by Howard Campbell
[SOUTH FLORIDA] – Of the diverse artists he listened to in his youth, Kenny Rogers was special to Rad Dixon. The singer’s blend of country and pop won him over in a big way.
The South Florida-based Dixon’s latest song is Write Your Name, originally done by Rogers in 1997. It is produced by Tasjay Productions.
“Always love and enjoy the many hits from the great Kenny Rogers growing up. When I heard of his death they were playing all the hits and Write Your Name stood out,” said Dixon.
He added that Tasjay Productions were looking at a pop song for him to cover and Write Your Name was the unanimous choice.
Rogers, who died in March, 2020, was extremely popular in Jamaica where he performed three times. Dixon never saw him in action but first listened to him as a boy in Manchester, a farming parish in rural Jamaica, where he was born.
There was no difficulty making “Write Your Name” his own.
“My version is like bringing back the real lovers rock, like Ken Boothe, Dennis Brown, John Holt, Sanchez and Bitty McLean,” said Dixon.
The Texas-born Rogers’ career started during the 1950’s. Though he had some success as a singer in the next decade, it was not until the late 1970’s and 1980’s that he achieved mega success as a crossover artist with songs like The Gambler, She Believes in Me, Lady and Islands in The Stream (with Dolly Parton).
Write Your Name is Dixon’s latest collaboration with Tasjay Productions. Some of his previous songs for the label include Missing You and Baby Don’t Worry.
