Life is full of small choices that can change things forever. I was probably just one small action away from, like many people, recognizing Kenny Loggins only as a thing to laugh at when mentioned on a cartoon television show. “Haha, he’s that guy,” I might think, in a slightly different world. I might even be a sad specimen like Amandoll, and confuse him for Kenny Rogers. What a shame.

But instead, I grew up often listening to Loggins and Messina. It wasn’t that someone near me loved them a lot. It was that we had one album at least, and at a very young age I obviously was enamored of the song House at Pooh Corner.

Later, I rediscovered this CD we had and I loved it all. The album was Loggins and Messina: The Best of Friends. Adorable name, yes. Great songs, absolutely.

However, I have never known anything about Kenny Loggins himself, or even seen what he looks like, which I’ve decided is a little frightening. So after 32 years of listening to and loving the album, today I learn some facts about Kenny Loggins and share them with you, in honor of his birthday.

Kenny Facts

• His first songwriting compositions were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band which is a fantastic name.
• He recorded songs for a lot of movies, including “Footloose” from the film of the same name.
• He has a fan club called the KL Connection. I didn’t think fan clubs were still a thing!
• Delighting my childhood self, Kenny Loggins kept up with the Winnie the Pooh themed songs and recorded Return to Pooh Corner. Later, he recorded the theme song for The Tigger Movie.
• He’s in a country band that had a kickstarter for their second album.
• That facial hair in his prime really is scary.

Happy birthday Kenny! I’ll be listenin’ in again.