Noted drummer Kenny Malone, a prolific session player who played on songs for Dolly Parton and Waylon Jennings, passed away due to Covid at the age of 83. The American drummer and percussionist from Denver, Colorado was known for inventing his own style of hand drumming. Since the 1970s, Malone was a prominent session musician in folk, country, and many other acoustic-based genres. His friend and former bandmate Dave Pomeroy said he died Thursday after being diagnosed with COVID-19, according to Billboard.com.
Malone is credited on hundreds of records made in Nashville, including albums like Parton's 'Jolene', and Jennings' 'Dreaming My Dreams'. Among the other artists Malone played with were Dobie Gray, Ronnie Milsap, and Crystal Gayle. "He expanded the vocabulary of Nashville drumming, and was always an innovator who invented his own unique style of hand drumming, often combining sticks and brushes with hand percussion to create a unique sound and feel that left lots of space for other instruments and the vocals," Pomeroy said in a statement. Malone enlisted in the Navy and served for 14 years, playing as a musician in the U.S. Navy Band. He came to Nashville in 1970 and started working with famed Nashville producer "Cowboy" Jack Clement and soon became one of the most utilised drummers and percussionists in town.