 Henry Kenneth Black was born in Regina, Saskatchewan on 19 May 1912.Ken was the first of five children of Henry Black (1875-1960) and Jennie Lenore Barker (1882-1950), his younger siblings being Charles, William, Elizabeth, and Thomas.Henry Black was born on a farm near Kemptville, Ontario and worked in various businesses before moving to Kaslo, British Columbia in 1899, and then to Regina in 1903, where he opened a menswear store.