"I am an artist, poet, author, speaker, and a lover of the parade and pageant of life," says Ken Lehnig. Originally from Chicago, Lehnig attended Mar Vista High in Imperial Beach. His debut full-length, the American Music Show, was an exercise in production restraint, with memorable melodies and a minimalist approach to arrangement and production. "My intent was to give homage to songs I have heard and loved on the radio over the last 50 years, exploring an Americana aspect," he says.
His sophomore album Holding a Rose was co-produced by John Hildebrand (who also played bass) and featured local guest players like Ed Kornhauser, Robert Cowan, Chris Lehnig, Jamie Shadowlight, Jackie Whitney Austin Singer, and Scottie Blinn.
Lehnig released his album Dr. Daniels Miracle Cure and Magic Show in early 2018, featuring songs from a western musical, set in a mining town in 1876, written in the 1970s. "It is a story of false assumptions, regrets, and redemption," says Lehnig. The play never made it to the stage, although the music was recorded by his bands, Razin Jack, and Ken Lehnig and the Burning Sage Band. After rediscovering the script and reel to reel musical demos, with some lyric and musical tweaking to an acoustic centered production, Lehnig re-recorded the songs from the original musical with an array of local guest stars, arranging and co-producing with John Hildebrand.
In late 2022, Lehnig released a new single, "Wish She Had a Heart," off his sixth solo album Between Us, due November 23 via Encinitas-based American Windsong Music. Local guest players on the album include keyboardist Ed Kornhauser and saxophonist Ross Rizzo.
(Photo: Richard Pollard)