William Francis Kenny Jr. (June 12, 1914 – March 23, 1978) was an American vocalist with a wide vocal range spanning four octaves.

[5][6] That same year, their widowed mother, Jennie Kenny (1894–1958) moved the boys to Washington D.C and then to Baltimore, where the family attended St. Peter Claver Church and lived at 1151 Carey Street.

After graduation, Kenny attended an art school in Washington, D.C., but would on occasion, appear as a soloist in amateur contests in theaters throughout the Baltimore-Washington, D.C. metropolitan area.

[6] While Kenny was on vacation in Atlantic City, New Jersey, the young singer competed in 22 amateur night club contests, winning 21 of them.

It was around this time that Kenny sang "Trees" in an amateur contest at the Savoy Ballroom in Harlem, and won first place, and a position singing with a group known as "The Ink Spots".

Singers such as Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, Michael Bublé, Clyde McPhatter, Garland Jeffreys, Johnny Mathis, Tony Williams (The Platters), Del Shannon, Rudy West (The Five Keys), Sollie McElroy (The Flamingos), Jackie Wilson, Johnny Bragg (The Prisonaires), Nolan Strong and Prentice Moreland have all noted Bill Kenny as a major influence on their own singing.

[10] In the book "Group Harmony: The Black Urban Roots of Rhythm and Blues" by Stuart L. Goosman, Bill Kenny's immense influence on other vocal group singers is expressed in this excerpt: Before the R&B era, before The Ravens, Orioles, and Clovers, young Black Males who wanted to sing wanted to be just like Bill Kenny and The Ink Spots.

You hear cats going down the street, you know guys that had tenor voices man, in the morning, at night, singing Bill Kenny and doing the hands, like he used to do.

"[11] Some of Kenny's favorite vocalists over the years included Ella Fitzgerald, Vic Damone, Lena Horne, Paul Robeson, John Gary, Roland Hayes and Nat King Cole.

Kenny made his first recordings with The Ink Spots "It Ain't Nobody's Biz'ness What I Do" and the swing tune "Your Feet's Too Big" on May 12 of that year.

[15] The year 1939 was the start of a new format for The Ink Spots that would feature Charlie Fuqua's trademark Guitar intro, Bill Kenny's Tenor lead, and Hoppy Jones "talking bass".

Other Bill Kenny features such as "Address Unknown", "My Prayer", "Memories of You", "I'm Gettin' Sentimental Over You", and "Bless You (For Being An Angel)" all reach the top of the U.S Pop charts in 1939.

During the 1940s Kenny was featured in two major motion pictures: The Great American Broadcast (1941) and the Abbott and Costello film Pardon My Sarong (1942).

In 1944 Ella Fitzgerald joined The Ink Spots at Decca studios where she and Kenny were to be featured on a song entitled "Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall".

This happened once more in October 1951 with Bill Kenny solo recordings "And Then I Prayed" and "Honest And Truly" on which he performs the "talking bass" part made famous by Orville "Hoppy" Jones.

In 1952 Charlie Fuqua, Baritone singer, Guitarist, and original member since 1934, decided to leave Bill Kenny to form his own Ink Spots group.

This album contained songs previously made famous by Bill Kenny and The Ink Spots as well as some standards such as "I Don't Know Why", "It Might As Well Be Spring", and "You'll Never Know".

The album contained songs featured on his CBC television program The Bill Kenny Show including "Me and My Shadow", "Danny Boy", "You're Nobody 'Till Somebody Loves You", "I Left My Heart in San Francisco", and "I'll Be Seeing You".

This album featured songs composed by such songwriters as Irving Berlin, Lennon-McCartney, Kris Kristofferson, and George & Ira Gershwin.

Throughout his life Kenny wrote and co-wrote many songs, including "There Is No God But God" (recorded by Elvis Presley), "When The Chimes Ring (At Evening)", "I Counted on You", "You Are Happiness", "A Soldiers Rosary", "I'm Heading Back To Paradise", "The Sweetest Dream", "Rose of Roses", "Don't Put It Off Til' Sunday", "Do You Feel That Way Too?

His second marriage came in 1947 to Marguerite Wendell, a model from Chicago introduced to Kenny by heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis.

[27] On July 4, 1969, Kenny was severely burnt when the gas tank of his sports car exploded in an underground parking garage in Vancouver as he lit a cigar while starting the vehicle; third-degree burns to his face and hands contributed to later respiratory problems, stemming from the fumes he inhaled.

In 1945, in an interview with the Baltimore Afro-American newspaper, he expressed his dislike of James Eastland, Theodore G. Bilbo and "all of the rest of the whites who reside in the South and North for that matter, that thrive daily on discriminatory practices against my race".

If the American's set about to teach the kind of democracy practiced here in America, this entire world in time, will be full of low ideals because there can be no crime committed by man lower than that of taking away the rights of an individual or a people.

Barry Gray, long known for his fearless tactics in fighting the problems of a minority, immediately turned the interview into a forum seeking Bill Kenny's views on race prejudices in the South.

But a great surprise was in store for both of them because the phone did ring many times but every call was from listeners who were very amiable and agreed with Kenny and Gray on their attitude on Southern prejudice.

An added sidelight worth noting is the fact that when Bill and his road manager left the radio studio they dismissed the police escort as there was no need for this "protection.

[36] Kenny's voice has been featured in television shows such as The Walking Dead, The Simpsons, The Visitor, The Singing Detective, Sanford, The Blacklist, Manhattan, Defiance, Arrested Development, The Wonder Years, Wayward Pines, Better Call Saul, Watchmen and more.

Foxx would often sing The Ink Spots hit "If I Didn't Care" while imitating Kenny's hand gestures and clear diction.

"[37] Kenny's voice has been featured in such films as The Shawshank Redemption, Get Low, Radio Days, Raging Bull, Revolutionary Road, The Aviator, Iris, Sphere, Tree's Lounge, Malcolm X, Maria's Lovers, How to Make an American Quilt, Men Don't Leave, Twenty Bucks, Mr. Nobody, Hyde Park on Hudson and more.