Caleb Kenner records fifth single 

By Nancy McGill

Hebron Journal-Register

Caleb Kenner’s Christmas gift of a guitar in 2021 from his wife Abby has transformed his life in a way he never expected—for a guy who started out simply wanting to learn cover songs, he’s a week out from releasing his fifth original single.

“Original music is where it’s at,” Kenner recalled what his friend in music and guitar Josh Cole said. During a playing session, Kenner asked Cole if he wanted to work on a song Kenner wrote. It was his first single, “Back Then.”

Once Kenner, a dad of four daughters, Emmy, Brayah, Indie and Monroe in Gretna, who advises investors on franchises in his day job, unwrapped his musical interests that had been dormant since his high school days in Hebron, he methodically moved forward. Learning covers through lessons and Youtube tutorials, Kenner realized he had his own stories to tell. 

“I’m a little bit of a storyteller, like my mom says,” Kenner said. “I always enjoy telling a good story.” 

His first story in “Back Then” was inspired by a birthday gift his cousin gave his grandmother. 

“It was a recipe book about her life,” Kenner said. “That inspired me and initiated my first song about my Grandpa Roger and Uncle Kevin.”   

He and Cole, a singer-songwriter in Nebraska for about 10 years now,  met after Kenner agreed to enter a beard competition. Cole was also a contestant in the competition and they got to talking. They became friends on social media and started playing together. 

Cole was excited to work on “Back Then.” 

“He said, ‘Let’s mess with it and tinker with it,’” Kenner recalled. 

They finished the song and made a video of the first verse and chorus. Viewers liked the video and shared it.

“It went somewhat viral. People were commenting it was cool. It went way better than I expected,” Kenner said. 

Cole knows Luke Mills, a familiar figure in country music in Nebraska and out of Holdrege. Mills saw the video and wanted to produce the song.

“We went to Holdrege April 24, 2024 and recorded the song with Luke,” Kenner said. The recording company is Starday.    

Cole told Kenner if he wanted to be a part of the country music scene, he had to be prepared to dive in.

“I made the decision, and yea, let’s do this,” Kenner said. “It was off to the races when I signed a six-song agreement.” 

Kenner no longer has time for beard competitions. He’s enveloped in the logistics of building his brand and has since formed a band. 

“You need band members you can rely on and who believe in your vision,” he said. “They’re great guys and attune to the overall goal.” 

Jeff Conrad is on bass guitar, Ty Keller is lead guitar and DJ Dell originally told Kenner he wanted to be his drummer. 

“They’ve been with me about nine months, practicing mostly original numbers and some covers,” Kenner said. “There’s exciting stuff to come, some pretty big shows.” 

The first time Kenner played in front of a crowd, it was tense for him. His biggest fear was he wouldn’t remember the words, but it went well. 

“The more I’ve done it, the more comfortable I am,” he said. Before he steps onto any stage, Kenner tells himself he doesn’t have to perform. 

“I get to perform. I get to go on stage and perform,” he said. “That changes my mental approach.” 

Kenner said as far as large crowds, the Downtown Sounds Concert Series in Sidney he played drew about 2,000 people.

“That was really well done. They bring out a big stage with big sound,” he said.

Around Christmas, he performed in Nashville, Tenn., at the NashHouse, a southern cuisine establishment with live music.  

Recently, Kenner played in the Battle of the Bands at Bushwackers in Ralston to audition and qualify for the Country Stampede.

“My 10-year-old, Emmy, thinks it’s really cool. She brought her friends and their parents came,” Kenner said. 

Although he has had to plunge into the business, and is consumed with logistics, Kenner wants to take one step at a time.  

“I would love to make this into a thing,” he said. “Open for some big headliners maybe.”  

He spends a lot of time building the Caleb Kenner brand. 

“Event people want to work with people who are easy to work with. Are you professional, are you on time…” he ran through his list of how to build relationships. “Luckily for me, I’m blessed to have a really good career I can do this.”

Kenner explained his music is more of a modern country sound. 

“They call it radio country,” he said. “It’s more dancey with some country vibes and a little pop.”

He’s looking forward to his next release. It’s scheduled for Jan. 30, but Kenner will perform the song at Joe’s Honky-Tonk in Kearney Jan. 24. He’ll publicly announce the release a day or two later.

“Trouble Kids” was his second release and his third was “Kiss with Every Sunset.” “A Little Too Gone” is his fourth single.

Hear the music at https://calebkennerofficial.com.