Music keeps Kenny alive

MANILA, Philippines- “It’s been a long journey,” replies singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins when asked to describe his musical career. “It started with country rock. Then it became more smooth jazz. Then (came) the movie music which was more of rock ‘n roll. Probably the most rock ‘n roll period of my career would be the movie music. And then the Leap of Faith which was more of an R&B record.”

In the ‘70s, Kenny and Jimmy Messina started the band Loggins and Messina with a country rock leaning. According to Kenny, the band was one of those groups that pioneered the modern country sound. He went off to an R&B direction when he decided to go solo. Kenny wrote songs for David Foster and Michael McDonald. He also tried his hand at writing soundtracks. Compositions like What A Fool Believes, Meet Me Halfway, For the First Time, Leap of Faith and Footloose came to the fore. He considers Footloose a career high because “the movie sold the music. And the music sold the movie.” It was indeed a great marriage.

“The music has stayed very varied,” shares Kenny. “It hasn’t stayed the same. I go where I feel I’m drawn to artistically and I don’t make one kind of music over and over again. I have now started a new band with Gary Burr from Nashville and Georgia Middleman from San Antonio, Texas. And we have a new band called Blue Sky Riders. It’s much more of a country rock where I started. We sort of leaning more towards the rock ‘n roll side of country music and not so much to pop thing. And we’ll see what happens.”

Kenny’s Pinoy fans will experience his ever-changing music tonight at 8 at the SMX Convention Center. For his third visit and performance in the Philippines, fans will hear Kenny’s hits from the past and a couple of new songs. Martin Nievera is the special guest.

“It’s always interesting to meet the fans,” Kenny says. “Fans in different areas have different customs. Fans in the Philippines tend to be camera ready. It’s interesting for me to see the energies of the different cultures.”

What’s good about the show is that fans will not only hear songs Kenny wrote for himself but also tunes he composed for other artists.

“I think I’m probably a little bit more comfortable as a singer,” says Kenny. “But I love writing songs and I love what happens when a good song comes out. And you get to record that song. It’s a rush like nothing else. I also enjoy getting on stage and singing in front of a lot of people. It’s good to have 20 to 30 years of music to sing. So I have plenty to lean on.”

Where is music in Kenny’s life right now?

“It is very important to me right now, especially with the new band,” he concludes. “It keeps me alive, creative and stimulated. Otherwise, I think I’d stay at home, hang out by the pool, and wait for the kids to come over. It keeps me connected. It keeps your brain working.”

(For details, call Ticketworld, SM Tickets or 0917-5555475.)