Kenny Powers
Acting
Biography
Kenneth Marion Powers, born on July 9, 1947, in Landrum, South Carolina, lived a high-octane life, fueled by drugs, debauchery and death-defying stunts. He served in the U.S. Navy after completing high school. He was an American stuntman recognized for a notable yet unsuccessful feat. In October 1979, he gained attention for stepping in for stuntman Ken Carter in an ill-fated endeavour to leap over the Saint Lawrence River using a rocket-powered Lincoln Continental. Powers, who had never driven a rocket car before, broke his wrist, three ribs, eight vertebrae, and Carter’s heart. Kenny Powers survived, however, he struggled with problems due to alcohol and drug abuse his whole adult life. He passed away on February 28, 2009, at the Hampton Veterans Center in Hampton, Virginia, leaving behind his wife, Beverly Powers.
Known For
Devil at Your Heels, traces the trials of stuntman Ken Carter who attempts a death-defying aerial jump in a car. Not content with a normal jump, Ken Carter attempts a jump from Canada to the USA. This feature-length documentary shines a light on the intense preparation that led to Carter’s first attempt to jump a car across a mile-wide stretch of the St. Lawrence River – a 5-year period during which the dare-devil raised a million dollars, erected a 10-storey take-off ramp and built a rocket-powered car. Winner of the Canadian Screen Award for Best Feature Length Documentary at the 4th Genie Awards in 1983.
The Devil at Your Heels
In 1976, Canadian stuntman Ken Carter declared his intention to jump a mile over the St. Lawrence Seaway in a rocket powered car. In 2008, Canadian musician Mark Haney declared his intention to pay tribute to Ken Carter in the form of a concept album for solo double bass. In 2011, Canadian filmmaker John Bolton declared his intention to make a "musical docudrama" about both men. Aim for the Roses is a one-of-a-kind film, about a one-of-a-kind album, about a one-of-a-kind stunt, all three of which could only happen in Canada.
Aim for the Roses
Documentary follows the come-back attempt of Canadian stunt performer Ken Carter, and his untimely demise at Westgate Speedway in the fall of 1983. The documentary made use of jump footage that sat in storage unused for thirty years.