Soldier sings for soldiers - Entertainment, Music - Navy Times

Soldier sings for soldiers

Army Staff Sgt. Rodney Watts is making a name for himself singing about soldiering.

The former criminal investigator at Fort Campbell, Ky., discovered he had a talent as a country singer four years ago and has opened for stars such as Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood and Hank Williams Jr.

Watts served in the 1991 Persian Gulf War as an Air Force aviation refueling specialist. He joined the Army in 1996 and launched his music career in 2007 after being diagnosed with Parsonage Turner syndrome, a rare disease that caused severe migraine headaches and paralysis in his left leg and hand.

“Playing guitar was helping, so they gave me an audition for the Army Band,” he said.

Watts became one of the Army’s first MOS vocalists, a new specialty created about a year ago, he said.

The 40-year-old singer and songwriter said he had only dabbled in music before.

“It’s an awesome honor to be on stage” with Chesney and other country music superstars, he said.

But most of the time, Watts performs for soldiers and their families at welcome-home ceremonies. He has played at 60 ceremonies at Fort Campbell, performing his song “Coming Home.”

“There are a lot of sad songs about coming home, but mine is positive, that your loved one is coming home,” he said.

Watts just finished his second album, “Rodney Watts, Who I Am,” which features songs about his life as a soldier.

“My motto is ‘singing for the American soldier,’ ” he said. “I’m thinking that I’m going to spend the rest of my life playing music for soldiers and their families.”

— Matthew Cox