Have you ever been to a concert and wondered, when is that guy gonna retire? I have. Sure, it’s none of my business who retires, or when, or why. Certainly you’ve all heard some of the old arguments? He can’t sing anymore, she can’t hold a note, he can’t play guitar at all, he’s old enough to be my grandfather – and I’m a grandfather. You get the picture? If you’ve never thought that way about a performer who’s been around through your lifetime, then you are a good sport, or you’ve never heard some ancient performer fall on their face – performance wise. About now, you are asking yourself, what on earth is this guy driving at?
Kenny Rogers has been in the music business all of my life, and just about all of his; he’ll be 68 years old in August (I know, because he’s the same age as my mother – but they never dated, and, yes, I digress). He played in bands in high school, briefly attended college, dropped out, and the rest is history. Spanning nearly five decades Mr. Rogers, heck, I’m going to stick with Kenny (Mr. Rogers reminds me of the other guy), Kenny has been a professional musician and performer. That’s a long, long time to survive in the music business, my friends – a long, long, long time. Did you know the average career span for a musical artist is, approximately, about as long as their CD sales continue, and continue big time (for most, that’s one major label release). Kind of scary isn’t it. So, take heed before you decide you want to be a “rock star.” Now, what does all of this have to do with Kenny Rogers? I’ll tell you, but first let me tell you about Kenny’s concert at Riverbend Sunday evening.
With a simple, “ladies and gentlemen, Kenny Rogers,” Kenny opened his show with his hit “Love Or Something Like It.” And, from that moment on, as they say, the hits kept coming. I’ll confess there were a few songs that I didn’t recognize, but they were from his more recent recordings. Song after song, memory after memory, flooded out into a moon-drenched evening. I watched the audience response to each song; I listened to the responses as well. Good responses, gentle, sometimes almost subdued, but with the warmth often afforded an old friend, or relative. A wild show, it was not. A musical journey through the years, it was.
Kenny’s voice is one of the most recognizable in popular music in the U.S., and I suspect the entire world. His vocal delivery, throughout his show surprised me a great deal. It was, for the most part, as strong and raspy as ever. Kenny’s famous vibrato was present, and was well presented within the sound mix; not at all overdone like one of those performers whose trademark sound is so overdone that they become a parody of themselves – Kenny’s vocals were the same I heard from him years ago.
One of the best aspects of Kenny’s show is his comfort level with his audience. The man is a master at crowd control. I’m not talking about slam dancers; I’m referring to the man’s ability to make his audience feel comfortable. Jimmy Buffet carved an entire career out of a few good songs, and a magical touch with the common man, and so it is with Kenny Rogers.
The songs, the hits that we bury in our subconscious and don’t think about them until we hear them again 10, 20, so many years later, are the basis of Kenny’s career. I can’t say enough about performers who recognize the skill of the songwriters that have helped forge their careers, and acknowledge those writers. Kenny made it a point, several times during his show, to name the writers of some of his hits. This is a man who is acutely aware of the precarious nature of “show business,” and understands fully the power that every successful song represents. Kenny shared several “stories behind the songs” with all of us, and it’s this humble writer’s view that he is the better man for it.
I’ve mentioned before just how amazed I am at the way song transcends generations. Kenny Rogers’ show just brought that truth back into focus. I watched 20-year-olds singing along with Kenny songs that were nearly twice as old as they. When Kenny sang the Mel Tillis-penned song, “Ruby (Don’t Take Your Love To Town),” I was taken aback at the sight of such young folks singing the song word for word. The songs that filled Kenny’s show represent his musical legacy, and he performed them, one and all, with the skill and finesse that he has always been known for.
Kenny sang songs from all periods of his long career, from his days with The First Edition – “Ruby” – to his entry into country music – “Coward of the County,” and “Lucille.” He sang new songs, such as the touching and profound “The Last Ten Years” (aka – Superman). Remember, Kenny has had over 60 songs in the Top 40 over the years, so he did not have time to sing them all. I can tell you this, with a solid band, and a whole lot of musical help from the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, he performed 20 of his hits. He closed with the old Bee Gees song that Kenny and Dolly Parton took to the top of the charts – “Islands In The Stream.”
Now, let me revisit my question, what is the right age for older performers to retire? Well, now I can give you the unequivocal answer, thanks to Kenny Rogers, - when they are darn good and ready! Rock on Kenny!
Jay Mouton
wholerest58@comcast.net