Biography
Nigel Kennedy (born 28 December 1956) is an English violinist and violist. Initially focused on classical music, he later explored jazz, klezmer, and various other genres.
His grandfather, Lauri Kennedy, was the principal cellist of the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and his grandmother, Dorothy Kennedy, was a pianist. Both were Australian, while their son John Kennedy, a cellist born in England, graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London. At 22, John joined the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and later became principal cellist of Sir Thomas Beecham's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. During his time in England, John formed a partnership with English pianist Scylla Stoner, touring in 1952 as part of the Llewellyn-Kennedy Piano Trio alongside violinist Ernest Llewellyn; after marrying John, Scylla was known as "Scylla Kennedy." They eventually divorced, and John returned to Australia.
Born in Brighton, Nigel Kennedy was a child prodigy who, at age 10, played Fats Waller tunes on the piano after listening to his stepfather’s jazz records. He began studying at the Yehudi Menuhin School of Music at age 7 and later attended the Juilliard School in New York City, studying under Dorothy DeLay. To help fund his education, he busked with fellow student and cellist Thomas Demenga.
Kennedy has approximately 30 close relatives in Australia, whom he visits during tours.
At 16, jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli invited Kennedy to perform with him at Carnegie Hall in New York. Kennedy’s recording debut came in 1984 with Elgar’s Violin Concerto. His 1989 recording of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with the English Chamber Orchestra sold over two million copies, becoming one of the best-selling classical recordings ever. The album topped the UK classical charts for more than a year and sold over three million copies in total.
In 1992, Kennedy announced his retirement from classical music. Around this period, he recorded Music in Colours with Stephen Duffy. He returned to performing internationally in the mid-1990s. In 1997, he received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music award at the BRIT Awards, followed by the Male Artist of the Year award in 2001.
Expanding into other genres, Kennedy recorded a cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” for the 1993 tribute album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. That year, he also featured on Robert Plant’s solo album Fate of Nations, playing on the track “Calling to You.” In 1999, Sony Classical released The Kennedy Experience, an album of improvisations inspired by Hendrix compositions. Kennedy’s autobiography, Always Playing, was published in 1991.
