Country music legend Kenny Rogers dies at 81

[ZiprHead]

https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/music/country-music-legend-kenny-rogers-dies-81-n1165531?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma

 

[Ford]

I got to spend some time with Kenny around 1998 when he came to do our radio show. Most of the time, you get maybe 5 or 10 minutes to interview a big celebrity, but Kenny stayed with us for an hour, singing songs and playing along with our wacky morning radio bits. No pressure, no managers hanging around, just Kenny. After doing the show, he went out into the station's conference room and met everybody. Signed autographs, took pictures (I still have the Polaroid!) and was very warm and gracious with his time. He was also very funny.

Rest in Peace, Kenny.

 

[Mumbles]

I didn't grow up listening to Country, still don't have a single album's worth of it out of my 100GB+ collection.

And damn, even I respected the guy. He was a true talent. A quick video from someone who knew him and his work far better than I ever will can be found here.

 

[Ford]

I didn't grow up listening to Country, still don't have a single album's worth of it out of my 100GB+ collection.

And damn, even I respected the guy. He was a true talent. A quick video from someone who knew him and his work far better than I ever will can be found here.

A co-worker of mine got to interview Kenny some years ago, and he said this about her:

Dolly is a character that everybody thinks they know, and when you meet her, you find out she's is every bit of it, and even better.

In the same interview, he said that

each performer is actually three people: a) the person he/she thinks they are, b) the person their fans perceive, c) and the person they REALLY are. He said, "the closer those three people are, the longer the career"

.

Around roughly the same time, another artist stopped by and did a cover of "She Believes In Me," and it inspired me to learn the song on guitar. Usually, country songs are pretty easy. Three chords and the truth is how legendary songwriter Harlan Howard described the genre. This is way more than three chords. And it's a great story, too. The production is a little dated (okay, a lot) but Kenny's voice was...the word is mellifluous. Hearing it up close and personal without all the production was a revelation. I will not forget that day.


[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uBmu1vdQEY[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Tom Sawyer]

That's too bad. He seemed like a nice man.

 

[jab]

I liked his work with the First Edition best.