Cumbria lost a popular entertainer, horse enthusiast and man always willing to help others with the death of Bob Kendall, from Brough, aged 79.
Bob was known to many people through his renditions of country and western songs at hundreds of village halls, pubs and other venues over many years, and to others because of his skill at alleviating the pain suffered by horses in their backs.
He also used his seemingly innate skill as a “back man” to help many people he knew, especially in the Brough area.
One of the four children of the late John and Margaret Kendall, he was raised at Dufton and had three brothers, John, Albert and Arthur.
His mother died when Bob was young and so he was raised by his father with invaluable assistance from the Peel family, who lived locally and generously stepped in to help.
After leaving school, the young Bob started working locally for craftsman Joe Rudd, producing wooden rakes in the traditional way. He later also made window frames, and subsequently retained a critical eye for any he thought had not been well put together.
Later still he worked on the railways, but the late nights and early mornings this entailed did not fit in well with his growing passion for musical performance.
Bob’s first wife was Pat and the couple had two children, John and Mark.
His musical career began in a modest way when he sang in the corner of a village pub but his fame soon grew, spread by word of mouth, resulting in him singing and playing his guitar over a wide area, sometimes for 30 nights in a row. On occasion he performed as part of the Bob Kendall Band.
He was also known for the jokes he told and his ability to make up humorous songs on the spur of the moment, often about members of his audience.
As well as performing across Cumbria, he also sang and played in Yorkshire, Lancashire and southern Scotland, never needing an agent to get bookings.
Bob had a lifelong passion for horses and was able to realise his dream of becoming an owner, especially of racehorses, after getting together with his second wife, Margaret, from Dalston.
They were married in 1982 and had a daughter, Bev. The family moved to Brough around 2000.
After watching a “back man” at work he also discovered another talent, for mending horses’ backs by feeling for trapped nerves along their spines and manipulating them into place. At first he did this on horses belonging to himself and Margaret, but later worked on those belonging to other people — including trotters, show jumpers and racehorses.
Those he worked his magic for included trainer Jack Berry, of Cockerham, near Lancaster, who became a close friend. Jack went on to employ Bob’s daughter, Bev, and looked after her like one of his own children.
After Bev suffered an accident, Bob and Jack produced a CD, called Off and Running, to raise money for the Injured Jockeys’ Fund, and this proved highly successful. He also produced several CDs himself and these also did well.
As an owner, along with Margaret, Bob saw several of his horses do well. One of his proudest moments came when a racehorse they had bought in Ireland, Abbenoir Black Abbot, beat a horse trained by Martin Pipe over the hurdles at Hexham.
Another horse which did him proud was a failed racehorse called Ballyflame which he spotted in a field near Carlisle. With Bob working on this horse’s back and Margaret doing the training and riding, Ballyflame became a grade A show jumper.
Latterly, he was very happy to observe the success of Lachain Lass, which was a real “tearaway” when he and Margaret bought her more than 11 years ago. However, Mel, as she is known, developed to become a grade A show jumper and has qualified for the Horse of the Year Show.
Bob is survived by his wife Margaret and their daughter Bev, of Brough; and son John, Penrith. He had one grandchild, Maddie.
The funeral service is to be held in St Michael’s Church, Church Brough, on Thursday, 27th July, preceded by a procession from Brough featuring Bob and Margaret’s racing colours, red and yellow. Walkers Funeral Directors, Appleby, have charge of the arrangements.
