Kenny Roby

In the mid to late 90's, as a member of the band Six String Drag, Kenny Roby established himself as one of the main songwriting forces behind the Americana movement in popular music. Six String Drag played a major role in the early success of Steve Earle and Jack Emerson's E Squared label. Roby and his band toured nationally with Earle and other acts and also established a strong following on the east coast and the midwest.

The band was featured on the soundtrack to the Grammy nominated film You Can Count On Me and garnered much critical acclaim for their E Squared release High Hat. In 1998 the band broke up and Roby has continued with a solo career releasing three more critically acclaimed albums Mercury's Blues, Rather Not Know and The Mercy Filter. Roby has also released a live duet album with European touring partner Neal Casal. (Black River Sides)

Roby's writing and singing have been praised by Billboard, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Boston Phoenix, The Washington Post, Option, No Depression, Performing Songwriter, The Independent Weekly and many other publications. Kenny has also been featured on NPR's All Songs Considered and Acoustic Cafe and has received extensive national airplay on NPR, Americana and AAA radio stations. He's toured the US and Europe playing solo and with his back up band. He has also toured with a wide variety of acts including Steve Earle, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, Scott Miller(V-Roys), and Cary Hudson(Blue Mountain), as well as doing shows with Ryan Adams, The Jayhawks, Son Volt, Freedy Johnston, Richard Buckner, Buddy and Julie Miller, Matthew Ryan, Tres Chicas, Caitlin Cary, Robert Earl Keen and The Gourds.

Ryan Adams has claimed Roby as as an influential writer on his and his former band Whiskeytown's music. (Six String Drag also toured with Whiskeytown) He has mentioned in the press and on the radio including Rolling Stone magazine and NPR. Adams featured Roby's song Rather Not Know on NPR's All Songs Considered in 2004. (in a segment called You Play the Dj: Artist's Picks)

"I knew Kenny in Raleigh NC, where we both had bands, his was better than mine. We shared a few jobs, most notably a plumbing job. I have been made to understand this record is partially inspired as the result of his father's death. Kenny has great internal dialogue concerning his relationship to God and to the more tangible ways of man. I think it's woven into the fabric of this record in more subtle ways than previous albums. The entire record really does more for any argument to this record's impact as a great piece of art, but this track is the first track on the album and the one that touches me even when I think I'm not listening. Also he is quite a good dancer apparently." - Ryan Adams

Kenny continues to perform and record solo as well as with his new band Kenny Roby's Mercy Filter.