Kenny and the Kasuals – It’s All Right!

Kenny and the Kasuals Mark 45 It's All RightKenny and the Kasuals – a great band from Dallas with a long and complicated history I won’t try to tell here. Instead I’m featuring one of their lesser-known releases, but well worth a listen. This is their third 45 on Mark Lee’s ‘Mark’ label, “It’s All Right”, from 1966. It features what I believe is the original group:

Kenny Daniel (vocals and guitar)
Jerry Smith (lead guitar)
Tommy Nichols (harmonica)
Paul Roach (keyboards)
Lee Lightfoot (bass)
David Blackley (drums)

Richard Parker corrects this lineup in his comment below, which I’ll repeat here:

The first recording group (there were earlier members not featured on any recordings) was Kenny Daniel, Tommy Nichols (lead guitar) Paul Roach, David Blachley (with an “h” not a “k”) and Lee Lightfoot. The later recordings feature Jerry Smith on guitar, after Tommy Nichols went into the navy. I don’t think that Jerry is on this recording.

The top side is a hopped-up nugget of r&b, revving the Kinks song up a couple notches. With the early use of a fuzztone and Kenny’s accented vocals, you could say they Stones-ify the song. Backing it is the Zombies tune “You Make Me Feel Good”.

Like their first two records, this one wouldn’t make much headway on local charts, but their next two 45s, “Raindrops to Teardrops” and “Journey to Tyme” would change that.

3 thoughts on “Kenny and the Kasuals – It’s All Right!”

  1. The line-up you show is the one listed on the back of the Impact LP, but it is not exactly right.

    The first recording group (there were earlier members not featured on any recordings) was Kenny Daniel, Tommy Nichols (lead guitar) Paul Roach, David Blachley (with an “h” not a “k”)and Lee Lightfoot. The later recordings feature Jerry Smith on guitar, after Tommy Nichols went into the navy. I don’t think that Jerry is on this recording.

  2. STOMP AND SHOUT: The All-Too-Real Story of Kenny and theKasuals and the Garage Band Revolution of the Sixties is available on Amazon.com for an indepth look at the Dallas Texas Rock Bands of yore.

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