RIP Bill Withers and Kenny Rogers...

The past few weeks have been really weird.  I've been preoccupied by the strange way the world has changed in a matter of days.  I never got around to blogging about Kenny Rogers' recent demise, which happened March 20th, the same day we had a COVID-19 related loss in the form of a dog we were hoping to adopt.

I still want to write about Mr. Rogers, though, because I have so many memories of growing up with his music.  My mom was a big fan and we used to listen to him on 8 track in her car.  Side note-- I never did get the appeal of an 8-track, but we did have a few 8-tracks at home.  He was a huge star when I was a little girl, so a lot of his music reminds me of a time when things were simple and innocent.

One of Kenny's biggest hits.  He was always great with a story song.

Personally, I loved his duets with Dottie West, probably even more than I did his famous Dolly Parton duets.  I love Dolly, but Dottie's smokey vocals were a great match to Kenny's.  They also sang some really nice songs.

One of my favorites by Kenny and Dottie...

And of course everyone loves "Islands in the Stream"...  That was also the name of a pony who beat out me and my pony as state champions at the 1986 State 4H horse show.

I read Kenny Rogers' book a few years ago and followed him on Facebook.  I was always impressed that it seemed like he did his own social media, which I thought was pretty amazing.  He seemed very grounded for being such a big star.

Bill Withers died yesterday.  My friend Meryl, who has a rock star husband, actually met Mr. Withers and said he was an extremely nice person.  But he also sang some evergreen hits that will never go out of style...  

"Ain't No Sunshine" was definitely a classic...

One of my favorites... might have to sing this one myself today.

And probably his biggest hit... this one was revived when I was in high school.

It's always sad to see wonderful musicians pass away.  Kenny and Bill were two who will never be forgotten.  I'm sure Heaven sounds a little sweeter now.

Merry Christmas...

I have a holiday playlist I made last year.  I can barely bring myself to turn it on, even though tomorrow is Christmas.  I have a low tolerance for Christmas music, even the songs I actually enjoy.  I did manage to pick up Kenny Rogers' latest Christmas album and I like it well enough.  The rest of it is just kind of corny, with the exception of a bluegrass album I picked up by accident a few Christmases ago.  It has a song in there called "Christmas Shine" that I identify with all too well.

I've been slacking lately on this blog and Pop Rock Nation.  Maybe I'll get back to it after the holidays are over.  Provided I don't keel over.

What I've heard of this so far is pretty good...  although Kenny never should have had that last facelift.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

A review of Kenny Rogers' life story...

A repost from Epinions…  I reviewed Kenny Rogers' Luck or Something Like It back in October 2012.    Ya know, he comes off as a likable chap, even if he did botch his face with too much plastic surgery.

Kenny Rogers shares his life in a memoir...

 Oct 8, 2012 (Updated Nov 3, 2012)
Review by knotheadusc   in Books

Rated a Very Helpful Review

Pros:Well-written, engaging, interesting memoir.  Kenny seems like a good guy.

Cons:Maybe some really do want to read about his botched plastic surgery.

The Bottom Line:Kenny Rogers has led a rich and interesting life. His book is worth reading.

The other day, I ran across a news article about country singer, actor, and photographer, Kenny Rogers.  The article was about his brand new book, Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir (2012), and his publisher's demand that he remove a chapter about his experiences with plastic surgery.  Having grown up in the 1970s and 80s, and having a mother who loves his music, I was already pretty familiar with Kenny Rogers as a singer.  I had heard a little about his photography and business ventures with Kenny Roger's Roasters, a chain restaurant he lent his name to, and I had seen him act in Six Pack and a couple of televison movies.  And I had noticed the dramatic change in his appearance after he got his eyes done...  I knew I wanted to read his story, even if there wouldn't be anything about who botched his surgery!

Kenny Rogers... a man of humble origins   

At the beginning of Luck or Something Like It, Kenny Rogers writes about his humble origins in Houston, Texas.  He's one of many children, born in the middle of a big brood.  His father, who died in 1975, was an alcoholic who spent all his extra money on booze.  His mother was a practical woman who worked hard.  When Kenny was young, they lived in the San Felipe projects in Houston, but were later able to move to a better part of the city when the family's finances improved.

Kenny Rogers attended Jefferson Davis High School in Houston and eventually got into music as a means of getting girls.  He was also athletic and went out for sports teams, but it turned out he was better at making music than playing sports.  Oddly enough, Rogers didn't seem to come from a particularly musical family, though he does write that his older sister, Geraldine, taught him how to sing harmony when they were in church.  Rogers writes that he was immediately hooked on harmony and it became a defining feature of his sound.  He loved being part of a band because of that sound.

Speaking of bands... 

