The songwriter and vocalist Kenny Rankin occupied an ambiguous perch in the music world--one part singer-songwriter, a harbringer of the '70s movement that would bring James Taylor and Paul Simon to the fore; another part straight jazz singer, if somewhat on the pop cabaret side like Jackie & Roy. He was also known as the guitarist who accompanied Bob Dylan so memorably on the second side of BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME. Following many mid-'60s appearances on Johnny Carson's "Tonight Show," Rankin released his first solo album, MIND-DUSTERS, in 1967. Later he wrote "Peaceful," which was a Top Ten hit for Helen Reddy in 1972. After a nearly three-decade career as an Adult Contemporary pop artist (with a gift for Beatles interpretation), Rankin returned to his first love on A SONG FOR YOU, a well-received set of jazz standards released on Verve in 2002.