When I was an undergraduate, I went through a very serious Kenny Rankin phase. That would have been in the late ’70s, which was probably a strange thing for a guy that age to be into. I thought that if I had been blessed with a good singing voice (a condition contrary to fact), I would have wanted to sing like Rankin. And I loved his acoustic guitar jazz finger-styles thing. Still do.
The album that I remember most fondly is his 1975 Silver Morning. It continues to be way up there on my list of personal favourites.
As Stephen J. Matteo at AllMusic writes:
At the height of the singer/songwriter period, Rankin quietly became one of the key voices of the genre. Silver Morning ranks as one of the best and most representative albums of that time. Once again, Rankin does a fine job covering Gordon Lightfoot (“Pussywillows, Cat Tails”), but he really shines on his reworkings of the Beatles‘ songbook. His vocal and guitar arrangements on Lennon and McCartney‘s “Blackbird,” and particularly on “Penny Lane,” show him to be one of the best interpreters of the Beatles‘ music. Moreover, in lending the songs his distinctive sound, they transcend being mere cover versions. The title cut and “Haven’t We Met” illustrate his continued ability not only to play wonderful guitar and sing like an angel, but also to write great songs. This is easily one of his best albums.
Tragically, Rankin died in 2009 at the age of 69, just a few short weeks after having been diagnosed with lung cancer. He did, however, leave a pretty good legacy including 13 studio albums. And there is this, which I found on his website bio:
Rankin’s 1975 album Silver Morning featured a popular reworking of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” that so impressed Paul McCartney that he asked Rankin to represent himself and John Lennon when they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
If I’m not mistaken, those guys could write a good song too.