Remembering Kenny Rogers, and our 'O Holy Night' fight

I am distraught to hear that Kenny Rogers has died.

Here we are wanting good news and not bad news in the middle of this Coronavirus craziness and we get that, you know?

Kenny Rogers was a gentleman. I got to know him slightly the same way I got to know a lot of musicians slightly, in my line of work for The Buffalo News. He stands out in my mind as one of the very nice ones. Working for The Buffalo News you get a good look at people's true colors. They do not have to be especially nice to you. You are not The New York Times. And a star like Kenny Rogers is going to pull in an audience no matter what.

But Kenny was nice. He would be in my top 10. He was easy to talk to on the phone and he was a hoot at the Meet and Greet after the show. I wrote about it all, just for fun. Funny thing, I was just reading back on it a few weeks ago and cracking up. I did not know, when I was reading back on it, that Kenny Rogers was in hospice. I did not know he was sick. I really did not think about anything other than how funny all that was, when our paths crossed.

Here is my blow-by-blow account of the argument I had with Kenny Rogers over "O Holy Night."

Hahaa.. I even wrote: "Let me say this right now, Kenny Rogers is a doll and were it not for my religious convictions and the fact that I am already married to Howard, I would cheerily be his sixth wife. That is how much I liked him!"

Great fun. I have been blessed, you know? Just getting to know some of these people in the off-the-wall way that I have.

And to have written down the details, all these little things I would have forgotten otherwise.

Dear Kenny Rogers.

I will treasure the memories!