David L. Kennedy
Milwaukee Musician

Obituary

A memorial service for David L. Kennedy, a prominent Milwaukee musician and founder of Wiscinsins oldest recording studio, will be held monday.

Kennedy who lived in Mequon, died of cancer Thursday. He was 63.

Kennedy was raised in Whales, served for 2 ^1/2 years in the US Army in Europe during WWII and graduated from the Wisonsin Conservatory of Music.

In 1955, he created Dave Kennedy Recording Studio's, which once was on Wisconsin Ave. downtown and now is at 8006 W. Appleton Ave. Kennedy created and performed TV and radio commercia jingles for numerous local companies.

He also recorded some of his own records, including "All By Myself," in which he performed 64 different instruments and voices.

Kennedy also was the director of the Dave Kennedy Orchestra, which played at local hotels and country clubs, and the Milwaukee International Folk Band. The folk band, which was created by former Mayor Henry Maier in 1975, performed atnumerous civic events, such as the celebration of Independence Day, Labor Day and Flag Day. Both Maier and Mayor John O. Norquist sang with the band.

"The thing he enjoyed most was arranging and composing," said his wife, Lottie. "One thing he said to me when he found out he had the cancer was, "All I really wanted to do was play music and entertain people and make them happy, and now it looks like I'm not going to be able to do it." He loved it, he loved his music."

One of his sons, Darryl, also is a musician and is on tour in the Soviet Union at the invitation of the US Embassy.

Kennedy also is survived by a daughter, Diane Van, of Ridgecrest, Calif.; and four other sons, David Jr., of Clearwater, Fla., Douglas, of Boulder Colo., and Dean and Duane, both of Mequon.

The memorial service will be at 7 p.m. Monday at Crossroads Presbyterian Church, 6031 W. Chapel Hill Rd., Mequon.