Kenny Rogers has been in quite a few of them.  Perhaps his best known band was The First Edition, which was the band he was in when he became famous.  Rogers explains how he moved to Los Angeles and rubbed elbows with some very talented folks.  He learned how to play folk, jazz, and even a little psychedelic styled music.  He learned how to alter his image so he could fit in.  And he even writes briefly of auditioning Karen Carpenter for The First Edition when their lead singer decided touring wasn't for her.

He also writes about his famous duet partners, particularly Dolly Parton and Dottie West.  He very graciously explains why he owes Dolly Parton a great debt, since their famous duet "Islands In The Stream", helped keep his career going after he signed a deal with RCA that seemed destined to ruin him.

Speaking of songs
I really enjoyed reading about Kenny Rogers' hits.  He takes the time to explain the stories behind some of his biggest songs, like "Lucille", "Reuben James", and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town."

Married five times...
Kenny Rogers claims that he loves being married.  In fact, he loves it so much that he's walked down the aisle five times.  Granted, his first wife was the result of a shotgun wedding.  Rogers seems to have gotten the hang of marriage, though, having now been married to his fifth wife, Wanda, for twenty years.  Besides being a prolific husband, Rogers has also fathered four sons and a daughter.  He writes a bit about his kids.  I was heartened to read about how he managed to heal his relationship with his eldest son, a product of his third marriage and the victim of parental alienation.

His photography

Kenny Rogers is well-known as a singer and an actor, but did you know he's also a photographer?  Rogers writes about how he became interested in taking pictures and some of the projects he's undertaken with his camera.

My thoughts
I really enjoyed reading about Kenny Rogers' life.  He comes across as a nice person, suprisingly down to earth and candid about his successes and failures, and gracious to all who helped him get to where he is today.  I didn't even miss the missing chapter about his plastic surgery.

Kenny Rogers has been around for 74 years and had some amazing experiences.  I never got the sense he was bragging about his good fortune or whining about his misfortunes.  He just comes off as someone who came from humble origins and had a rare combination of drive, talent, and luck that propelled him to success.  His story is the kind that has the potential to give people hope.

He includes photos in both color and black and white.  Just as an aside... In case anyone is wondering, no, Kenny doesn't include the roasted chicked recipe made famous in his restaurants.

Overall

I would definitely recommend Luck or Something Like It to Kenny Rogers fans or even people who just enjoy a good life story.  I read this book on my iPad and am pleased to report that I had no issues with that method.  Even the pictures looked great.  Five stars.
 For more information: www.kennyrogers.com

Purchase Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir

Desperado done many different ways...

"Desperado" is one of those classic songs that everyone wants to do.  It was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and, of course, that is the best known and best loved version…

Given how militant Don Henley is about copyrights, it won't surprise me if this video is either pulled, muted, or blocked.  But here it is for the time being.  I do like the song and Don Henley as a performer, but I think he's a bit of an ass.

Linda Ronstadt also sang this song.  I think I like her version the best, mainly because it's easiest for me to copy…  ;-)

Clint Black gave this song a go for the Common Thread compilation album he and a bunch of country singers did for Don Henley's Walden Woods project.

Even Karen Carpenter sang this song!  I can only imagine Richard Carpenter negotiating for the rights to let Karen sing this.  The Carpenters vs. Don Henley and Glenn Frey (or their representatives)…  I bet it was epic.

And so did Kenny Rogers.  This rendition is kind of funny.  It sounds like pure 70s era lounge cheese!  I mean, Kenny sings it alright, but the keyboards are all shitty.  I can imagine sitting there at the bar with some kind of brown liquor getting all fucked up listening to this.  It might even make me want to start smoking.

As I'm scrolling through the renditions posted on YouTube, I see that many videos have been muted.  I know, it's all about copyright infringement and shit… but everyone knows the song and most of us have bought at least one copy of it.  Don and Glenn have made money and so have the record companies.  And honestly, as much as I respect someone's right to their intellectual property and all, I also think that if someone likes your music enough to post it or sing it and they aren't making money off of it, you can only benefit.

That being said, here's my version… for today, anyway.



This is a great song to let go on.  I do it well when I'm drunk.  Or maybe I just imagine it.  

Islands in the Stream...

So I recorded Kenny Rogers' and Dolly Parton's big hit yesterday and someone who can sing joined me for Kenny's part...

I have to say, though I do like the Bee Gees, Kenny, and Dolly, I got really sick of this song when it was popular in the 1980s.  To make matters worse, in those days I was showing horses and this one named "Islands In The Stream" beat me in my division at the 4H State Horse Show.  My pony, Rusty, came in second to her...  I'm a better sport now, of course.  Back then, I was still a kid.

Years later, I can tell this song had "hit" written all over it.  It was huge for weeks and is still pretty good today.

