Kenny Hall was born blind on October 14, 1923. He attended the California School for the Blind in Berkeley where he learned his first music on violin. Over the course of his life, he learned over 1,100 tunes from fellow students at the School for the Blind, from coworkers at the broom factory where he worked, and from listening to 78rpm records by artists like the Happy Hayseeds. Though he mostly played Old-Time music on fiddle and mandolin, he also learned and performed tunes from Ireland, Mexico, Scotland, Italy, Portugal, and many other countries. His eclectic repertoire and distinctive mandolin style were influential among folk musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area and San Joaquin Valley. He was a fixture at the Sweets Mill Music Festival where he influenced countless other musicians and appeared on a series of recordings with the Sweets Mill String Band. Kenny was also noted for hosting weekly jam sessions at the Santa Fe Basque restaurant in Fresno where he shared his skills and wisdom with seasoned and aspiring local musicians. He passed away in Fresno in 2013.