Jimmy Kennedy OBE (20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was an Irish songwriter, predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "My Prayer", or co-writing with the composers Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz (aka Hugh Williams) and Nat Simon amongst others.
Kennedy was born near Omagh. His father was Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, a member of the Irish police force. Kennedy grew up in Coagh where he wrote several songs an...
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Jimmy Kennedy OBE (20 July 1902 – 6 April 1984) was an Irish songwriter, predominantly a lyricist, putting words to existing music such as "Teddy Bears' Picnic" and "My Prayer", or co-writing with the composers Michael Carr, Wilhelm Grosz (aka Hugh Williams) and Nat Simon amongst others.
Kennedy was born near Omagh. His father was Joseph Hamilton Kennedy, a member of the Irish police force. Kennedy grew up in Coagh where he wrote several songs and poems inspired by the view of the Ballinderry river, the local Springhill house and the plentiful amount of chestnut trees on his land where his poem chestnut trees derive from. later on Jimmy moved to Portstewart, an Ulster seaside resort located to the north in Derry. He was educated at Trinity College, Dublin.
He taught for a while in England before applying to join the Colonial Service as a civil servant in 1927. His music career took off, though, while he was awaiting a posting to the colony of Nigeria. He embarked on a career in...
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