Kenny Maines

Kenny was born in Lubbock, Texas, July 26, 1954 to James and Edith Maines. He was the third of of five children in the Maines’ household. Music was a major part of most family gatherings and that tradition continues today.

James Maines, along with his older brother, Raymond or “Sonny” and younger brother, Wayne formed the original Maines Brothers Band in the late 1950s. Almost any weekend, you could find the brothers playing rodeo dances, VFW halls, community theaters, or the dance halls in West Texas. James would sometimes take his sons to perform with the band.

The boys had started singing together when Kenny was 7 years old and the “Little Maines Boys” loved entertaining the crowd. In those days, Kenny would have to stand on a wooden “soda pop” crate, just to reach the microphone. After BYOB dance halls were legalized in Lubbock, the Cotton Club opened outside of Lubbock and it was there that Kenny and his brothers honed their musical talents.

The “Little Maines Boys” would play a Sunday Matinee and the older “Maines Brothers” would perform for the evening dance. Eventually, the “Little Maines Boys” became the next generation “Maines Brothers Band” and forged their own West Texas musical traditions during the 70s and 80s. The Maines Brothers Band recorded a total of eight albums, two of those for Mercury Records in Nashville, Tennessee. The band shared the stage with Alabama, Reba McIntire, Barbara Mandrell, Ronnie Milsap, Dr. Hook, The Judds and many other artists of the era.

After years of playing music on the road, the band decided to settle down to raise families and pursue other careers. In 1992, Kenny was elected Lubbock County Commissioner and held that position for 12 years.

In 2004, he decided to leave the political arena and return to the music he loves. Since that time, Kenny has produced three solo CDs, "Kenny Maines", "Out of Control" and "Kenny Maines:A Tribute to the Music of Hank Williams".

Kenny is a regular musician and actor at the Cactus Theatre. He also plays at numerous venues across the South Plains. Doug and Tom, producers of StoryTellers & MusicMakers made it clear that Kenny was their first choice to host the show, because he knows the music and people of West Texas and has incredible rapport with people.