The Kennedys (band)

The Kennedys (band)

The Kennedys are an American folk-rock band, consisting of husband and wife Pete and Maura Kennedy. Their first album, River of Fallen Stars, was released under the name "Pete and Maura Kennedy"; they released all subsequent albums as "The Kennedys". They met in Austin, Texas in 1992, when Pete Kennedy was playing in Nanci Griffith's band, and for their first date, each drove 500 miles to meet at Buddy Holly's grave in Lubbock, Texas. Soon, Maura Boudreau joined Griffith's band as a harmony singer, and they began their career as a duo when they opened for her during her tour in Ireland. They are influenced by the Byrds and other 1960s rock and folk-rock artists. Their 1998 album Angel Fire featured many songs with literary references, such as "A Letter To Emily" and "Just Like Henry David".

When performing live Pete plays the acoustic guitar, electric sitar, bass and ukulele, while Maura plays acoustic and electric guitars and uke.

They have performed in clubs and theatres throughout the United States, a cruise, and at Bill Clinton's first and second inaugurations.

Pete is from the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. Maura grew up in Syracuse, New York. After many years living in the East Village in New York City in 2006 joined the many other folk musicians living in Northampton, Massachusetts. They then returned to the East Village in 2008.

In late 2006, Pete and Maura joined with Chris and Meredith Thompson to form The Strangelings, a folk rock band prominently featuring Pete's electric sitar. Their first performance was on January 12, 2007. The music includes songs by both the Kennedys and the Thompsons in addition to traditional songs and covers. The current full lineup of The Strangelings includes Pete, Maura, Chris Thompson, Eric Lee on fiddle, Cheryl Prashker on percussion, and Ken Anderson and Rebecca Hall, also known as Hungrytown.