He was difficult to put into a category.
He was a well regarded guitarist, playing on Bob Dylan's influential 1965 album "Bringing It All Back Home."
He wrote "Peaceful" covered by both Helen Reddy and Georgie Fame and used his smooth tenor voice to cover a couple of popular Beatle songs in the mid-70's. Paul McCartney liked what he did so much he asked him to sing his interpretation of "Blackbird" when McCartney was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1987.
He wrote songs for Peggy Lee and Mel Torme and released his own "The Kenny Rankin Album" live with a 60 piece orchestra in 1976.(Album cover pictured)
Over several years he opened the show for the comedian George Carlin and appeared on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show" 25 times.
He had been planning to record an album of new material with Phil Ramone.
But now Kenny Rankin has died at the age of 69 in Los Angeles after being diagnosed only three weeks ago from lung cancer.
Denny Stilwell, President of Mack Avenue Records, has said in a statement: "That he was still at the top of his game is one of the saddest parts of his passing for me. He performed the new material in our office over the last few months and his voice was still in its finest form. He sounded absolutely amazing. Our hearts and prayers are with his family."
One of Kenny Rankin's major influences was Laura Nyro, the late songwriter whom he met in Greenwich Village in 1960 and wrote such big hits as "Wedding Bell Blues" and "Stoned Soul Picnic."
After recording pop albums for many years, Rankin embraced his love of jazz in the 90s, a move that built him a strong following in the jazz community.
Rankin is survived by his son Chris,daughters Gena and Chandra and a granddaughter.
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