Stuart Kenney is a renowned and beloved pillar of American contra dance music. His musical upright bass playing picks up a dance floor, while his Northern banjo style showers listeners with flowing, singable grooves. Stuart can be found most often with his groups Stringrays, Red Case Band, and Drive Train and teaching at music camps throughout the summer.

In addition to New England contra dance, Stuart’s long career has been steeped in several traditional music genres, among them Cajun, Old-Time, and Quebecois music. He cut his teeth with the legendary Cajun musician Dewey Balfa, won both Trad Band and Neo-Trad Band at the Clifftop old-time music festival contest, and co-founded Raz-de-Marée / Tidal Wave, whose album Marche du St-Laurent was a finalist for Traditional Instrumental Album of the Year at the 2011 Canadian Folk Music Awards.

Dependable, driving groove and warm personality have made Stuart an important element of many successful contra dance bands. Ushered in with 13 years in the group Wild Asparagus, his career includes going on to co-found a number of respected dance bands, including Airdance, The Sevens, The Greenfield Dance Band, and the Stringrays. His musical home is at the Guiding Star Grange in Greenfield, Massachusetts, where he plays and hosts regular dances.