Jeff Koinange, Sir Elvis thrill country music lovers in Baringo

Let me just get this out of the way before we go any further; before I attended the Baringo County edition of Jeff Koinange and Hot96’s famed ‘Smokin Country’ music festival this past weekend, I was not all that crazy about that genre of music. That’s the honest truth. I went to that event knowing a grand total of seven country songs; 4 of them were by Kenny Rogers [a man I truly believe was given the most mellifluous voice of all time], two were by Dolly Parton [the female equivalent of Kenny Rogers, with just a little bit more sass and finesse], and the remaining one was a collabo between Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. That was it. Then I went and now I can’t get ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash out of my head Look at that, I even know who Johnny Cash is.

Alright, let’s take it back a little bit:

Hot 96, one of the radio stations under the Royal Media Services (RMS) umbrella, this past weekend took the Smokin’ Country music fanfare down to Baringo County, for the first time since it started going on the road.

The event, headlined by Sir Elvis and the Caravan band alongside the golden voiced Jeff Koinange, landed at the Lake Bogoria Spa & Resort on Saturday, with the fun beginning late afternoon into the night; and not even the rain in-between could stop it.

The cowboys and cowgirls who rocked up were treated to the very best of country music, as they sang along to the band’s every word and matched every syllable, while dancing the evening away clad in their signature boots and hats. Some of the outfits were so out of this world I almost made a phone call to the Vogue Editor…in planet Mars.

I want to take a moment right here to pay homage to Sir Elvis, who I think sounds kind of like if Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton had a baby, you know? The man’s voice is an absolute delight; it’s like a warm glass of milk laced with chocolate. If the Mercedes Benz stopped making cars today and started creating human voices, they would have to use Sir Elvis’ as a prototype. Sir Elvis doesn’t howl and jump all over the mic like some artists we won’t mention today, he doesn’t even touch it because his hands are busy strutting the guitar while he sings; the man belts out a tune with range and poise and panache, because country music is graceful, not noisy.

Baringo Governor Benjamin Cheboi, who was among those in attendance, welcomed the Smokin’ Country team to the county, promising that this may have been their first time there, but it definitely will not be the last. He also took the opportunity to lure investors to the county saying he would waive some taxes for them for, perhaps, their first few years in operation.

Lake Bogoria Spa & Resort General Manager Lydia Dentewo, on her part, expressed excitement at the establishment being chosen for the Baringo edition of Smokin’ Country, adding that it will serve to boost its already high profile.

The guests wined and dined and put their best feet forward, before later being treated to a massive pool party spearheaded by the crazy Hot96 trio of Patrick Igunza, Bensu, and DJ Carbon – who is such a riot on the decks that he played Joseph Shisia’s ‘Omundu Omulosi’ song on a ‘Johnny’ by Yemi Alade beat and the crowd just went bonkers.

In conclusion, I think it’s safe to say that I now know more than seven country music songs.