Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers (born August 21, 1938, Houston, Texas, U.S.—died March 20, 2020, Sandy Springs, Georgia) was an American country music singer known for his raspy voice and multiple hits such as “Lady,” “The Gambler,” “Lucille,” and “Through the Years.”

Early life and music

Rogers grew up poor in a Houston housing project. In 1956, while in high school, he started his first band, the Scholars. He performed “That Crazy Feeling,” his first solo single (1957), on the hugely popular music television show American Bandstand. His talent was recognized immediately, and he was signed to a small local label, Carlton Records, in 1958. In 1966 he joined the New Christy Minstrels, a folk group started by Randy Sparks in 1961. After a year Rogers and a few other Minstrels left to form their own ensemble, the First Edition. Rogers found his way into the spotlight, and the band was soon referred to as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. The band—which played a mix of country, pop, and psychedelic music—had a few hits, including “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (written by Mel Tillis), “Reuben James,” and “Something’s Burning.” The band also hosted Rollin’ on the River (1971–73), a variety show that took place on a Mississippi riverboat set and featured guests such as musicians Kris Kristofferson, B.B. King, and Al Green; actor Jason Robards; and comedians Cheech and Chong.

“Lucille,” “The Gambler,” and collaborations

In the late 1970s Rogers hit his stride. Going solo again, he had his first major hit with the ballad “Lucille,” which won him a Grammy Award for best male country vocal performance in 1978. “Lucille” was named song of the year and single of the year by the Academy of Country Music and single of the year by the Country Music Association and also made its way up the pop music charts, proving that Rogers had enormous crossover appeal. In 1978 he released his album The Gambler, the title song of which won him another Grammy for best male country vocal performance in 1980. As many of his number-one hits did in the 1970s, “The Gambler” appeared on the pop music charts as well as on the country music charts. “The Gambler” told such a vivid story that it was turned into a made-for-television movie (1980) starring Rogers, who played an expert gambler teaching a young protégé the tricks of the trade. The movie led to four sequels, all of which featured Rogers.

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He collaborated with a number of other country singers, notably Dottie West on “Every Time Two Fools Collide” (1978), “All I Ever Need Is You” (1979), and “What Are We Doin’ in Love” (1981) and with Dolly Parton on the number-one crossover hit “Islands in the Stream” (1983). He teamed up with Parton again for a duet of the title song on his 2013 album You Can’t Make Old Friends. He also recorded songs with pop musicians Kim Carnes (“Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” [1980]) and Sheena Easton (“We’ve Got Tonight” [1983]). In 1985 Rogers participated in the recording of “We Are the World,” a charity single to benefit famine relief in Ethiopia. His collaboration with Ronnie Milsap on “Make No Mistake, She’s Mine” (1987) topped the country music charts.

Later projects and honors

Rogers’s string of hits tapered off in the 1990s, though he continued to record and release albums regularly, almost yearly. In 1998 he started his own record label, Dreamcatcher Entertainment, which released his albums of the next decade. In 2011 Rogers branched out and recorded a gospel album, The Love of God (rereleased in 2012 as Amazing Grace).

In addition to writing and performing a vast collection of music over several decades, in 1978 Rogers authored a self-help book, Making It with Music: Kenny Rogers’ Guide to the Music Business, with Len Epand. He also published an autobiography, Luck or Something Like It—A Memoir (2012). In 1991 he launched the chicken restaurant franchise Kenny Rogers Roasters with John Y. