KENNY ROGERS:

KENNY ROGERS, HOT COUNTRY MUSIC ARTIST

By Maritim Kipngetich

Kenny Rogers in 2004

I may not be a fan of music, but this American Artist who sings Country music, Kenny Rogers, has over the past two years made me like country music.

His beats and voice are overwhelming. They make me crazy and feel like I am part of his songs. His famous song “coward of the county” is the first song of this artist I ever listened to. Perhaps I can give credit to my Culture and Performance Studies lecturer, Dr Kimingichi Wapende, who once tuned the song for us to consolidate the topic of the day.

Some people may be wondering who Kenny Rogers is. Kenny is an American artist, song writer, photographer and actor. Born in 1938 in Texas US, Kenny began doing music when he was twenty. He recorded his first song “that crazy feeling” in 1958.

In 1985 Rogers was one of the 45 artists who recorded the worldwide charity song “we are the world” to support hunger victims in Africa. The following year he played at Giants Stadium. Michael Jackson was one of the artists who participated in coming with the song that united the world to support the hunger victims.

He was most active in his career between 1958 and 1990. Most songs he produced within this period are being played even now and people love listening to them. Although Rogers did not record new albums for a couple of years, he continued to have success in many countries with greatest hits packages.

Rogers performing at the University of Houston in 1981

Music industry may be a hard industry to survive in since it requires talent and capital to start performing songs. This was never a challenge to the son of an assistant nurse (mother) and carpenter (father). He has triumphant in the music industry. He has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres, topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone and has sold over 165 million records worldwide, making him one of the highest-selling artist of all time.

Kenny Rogers, concert, Chumash Casino Resort hall, Santa Ynez, California, September 27, 2006.

His career in music is seen as significant since it has opened other precious doors in his life. He may not be a genius in every field he found himself in like photography and acting, but since he became famous in his music, film industry decided to pick him to act since he is loved by audience.

An anecdote in Rogers’ life is that he has married five wives and divorced four with each being divorced while she has got one child. He is currently living with a woman he married in 1997.

“Reuben James” is his other song I love the most. Reuben James was a boatswain’s mate of the United States Navy, famous for his heroism in the First Barbary War. Kenny Rogers praises Reuben James in his song with certain stanza saying “Reuben James, for you still walk over fields of my mind
Faded shirt, weathered brow, caloused hands upon the plow
Loved you then and I love you now, Reuben James”.

Rogers has won various awards and he has gained respect in his country music across the world.