The Gambler
"Know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em."
I got reunited with The Gambler tonight. I grew up with that voice blaring from our tape deck. His gravely voice is very much in the soundtrack of my childhood. Thanks to my father who is a big music fan of his generation, I learned by heart the lyrics to Coward of the Country, Lucille, Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer, Ruby, Lady, Islands in the Stream, and of course, The Gambler.
The last time the guy caught my attention was sometime in the 90’s when Kenny Rogers Roasters opened in Manila. I loved the chicken, the choices of side dishes and the wallet-friendly price. For a while, it was my favourite treat place. I did not know exactly if the guy even cooks but it was enough for me to hear his songs and look at his pictures and plaques while I eat my chicken. Needless to say, I love the guy.
Towards the end of the 90’s, a highly respected colleague told me that Kenny Rogers is a wife beater. I often verify things before believing but I have very rare chance to Yahoo that time. Since it’s show business and my informant seems to have no apparent reason to make it up, I believed the gossip. Since then, I steered clear of Roasters as much as I can. I could not stand listening to any of his songs. Can you imagine listening to him sing "But she has faith in me and so I go on trying faithfully and who knows maybe on some special night, when the song’s right I will find a way .. " - with a picture of a beaten woman on my mind? Too much.
This maligned image of the man made me miss a really good song that he released in 1999. I heard "The Greatest" only tonight on a dibidi-dibidi copy of "Kenny Rogers Live By Request". Simple lyrics in undeniable music - I knew I liked it as early as the first stanza. Wanting to believe in the guy again, I checked on Yahoo (and Google too for good measure). I searched on "Kenny Rogers spouse abuse" and "Kenny Rogers wife beating". The most mud I got on him was an article saying that he had been using a false name in his legal documents. He had consistently signed himself as Kenneth Ray Rogers. Someone sent him his birth certificate that says his real name is Kenneth Donald Rogers. Seems like he was totally unaware of his proper name. He was joking that that he is now wondering whether he has ever been married. (Hmmm .. he was married five times.) Further search results point to another mistaken identity. There is another famous Kenny Rogers who had been known to be violent. He is a pitcher for the Texas Rangers.
With the domestic violence out of the picture, I am looking forward to getting a copy of his 21 greatest hits due to be released on January 2006. You can’t beat the soundtrack of your childhood.
