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| Keepin' the Lake Blue |
| Remembering Kenny Halteman July 3, 1975 - July 2, 2005  The music community is mourning the tragic loss of one of our own. Kenny Halteman died in his sleep in the early hours of July 2, after a gig in Miami, Oklahoma. Kenny was born in Springfield, Mo and lived most of his life at Lake of the Ozarks. He married Jenny Devine September 16, 2000 and together with their other partners, "Ken & Jen" owned and operated Mexicali Blues Cantina until early this year. He also leaves a young daughter, Jenna. A favorite with the locals, Kenny was first known for his "upside down" guitar but found his true calling holding down the bottom on bass. He often bragged that he was " a student of the Babe Martin school of groove" and played often with his idol and mentor. When he first caught the music bug, an underage Kenny at 17, would carry another musician's guitar into jams so the doorman would let him in. A charter member of the Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society, he honed his early skills by sitting on the sidelines at blues jams, playing every song, without amplification, just to be playing. Once he gained the confidence to stand up front, there was no stopping him. He was a regular member of Autopilot, The Core, Concrete Blues, Pawn Shop and the Roland Allen Band at various stages in his career. In 2002, Ken represented the Lake of the Ozarks Blues Society at the International Blues Competition in Memphis as lead guitarist with the Concrete Blues Band and represented Springfield's Blues Society of the Ozarks in 2003 & 2004 as bassist with the Pawn Shop. It would be hard to find a person who was more widely loved. We'll miss his ready smile, his southern manners, and his music. Goodbye Kenny. We love you and we'll miss you. |
