Billy Currington Meets Hero Kenny Rogers

May 8, 2006 — Among the songs included on Billy Currington's latest CD, you will find his very first No. 1–"Must Be Doin' Somethin' Right" — along with his current single "Why, Why, Why" and the Kenny Rogers song "Lucille." Billy explains that he originally recorded the Kenny classic for a different project — "It was a CD compilation of former Songs of the Year and 'Lucille' was Song of the Year in 1977 and, of course, one of my favorite songs because I'm a big Kenny Rogers fan. So, I went into the studio and recorded it at the same time I was recording my new CD, and I remember thinking, 'Wow, this is one of my favorite recordings and I'd love to keep this one for my album.' So, I asked the folks connected with the compilation CD if I could keep 'Lucille' for my album and they were nice enough to allow me to do just that. So, I put it on my album and I am thankful that it all worked out."

Billy tells X Radio about the time he met Kenny. "Met him one time," he recalls. "Went to his show at the Ryman Auditorium and, actually we're booked by the same agent, and he was like, 'You wanna meet Kenny?' And I was like, 'Well, heck yeah.' The first concert I ever went to was Kenny Rogers. Went upstairs and met him at the Ryman and I had just found out that he cut a song that I sang a demo to, like just a couple of weeks before that show, so anyway, I mentioned that to him and we just struck up a nice conversation after that. It was definitely a great experience."

Billy adds, "I'm hoping that he will get a copy of the CD someday and hopefully appreciate my version because I am very respectful of his."