This is my Kenny Rogers story, and I’m stickin’ to it

In memory of Kenny Rogers 1938-2020

Kenny Rogers has been on my mind.  Recently I heard one of his great songs on the radio, and then I read a wonderful story about him in a new book.  “The Time of My Life” is by Bill Medley, remember him?  He was the deep-voiced half of the Righteous Brothers (with tenor Bobby Hatfield).  Back in 1964, they recorded the most-played song in the history of radio.  “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” sounds like no other song.  Deejays wouldn’t play it when it came out, because when Bill sang those opening words, “You never close your eyes any more, when I kiss your lips…” they thought it was recorded on the wrong speed!

Eventually they figured it out, listeners loved it, and it sold millions.  The Righteous Brothers became one of the hottest acts in the nation. They befriended a newcomer named Kenny Rogers, and helped him in the early days of his career.

A few years later, it was Kenny having all the hits, while the Righteous duo faded from the charts. In Bill’s book, he writes about falling on lean financial times, after making some poor investments.  By this time, Kenny was pumping out gold records like “Lucille,” “Coward of the County,” and “The Gambler. Bill asked Kenny for a $20,000 loan.  “I promise to pay you back as soon as I can,” he said.  Kenny pulled out his checkbook, and wrote him a check for $20,000.  “This is not a loan, it’s a gift,” he said.  Bill protested, but Kenny said in a non-boastful way, “Do you know how much money I’m making? You would do the same thing for me.”  A few weeks later, Bill tried to pay him back. Kenny handed back the envelope. “What’s this?” he asked.  Bill said, “I’m paying you back, you loaned me 20 grand.”  Kenny repeated, “No I didn’t. I refuse to take it back.” What a guy.

That reminded me of another first-hand report of Kenny’s kindness.  In the WFLI “Jet-FLI Spectacular” days of all-star concerts at Memorial Auditorium in Chattanooga, radio station manager Johnny Eagle recalled how difficult it was to get someone to open the show.  They all wanted to be the headline act, and close the show. Johnny said, “Kenny Rogers made it easy for me.  He was among the nicest stars. He even carried his own equipment.  I’d go up to Kenny, kind of embarrassed, and ask him if he would be kind enough to open the show, and he’d say absolutely, whatever you need.  He had more hits than anybody, but he didn’t act like it. It was no surprise to me that he went on to be more successful than any of them.”

In the early 1980s, when I was music director for KZ-106, Kenny released a new album on Liberty Records.  A promoter for the label, Bob Alou would visit the station, and ask us to play Kenny’s songs.  Bob was well known in the industry as a bit of a wild man.  Still, one afternoon, I accepted his invitation to take a ride through Red Bank, just long enough to hear Kenny’s new album (on cassette) on his car stereo.  As he drove down Dayton Boulevard, he decided to light up a joint.  The more he inhaled, the louder the music got.  He would take long, deep drags, and he was determined to finish the joint before we returned to the radio station.  He’d crank up Kenny’s songs even louder, saying “Man, that sounds good!” Thankfully, we were not stopped by the Red Bank police.  Even though I wasn’t smoking, I was probably high by association, and my clothes smelled like pot.  My wife Cindy understood.  She had been in radio too.

In fact, that record promoter scored big points with Cindy just a few weeks later.  Kenny performed at the UTC Arena, and Bob arranged for us to meet Kenny backstage.  Cindy, by then a seasoned news reporter, started thinking about what she would ask him.  “What will your next record be?”  “Tell us about your new baby boy.”  “What do all those Grammy nominations mean to you?”  She was prepared, as always.

After the show, we were escorted backstage, and there stood Kenny Rogers.  Tall, trim, tanned and handsome in his white suit.  We exchanged pleasantries, and he thanked me for playing his songs.  I nodded to Cindy, as if to say, “Your turn.”  She was so taken aback by his good looks, she could not speak.  A few words came out, but not in the right order.  She was starstruck. Kenny smiled and said, “Well, it sure was nice to meet you.”  Cindy turned three shades of red, and said, “Kerfuffle perdunkin,” or something like that.  I’d never seen her speechless, before or since. (“I didn’t expect him to be so handsome,” she would say later.)

Kenny Rogers then walked away, sporting a big smile.  It surely wasn’t the first time he’d made a pretty girl blush.

For more on Kenny Rogers’ incredible career, click HERE