July 30, 1958 – December 17, 2017

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Singer Kevin Mahogany was born July 30, 1958 in Kansas City, Missouri.

He played piano, clarinet and baritone saxophone while growing up, performing on baritone with Eddie Baker’s New Breed Orchestra when he was 12.

During his last year in high school, Mahogany began to take singing much more seriously; he soon attended Baker University and worked around Kansas City during the 1980s.

After being featured on one of arranger Frank Mantooth’s albums, Mahogany recorded his debut CD, Double Rainbow, in 1993 and was quickly recognized as one of the world’s top jazz singers, a position that he held during the next 24 years.

A brilliant scat singer, Mahogany had a warm baritone voice that sometimes hinted at Joe Williams on ballads.

Kevin Mahogany’s sudden death in 2017 from a stroke when he was just 59 was a shock to the music world.

The great singer is featured in 2016 on “I Want To Talk About You,” performing with a European rhythm section and tenor-saxophonist Tony Lakatos.

-Scott Yanow

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