Anyway, I decided to sing Dolly's part yesterday and a guy named willie sang with me...



I'm gonna have to pair up with him again...

Kenny Rogers and Dottie West...

When I was very young, my parents had a copy of Kenny Rogers' and Dottie West's 1978 album, Ev'ry Time Two Fools Collide.  That album was released in 1978 and is pretty hard to find these days.  I used to listen to it a lot because my parents played it a lot... and it was actually a very good album.  In the 70s and early 80s, Kenny Rogers was the shit.  And I'm sure he did a lot for the late Dottie West, who endured a lot of tragedies in her too brief life and died in 1991 in a car accident.  She was a marvelously beautiful woman with a whisky soaked voice and she and Kenny kicked ass.

I was six years old in 1978 and my parents played this on 8 track all the time.  As I got older, I would sneak listening to it on my dad's dinosaur of a stereo.  I really like country music from the late 70s and early 80s... as well as the even more classic stuff.  I don't like today's pop country, because it has the same problem a lot of today's pop music has.  There's no soul... and little talent.  It's mostly what you look like that gets you on the radio.  This album is a big classic, though... and I would totally buy it if I could find the 1978 version today.

I love their song, "Ev'ry Time Two Fools Collide".  I would love to find someone who could sing this with me and do it justice.

I also love the other "hits" from that album...

The very sexy "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight"...

Cutesy Sonny and Cher cover...

A lovely rendition of "Til I Can Make It On My Own", a song Tammy Wynette also sang.

Kenny and Dottie singing "We Love Each Other" and sounding very convincing.

And one of my personal favorites, "That's the Way It Should Have Been."



"What Are We Doing In Love"... is very dated today.



Beautiful song, "What's Wrong With Us Today"...



They even covered Bread's "Baby, I'm a Want You".  I never cared much for this song.

They did another song, a cover of Kris Kristofferson's "The Loving Gift", which is just beautiful.



I look at Dottie West and see a woman who was made to wear Bob Mackie's clothes.

My parents went to see Kenny Rogers in the 80s and Dolly Parton was supposed to join him, but had to cancel at the last minute.  Dottie West stepped in.  A lot of people wanted their money back, but my parents loved the show.  Dottie was a true performer and they put on a great performance together.

I miss the days of duets like these... Yes, I know I'm OLD.

Here's Johnny Cash and June Carter singing "The Loving Gift".  It's not quite the same.  They do it in a jaunty uptempo style, while Dottie and Kenny were more earnest.  I like Dottie's and Kenny's version much better.  But Johnny and June obviously did the more popular rendition.

Awkward SingSnap encounters!

Something funny happened the other day.  I recorded a few songs on SingSnap.com that turned out relatively well.  After a couple of hours, I got a few comments from a guy in Pennsylvania who said he really liked my voice.  He sent me a private message asking if I would sing a duet with him.

The first song he suggested was "After All" by Peter Cetera and Cher.  I don't really know that song very well, mainly because I'm not a big fan of Cher's singing voice (even if she is Armenian).  I wrote back that I would have to learn the song.

So then he wrote back and asked if I'd sing "Golden Ring" with him.  That's a song by George Jones and Tammy Wynette.  I wasn't familiar with it, but it turned out to be easy to learn... So I learned it..

And it actually turned out somewhat decently.  The guy has a pretty decent voice.  It reminds me more of Kenny Rogers' voice than George Jones's, so I suggested the song "Every Time Two Fools Collide" by Kenny Rogers and Dottie West.

He had to learn that song and didn't quite get it right.  He wanted to do it in a higher key, for some reason.  Anyway, I thanked him for the duet and he immediately offered to redo it.  I said it was fine and there was no reason to redo it unless he really wanted to...

And then he writes back and asks...  "May I ask, are you broken hearted from a break up?"

I wrote back and said I was happily married.  Some hours later, he wrote back and said he was, too...

What the hell was that all about?  Awkward!

Kenny Rogers!

I just finished reading Kenny Rogers' freshly published memoir, Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir.  I enjoyed the book, by the way, and the above link leads to my Epinions review of it.  But now I have Kenny Rogers songs on the brain.  Having grown up in the 1970s and 80s, I was always exposed to his brand of country flavored pop.  He was a huge star when I was a kid.  My mom has always loved his music, too.

I have to admit, he does have a way with a love song... and apparently, he has a way with love, too.  The man has been married five times!  Anyway, here are a few Kenny Rogers tunes to worm their way into your ears this morning.

 

And in case anyone is wondering, Kenny's book doesn't share his famous roasted chicken recipe.  I never ate in any of his restaurants, but I hear his chicken is awesome.  It's enough to make me want to go to Asia and try it.  That's where his remaining restaurants are today.