Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Music Marsh's life and livelihood

Harry Chapin wrote a song about a character who said, Music is my life, it is not my livelihood.

This, though, isnt the case with Ellen Kennedy Marsh, as music has been her life and livelihood. The daughter of the late Horace Kennedy, has spent her life in and around music, either performing or teaching.

Recently she was honored by being inducted into the Southern Gospel Piano Roll of Honor in Greenville, S.C. This, Marsh said, was part of a four-day marathon of events there.

Though being inducted into the roll of honor, Marsh has never played with any of the famous gospel quartets. However, several of her students have over the years. She was inducted into the roll with Ben Speer, Eddie Crook and Martin Cook.

According to Marsh, her father taught music to many people of this area. She stayed in music all her life and worked with several country artists during the 1980s. Some of them include Brenda Lee, Patty Page, Boots Randolph, Mel Tillis, Marty Robbins and Hank Williams, Jr.

But, she said, one of the highlights of her life was when she worked with Rosemary Clooney. Clooneys son was the band leader, but got sick, leaving Marsh in charge of the band. For one song, Marsh and Clooney were alone on-stage, just them and the spotlight.

Marsh was born at St. Michaels Hospital in Texarkana. Her father was a school superintendent and the family moved frequently. In 1950, he took a job at Magnolia, moving the family where. Marsh attended school at Magnolia until she was a sophomore.

From there the family moved to the Rosston area in 1962 after her father died. She graduated from Laneburg High School in 1963, but gave piano lessons while going to school.

Following high school, she went to what is now Southern Arkansas University, getting married in 1965 to Edward Marsh. They moved to Texas and continued their education.

In 1966 she gave birth to twin boys, Edward Lee and Wallis Todd. All the while, she continued teaching music in the Stamps Quartet school of music method.

Her daughter, Devon was born in 1974, which saw the family move to Wisconsin where Ed got a job managing a Sambos Restaurant. Two years later they returned to Arkansas with Ed taking a job in the Little Rock School District (LRSD), while she taught music at Boyd Music Co. and played at the Cumberland Presbyterian Church.

The next move occurred in 1980, when they went to McCook, Neb., where they worked with Jerry Venable, as he created his road show and promoted his radio station. They toured Northwest Kansas, Southwest Nebraska and Southeast Colorado for six years, with their final son, John William, being born in 1981.

From Kansas they moved back to Arkansas, with Ed again taking a teaching job with the LRSD and Ellen teaching music with Boyd. About this time the Apostle Quartet reorganized and she played organ with them while her daughter played bass guitar.

She was contacted by the Gospel Singers of America to teach piano, and worked at a three-week music camp in Pass Christian, Miss. for about six years. She was also invited to perform in concert at Greenville, S.C. and play at the Piano Roll in 1998.

Ed retired from teaching in January 2004, but now works with Wallis in the Lewisville oil fields. The Marshs have a 10-acre farm they own, while Ellen has a studio in Prescott where she gives piano lessons.

They have one grandson, Jack, four, one step-grandson, Paul, four, and another grandchild on the way.

Marsh was also named Fellowship of Christian Music of the Year in 1988, 1999 and 2001.