, singing. Could I have some more, please?””
Commercial work enabled White to direct artists as renowned and varied as Linda Ronstadt, Gladys Knight, Mavis Staples, Ricky Skaggs, and Aaron Neville. White contributed to film soundtracks as writer/musician including Message in a Bottle, Where the Heart Is and four films by Indie-director laureate, John Sayles. Kenny also appears on dozens of recordings of other musicians, including Marc Cohn’s platinum debut.
““Kenny the artist, the songwriter, the troubadour, is winning hearts everywhere and often to my good fortune, joins me in concerts. It is always a gift to see him and hear him sing his amazing songs.””
Kenny White’s record producing credits include Shawn Colvin’s Grammy-nominated song, “I Don’t Know Why,” as well as the last four solo CDs for Peter Wolf, formerly with the J. Geils Band, with a new album anticipated for 2022. Their second album, SLEEPLESS was named one of Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time.” The productions with Wolf, enabled Kenny to work with an array of guest artists including Merle Haggard and Keith Richards.
LONG LIST OF PRIORS, his aptly named recent album, is the latest collection of original songs: indelible snapshots of the human condition, from heart-wrenching to hilarious and observed with the precision of a diamond cutter. As on his past recordings, Kenny White’s work in the studio enabled him to assemble a who’s who of musicians and guest artists, including David Crosby, Peter Wolf, Larry Campbell, Amy Helm and Catherine Russell, along with his regular band featuring the dexterous Duke Levine on guitar, shape-shifting Shawn Pelton (Saturday Night Live) on drums, and the masterful Marty Ballou on bass. Now add the horns, strings, and other surprising arrangements, and LONG LIST OF PRIORS is a refreshingly original and multi-layered singer-songwriter recording.
““I’d have to say that Kenny White has earned a place among my favorite singer/songwriters…and particularly, lyricists. As we say in the trade “he goes deep.” A true wordsmith AND musician who reveals a fine sense of humor, as well. Put on your headphones and listen carefully.””
Kenny will be accompanied by Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame Inductee Bassist Marty Ballou.
Marty Ballou
From 1986 - 1992 Marty performed worldwide with the vocal jazz group The Ritz, including appearances at the Sea Jazz Festival in Finland, The New Morning Club in Paris, the Blue Note Jazz clubs in Tokyo, Fukuoka and New York City, and George Weins` Newport Jazz Festival in Japan.
Marty later worked with Duke Robillard's Band, traveling in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Turkey, Greece, and South America, performing over 200 dates a year on the road.
He has recorded with jazz legends: Jay McShann - Hooties` Jumpin` Blues - 1997 - Stony Plain 1237 Jimmy Witherspoon - Spoons` Blues - 1995 - Stony Plain 1211 Featuring Scott Hamilton, (saxophone), Herb Ellis - Conversations in Swing Guitar - 1999 - Stony Plain 1260 and did many shows with these artists including: The Kansas City Jazz and Blues Festival, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The San Francisco Jazz and Blues Festival.
During this time he was also a member of John Hammond's Wicked Grin Band, performing many dates including The North Sea Jazz Festival and recorded Ready for Love on the Narada label.
In 2005 Marty recorded with Peter Wolf for his Verve CD, Midnight Souvenirs and subsequently joined his 'Midnight Travelers' to perform at Boston`s Wilbur Theatre and many other national venues. He has played on 3 of Wolf's albums including the latest, which will be released in early 2027.
Marty Ballou: "a sought after session man" (Metronome Magazine) who has been inducted into the Rhode Island Musicians Hall of Fame. A musician's musician, he and Kenny White have been touring together periodically since 2011 and they're both very happy to be in each other's company for Kenny's final show of 2026 at The Packing House.
Join us for a very special evening of original music and stories by these legendary artists! This program is hosted by the "Eastern Connecticut Center for History, Art, and Performance" (EC-CHAP). Doors 6:30pm / Show 7:30pm. Tickets $30.00 Advance (Online) / $35.00 Door.
Soft drinks and snacks available. We are pleased to offer our exclusive "BYOB&F" TM model - Bring Your Own Beverage & Food (Wine & Beer Only - I.D. Required). You can also bring your paid ticket to Willington Pizza House (or WP Too) for eat-in or take-out the night of the show and receive 15% off your meal purchase. Ask for "The Packing House" pizza! Click HERE for secret recipe.
For more information, please call 518-791-9474.
