Anton Karas
b. July 7, 1906, Vienna, Austria, d. Jan. 9, 1985, Vienna, Aus.
This native Viennese musician is included here primarily for his one 'hit' tune - "The Third Man". The British film director Carol Reed was in Vienna 'shooting' 'The Third Man' film, starring Orson Welles and Joseph Cotten. By chance, he heard Karas, - a self-taught zither musician, playing in a local tavern. Reed engaged Karas to score and to play for the film's soundtrack. The choice was fortuitous for both the film and for Karas. The theme song was released in 1950 as a single and remained in the 'Top 40' charts for three months. Decca Records followed that with an album of Karas' own Viennese songs, which while interesting, never achieved the popularity of the "Third Man" recording. With the earnings from the film and records, Karas bought a wine bar in Grinzing, Vienna (which he named "The Third Man"). Here, patrons could listen to him playing his zither and even buy an album that he would occasional record.

   Buddy Kaye
b. 1918, New York, NY d.
Overview
Buddy was most active during the 1940's and 1950's. His most popular song was the 1945 hit "Till the End of Time", adapted by composer Ted Mossman from one of Frederic Chopin's classical melodies.

Kaye also wrote special material for various stars to use in their niteclub acts. He wrote for some Hollywood cartoons, and later became a record producer.

   Edward Harry Kelly
b. July 1, 1879, Kansas City, MO, USA. d. April 17, 1955, Kansas City, MO, USA.
Here's a photograph of    young Edward Kelly, who was born above a saloon, near the Union Station in Kansas City, this Composer/Leader became a nationally recognized composer just as Ragtime was becoming the most popular music in the USA.

In grade school, Kelly studied the piano, and by his teenage years, he was already playing in Ragtime bands and composing music. In 1905, at age 26, he composed the popular Rag "Peaceful Henry", which was subsequently recorded by bands in the USA and in the British Isles. Kelly went on to write many more popular Rags, naming them for locations in his home town of Kansas City, such as "The Muehlebach Rag", "The Baltimore Rag", and "The Country Club Rag."

In 1906, Kelly organized his own Kelly's Band and Orchestra. and was able to secure bookings at such venues as the Baltimore and Muehlebach Hotels, as well as in Electric and Fairmont Parks. In 1917, at the end of WW1, he organized and led a fifty-piece band that played at a special Welcome Home concert for returning veterans at the Convention Hall.

By 1944, Kelly and his wife were living in a Northeast Kansas City neighborhood home, where they remained until Kelly's demise. His tombstone in Mount St. Mary's Cemetery reads, "Ragtime Composer."

   Jimmy Kennedy
b. 1902 Omagh, Northern Ireland, d. 1984
Overview
Recently, Dick Alexander and wife discovered the little boat that inspired Jimmy Kennedy's song, "Red Sails in the Sunset," rotting away near Belfast. Because of the publicity generated, the boat (Kitty of Coleraine) was restored and Kennedy was honored in Portstewart, Northern Ireland. He wrote more than 2,000 songs, including:
"The Agnes Waltz"
"Aloha Oe"
"An Angel Made of Ice"
"And Mimi"
"Angel Mine"
"An Apple Blossom Wedding"
"April In Portugal"
"At The Cafe Continental"
"Barcarola"
"Barren Earth"
"The Bells of Memory"
"Bird On The Wing"
"Blue Bahamas"
"Boogie on the Scales"
"By an Old Pagoda"
"Can You Waltz"
"Ce Soir"
"Chestnut Tree"
"Cinderella"
"Clouds in the Sunset"
"The Cokey Cokey"
"Coronation Waltz"
"Couple of April Fools"
"Darling Come Home"
"Did Your Mother Come From Ireland"
"Dogggie on the Highway"
"Don't Make a Memory of Me"
"Don't Say it's True"
"Enter and Rest and Pray"
"Faithful"
"Falling Leaves"
"The Fiesta"
"French Can Can Polka"
"From Your Lips Only"
"Generals Fast Asleep"
"God's Little Candles"
"Happy Whistler"
"Harbour Lights"
"Harmony of the Hills"
"Her Name was Rosita"
"Honeymoon Love Song"
"I'm Buying the Blues Tonight"
"Isle of Capri"
"Istanbul"
"The Magic Tango"
"Mambo de Paree"
"Mandolins in the Moonlight"
"Mem'ry of a Rose"
"Moon Above Malaya"
"Music Box Gavotte"
"My Bolero"
"My Prayer"
"On The Old Spanish Trail"
"On The Painted Desert"
"Play To Me Gypsy"
"Red Sails In The Sunset"
"Rendezvous d'Amour"
"Roll Along Covered Wagon"
"Rose of Rio"
"Serenade In The Night"
"South of the Border"
"Sunset Trail"
"Teddy Bear's Picnic"
"Wotcha Gotcha Trombone For"

Most Americans thought he was American, and many Irish people also thought he was an American, because of the flavor of his lyrics. He was born in Omagh, in Northern Ireland.

Jimmy Kennedy will be inducted posthumously to the Songwriters Hall of Fame, on June 10, 1997.
The above information on Jimmy Kennedy by courtesy of Dick Alexander.

   Charles F. Kenny
b. 1898, Astoria, NY, USA., d. 1992, Eatontown, NJ, USA.
Charles was a composer and lyricist who collaborated with his own brother, Nick, to write several songs that became hits during the 1930's and 1940's.

Brief Chronology:
-----------------
1931 "Love Letters in the Sand"
1938 "There's a Gold Mine in the Sky"

   Nick Kenny
b. 1895, Astoria, N. Y., d. 1975, Sarasota, Florida
Overview
See Charles Kenny, above.
Nick was also a well-known poet and a radio columnist for newspapers.

   Walter Kent
b. 1911, New York, N. Y., d.
Overview
Walter was most active as a lyricist in the 1930's and 1940's.

Brief Chronology:
----------------
1932 "Please Mr. Hemingway", Kent; Milton Drake and Abner Silver.
1941 "The White Cliffs of Dover"
1943 "I'll Be Home for Christmas."

   Rolfe R. Kent
b: U. K.
Currently no information available for this English Composer whose Film music career (still very active) spans the years 1989, Shalom Joan Collins, to 2001's Legally Blonde. Along the way, he also composed music for such films as:
Happy Campers (2001)
Legally Blonde (2001)
Someone Like You (2001)
Town & Country (2001)
Mexico City (2000)
Nurse Betty (2000)
Gun Shy (2000)
Oxygen (1999 TV show)
Election (1999)
Us Begins with You (1998. aka: Don't Go Breaking My Heart)
Theory of Flight, The (1998)
Slums of Beverly Hills (1998)
House of Yes, The (1997)
Mercy (1996)
Citizen Ruth (1996. aka: Meet Ruth Stoops)
Memory Lane (1995)
Dead Connection (1994. In UK aka: Final Combination)
Finding Interest (1994. aka: Barney Barnaby. aka: Suicide Ride)
Midnight Kiss (1993. aka: In the Midnight Hour. He added additional music)
Shalom Joan Collins (1989 TV show)