The Jenny Kavanaugh Band

The Jenny Kavanaugh Band is a soulful folk-rock and Americana music group led primarily by the vocal and writing talents of siblings Jenny and John Kavanaugh. Born and raised on the south side of St. Louis, Missouri, the pair grew up in a musical family surrounded by Irish-traditional and popular music. Writing and performing came naturally to both of them. They played and sang on “living room sessions” with their parents who themselves wrote and performed folk and traditional Irish music culminating in performances at their annual St. Patrick’s Day Irish concert for over twenty years. During that time the family released three albums, “Dear Friends” 1978, “Expatriate Songs” 1983, and “Kevauna” 1996. Individually, Jenny got her start singing predominantly on the theatrical stage while brother John toured the US nationally as the lead vocalist for ska band MU 330.

Jenny relocated to both Chicago and Nashville in the 1990s to pursue musical influences and career interests. In 1999 however the siblings had co-written a number of songs by exchanging cassettes in the mail and decided to record a full album in St. Louis.

Jenny and John asked a number of friends to contribute their talents to the recording, among them: recording engineer and bassist John “OBIE” O’Brien (Stillwater, Bottle Rockets, Bagheera), drummer Patrick Turek (Royal Motor Lodge, Bagheera), multi-instrumentalist Chris Grabau (Stillwater, Magnolia Summer), guitarist Dan Potthast (MU 330), and fiddle player Jenny Wiley. The band’s sound was rounded out by a multi talented keyboard player and Austin, Texas native Darrell Lee Barber. Jenny met Darrell and began collaborating in Chicago where he was providing music for comedy groups at the famous Second City theater among others. The album was recorded in St. Louis and mixed by Steve Sturm (guitarist for country star Travis Tritt) who also played on the album, in Nashville.

I’ve Done My Time was released in April of 2000 and was later nominated for “Album of the Year” by The Riverfront Times.

The group, then called Jenny Kavanaugh and the Band of Outlaws, played several shows from 2000 through 2003. For most live shows, Grabau was replaced by lead guitarist Kurt Groetsch (Drift, Sugarstickygirl) and St. Louis’ “go-to” traditional Irish fiddle player Kevin Buckley (Grace Basement) replaced Wiley. The band accepted invitations to play with the Bottle Rockets, Poi Dog Pondering, and two consecutive performances at the prestigious Milwaukee Summerfest.

In 2003, in order to pursue family lives, the group went on an extended hiatus from writing and performing. Between 2000 and 2009 the band’s core members have produced ten children…a testament to the group’s talent, longevity, and dedication as they return to play today.

In the Fall of 2009, the core members of the band decided the time was right to reunite and begin writing and playing again now called simply, The Jenny Kavanaugh Band.

The live show is currently offered in various formats to fit venue requirements. The current lineup includes Jenny and John Kavanaugh who perform as an acoustic duo. This show can be augmented by various other band members. The group’s primary vehicle however is the full six-piece band performance including the Kavanaughs (vocals and guitar), O’Brien (bass), Turek (drums), Barber (keyboards), and Wayne Corners on lead guitar.