“Coward of the County” was the very first Kenny Rogers song I ever listened to and I’ve been hooked to his music since. “Everyone considered him, the coward of the county, he never stood one single time to prove the county wrong... Promise me son not to do the things I’ve done, walk away from trouble if you can, now it won’t mean you’re weak if you turn the other cheek...” I so badly wanted to know how the story ended and that was the case with ‘The Gambler’ and nearly all his other songs. Hard to believe several were released in the 70s and no, I wasn’t born yet but that shows how timeless his music is. For me, it’s a combination of meaningful, relatable lyrics or put simply, great storytelling, which I value, especially at a time when we’re bombarded with “empty” if not crude lyrics that do little more than objectify women or glorify gang culture. You can listen to just about any Kenny Rogers song with your kids, parents, grandparents or in-laws because his music is clean and uplifting. I also feel like he was one of those musicians who didn’t have a “bad” song and he certainly wasn’t a one-hit-wonder. You know how musicians release a relatively good album only to go silent after that, or if they do release a follow-up album, it’s crappy and nothing like their previous work and you wonder what happened! Well, Kenny Rogers was consistently good. He, the late Don Williams and Dolly Parton are some of the greats whose music has transcended generations. My mum loves Dolly Parton for the same reasons I do and again, it goes back to the messaging. ‘Think about Love’, ‘Coat of Many Colors’ and even ‘Jolene’. The kind of songs that get you hooked because of the beautifully crafted and well-thought-out storylines. To think that some people say black people, and Africans, in particular, don’t appreciate or shouldn’t identify with country music! We are great storytellers too and we learned from the best: Our ancestors. All those folk tales and riddles around campfires that have been passed on through the years are no different from country music. So, RIP Kenny Rogers. Your music will live on. Can’t forget the other two African legends who also passed on recently, Aurlus Mabélé and Manu Dibango who sadly succumbed to the deadly COVID-19. Thank you all for the music.
