First-Ever Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame Documentary Film Festival Legacy Award Presented to Music Legend Kenny Vance
The 82-year-old singer/songwriter and most senior first-time American male documentary filmmaker releases his debut documentary on streaming and DVD after award-winning film festival run
STONY BROOK, NY — Across 60 years, he has been a driving force in pop culture across music, TV and film. Now at 82 years old, singer/songwriter and music producer Kenny Vance (Co-founder of the legendary band Jay and the Americans), is the oldest American male debut director of a commercial feature documentary film. In 2008, he was inducted into the Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF). Now, he has become the first filmmaker to receive the LIMEHOF Documentary Film Festival Legacy Award.
“The LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival Legacy Award honors Kenny Vance for transforming a lifetime of musical influence into lasting cultural preservation, most powerfully through Heart & Soul: A Love Story, his deeply personal tribute to the doo-wop pioneers who built the foundation of rock and roll,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival Executive Director. “His work ensures that the voices of this first generation are not only remembered but rightfully celebrated as essential to American music history.”
His debut award-winning commercial feature documentary feature film, Heart & Soul: A Love Story, is the crowning achievement of an illustrious career in music and entertainment spanning 6 decades. Vance, born in Flatbush, Brooklyn,has had a 60-year career in music, television, and film. As a producer/singer/songwriter/composer, he crosses musical genres from Rock and Roll to Doo-wop to movie soundtracks (Animal House/The Warriors) and TV music in addition to being the former Musical Director of Saturday Night Live (1980-81). Vance is thrilled to be honored again with this special legacy award.
“It’s the culmination of my life’s work really,” Vance said. “I started with Jay and the Americans, and we made wonderful music like Cara Mia and Come a Little Bit Closer. And then I wound up making my own CD after I left the group, Looking for an Echo, which also became a big cult classic over the years with Kenny Vance and the Planotones. Now I made this movie honoring these young artists who I grew up with that were my heroes to show the world that these young artists really were impactful and meant something not only to me but to the musical history of America.”
After Superstorm Sandy destroyed his house of 40 years in Belle Harbor, Queens, Vance decided to use what was left of all his personal footage (some of which survived the hurricane) to make and direct the documentary Heart & Soul: A Love Story. It was shown on PBS, at the Grammy Museum and the Smithsonian Institute and a had a very successful and award-winning film festival run. Vance is now launching this film on streaming platforms including Amazon Prime, Fandango and Plex and DVD. The film shines a light on the unsung artists of 1950s rock & roll.
Year two of the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival has been announced to take place on September 25th-27th, 2026. It is accepting film entries now on FilmFreeway.com. For more information visit http://filmfreeway.com/LongIslandMusicandEntertainmentHallofFameMusicDocumentaryFilmFestival
About the LIMEHOF Music Documentary Film Festival Legacy Award:
The Long Island Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame Music Documentary Film Festival Legacy Award is a distinguished honor that celebrates visionary artists whose work has profoundly shaped the art of music storytelling on film. It recognizes filmmakers and creative pioneers whose documentaries preserve cultural history, amplify influential voices, and deepen our understanding of music’s impact on society. This award stands as a tribute to enduring artistic excellence, historical significance, and a lifelong commitment to illuminating music’s legacy through the power of cinema.
About Heart & Soul: A Love Story
Heart & Soul: A Love Story takes us on an intimate journey of the artists and the impact of doo-wop, the vocal harmony masterpieces of teenage artists from the 1950s and 1960s (now fast fading from history) which formed the bridge to today’s popular music and youth culture. Much of the footage is verit?, shot on the scene over the decades, by multi-platinum singer/musician and debut director, Kenny Vance. His film shows how these young, diverse street artists (many of whom were his friends and fellow performers) broke new ground by creating harmony by singing as one, ultimately changing the course of music and culture.
As a teenage co-founder of the iconic 1960s pop group, Jay & the Americans, Vance shared the stories and lives of the community of artists in this film. Viewers will hear the story of the music and the makers in their own words. Trailer for the film https://youtu.be/yZsRmRzJ2X4–
Website https://www.heartandsoulthemovie.com/
Background Kenny Vance Career Highlights
Kenny Vance has had a 60-year career in music, TV and film, and was part of many iconic moments that inspired his career.
- Cofounding member of hit 60’s group Jay & the Americans as a teenager and having a string of hits like Only in America, Come a Little Bit Closer, Cara Mia, She Cried and This Magic Moment. They opened for the Beatles and the Rolling Stones at both groups’ first U.S. concerts in 1964.
- Music Director for Saturday Night Live and films including Animal House, Hairspray, Eddie & the Cruisers, Looking for an Echo, and the Warriors
- Acting credits include Hurly Burly, American Hot Wax and 6 Woody Allen movies.
- Has shown the world the soul of Doo Wop with his band Kenny Vance & the Planotones since 1992.