Charles Ethan Kenning is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 singer, songwriter and musician, who performed as George Edwards when he led 1960s acid-rock band, H. P. Lovecraft. He was adopted

Adoption

Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...

 as a child, and brought up under the name George Edwards; he reverted to his birth name of Ethan Kenning in his mid-30s.

In the mid-1960s he performed folk

Folk music

Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....

 and blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 music in clubs in Chicago, and as a session singer with Dunwich Records. He released an unsuccessful version of The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

' "Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)

"Norwegian Wood " is a song by The Beatles, first released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul....

" on Dunwich in 1966, before forming a new band, H. P. Lovecraft. The band featured striking vocal harmonies

Vocal harmony

Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are sung at the same time as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical choral music and opera and in the popular styles from...

 between Edwards and the classically

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

-trained Dave Michaels

Dave Michaels

David Miotke is an American keyboard player and singer, who under the name Dave Michaels was best known as co-founder of the '60s acid rock band H. P. Lovecraft....

, and atmospheric instrumentation and effects on songs, some of which were co-written by Edwards, including some inspired by the writings of the author of the same name

H. P. Lovecraft

Howard Phillips Lovecraft --often credited as H.P. Lovecraft — was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction, especially the subgenre known as weird fiction....

. The band released two albums, H. P. Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft (album)

H. P. Lovecraft is the debut album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in October 1967 by Philips Records. It blended psychedelic and folk rock influences and was marked by the haunting, eerie ambiance of the band's music, which itself was often inspired by the...

in 1967 and H. P. Lovecraft II

H. P. Lovecraft II

H. P. Lovecraft II is the second album by the American psychedelic rock band H. P. Lovecraft and was released in September 1968 on Philips Records. As with their debut LP, the album again saw the band blending psychedelic and folk rock influences, albeit with a greater emphasis on psychedelia than...

in 1968, before splitting up in early 1969. Edwards then worked for a while as a music show promoter, before he and original band drummer Michael Tegza formed a new band, Lovecraft. However, Edwards left after their first album.

Edwards - later known as Ethan Kenning - then worked in music production in California, and in writing and producing TV and radio commercials. He won two Clio Awards

Clio Awards

The Clio Awards are annual awards bestowed to reward innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design and communication. The categories include work in nearly all types of media, and the judges are advertising professionals from around the world....

 for Levi's commercials with Doc Watson

Doc Watson

Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson is an American guitar player, songwriter and singer of bluegrass, folk, country, blues and gospel music. He has won seven Grammy awards as well as a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. Watson's flatpicking skills and knowledge of traditional American music are highly regarded...

 and Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone

Leon Redbone is a singer and guitarist specializing in interpretations of early 20th-century music, including jazz and blues standards and Tin Pan Alley classics....

, and also produced commercials for Taco Bell

Taco Bell

Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...

, Bank of America

Bank of America

Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...

, and others. He has also worked occasionally with Dave Michaels. More recently he has worked as manager and producer of improvisational singer Rhiannon.