Kenny Hall was born blind in San Jose, California on October 14, 1923.
He attended the California School for the Blind in Berkeley, where he learned his first music on violin.
He later worked in broom factories in both Oakland and San Jose.
Over the course of his life, he learned over 1,100 tunes from fellow students at the School for the Blind, coworkers at the broom factories, 78rpm records, and artists like the Happy Hayseeds he heard on the radio.
His eclectic repertoire and distinctive mandolin style were influential among folk musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley.