Kenny Young

Young first attracted notice within New York’s song publishing circles through his co-authorship of the Drifters’ 1964 smash “Under The Boardwalk,” a song the Rolling Stones would also champion. His subsequent breakthrough arrived with “Captain Of Your Ship,” which Reparata And The Delrons cut in 1968; although it made no impression stateside, the single climbed to number 13 on the British charts. Following the example of peers such as Carole King and Chip Taylor, Young then launched his own recording career, yet his warmly received singer-songwriter albums failed to register commercially. Relocating to London in the 1970s, he entered into a creative alliance with Herbie Armstrong. Together they launched Fox, whose 1975 single “Only You Can” reached the UK Top 5, and Yellow Dog, whose “Just One More Night” peaked at number 8 in 1978. Eventually Young’s unabashedly commercial approach lost currency, prompting him to step away from live performance.