Don was born July 7,1936 to Henry and Edith Kemp in Sutton Coldfield in the UK near Birmingham. He studied piano while learning to be a machinist in his father’s machine shop. In November 1954 at the age of 18 he immigrated to the U.S., was drafted into the U.S. Army and became a citizen of the United States.
Don was assigned to the Army band at Ft. Bliss and remained in the Army and Army Reserve until 1962. Transferred to the Army Reserves in Southern California, he was hired to play piano in the MGM Studio Orchestra and appeared briefly in a movie. In the evenings he performed for local dance bands.
He met his future wife Dorothy Laurel Kemp while she was singing in a dance band and in 1960 the two moved to Las Vegas and married. Don joined the Eddie O’Neal Orchestra at the Stardust Hotel, remaining there for many years, as well as performing as the accompanist for headliners in Las Vegas including Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand.
Don and Dorrie were pioneers in the arts and community organizations in the then small town of Las Vegas and continued their involvement throughout their lives. Don was the founder of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center and a dedicated member of Rotary. In the 1970s he was president of the Las Vegas Yacht Club. He was also an accomplished photographer and early computer enthusiast.
Don founded Southern Nevada Music, later Music World, in the late 1960s where he created a music class program for elementary school children using the latest in electronic aids for their music education. He sponsored and mentored many young musical artists and provided scholarships for them.
Dorrie predeceased Don in August 2016 after 56 years of marriage and a life partnership. Don is survived by his brother Clive Kemp, his dearest friend Ana Chiu, and his nieces and nephew Debbie Ficke, Cheryl Maunsell, Russell Kemp, Christine Kemp, Jennifer Kemp, April Cherf, as well as his cousin Jefferey Munro of the UK.
The family requests to send memorial donations to the Jazz Outreach Initiative in Don’s memory. Funeral services will be held Friday, December 9, 2022 at the Southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City, NV at 9:20 AM.
