Although Ken  has had an appreciation for Irish music since his early folk music days, he didn't perform Irish songs until 1985, when he was drawn to it by a coworker at a hospital where he was employed in Hamburg, PA,  The coworker was Chuck Barr, a musical legend in Berks and Schuylkill counties who established himself first in the country, rockabilly and early rock and roll scenes of the '50s  and '60's and then gained  respect as a folk singer, songwriter and storyteller in the '70's, gradually shifting his focus to the Irish folk music of performers such as the Clancy's and the Dubliners.  As his reputation grew, Chuck and his band, The Shanachians, were in high demand, particularly around Saint Paddy's Day.  Chuck invited Ken to play keyboard with them for several gigs and soon Ken became one of The Shanachians, learning much from Chuck's performance style and experience over the decade that they performed together.  Although Chuck is gone, his legacy lives on through the many musicians he influenced and who owe much of their love of Irish music to Chuck's strong on-stage (and off-stage) persona. The Shanachians still perform several times a year, but have mostly gone in separate musical directions.  Ken attempts to bring many of the classic Irish songs he performed with Chuck to new audiences as a solo artist and also in ensemble with other musicians.