12 String Acoustic Guitar
Bohdran
Vocals
Dave and Robert or back to pictures of the band.
Profile
Kenny Wilson made his first live stage appearance in the mid 60's at the tender age of 13, where at a Boys Brigade dance in Port Glasgow he whooed his teenybopper audience with the Jeff Beck classic 'Hi Ho Silver Lining'....... and lived to tell the tale! ......... He has been in the music business ever since.
Kenny first became interested in Folk music and comedy around campfires at the local Scout camp where, as a boy, he learned many a folk tune and the art of story telling. This was supplemented by the fact that he came from a shipbuilding background with a Foreman Riveter for a father, who had the magic gift of song and 'Clydeside' Gab.
In the late 70`s with his 'Pop/Rock' days firmly behind him, Kenny formed a folk duo with Pete Linning called
"The Swampies"..........and for about six years they had a popular Folk/comedy act in the local scene. As a University Lecturer, Pete's job took him to Aberdeen, thus making performing as "The Swampies" nigh impossible. However, some 'gigs' around the Inverclyde area still had to be honored. This was fulfilled by Kenny enlisting the help of Dave Currie (Peters brother- in-law), and an old Scout mate - Robert Platt. This unwittingly became the birth of "The Wherries".
There followed the unexpected and premature death of Peter (a young man with an abundance of talent). Some of the arrangements used in "The Wherries" performances stem from Pete's input.
Demand for "The Wherries" continued to grow, and over the years they have become one of the most popular and enjoyable acts in the 'Folk' circuit.
Kenny 'fronts' the band with his jovial patter `a la Clydeside`, plays the 12 string guitar, bodharan and supplies both harmony and, on occasions, lead vocals. He may well have the audience participating by playing a variety of instruments, or standing on the chairs and generally behaving like 'maddies'.
Always one to keep busy, outside music, Kenny is a District Commissioner in the Scout Movement, a popular 'After Dinner Speaker', Production Manager, and Show Producer who supports Greenock Morton F. C., a wife, two kids and a dug!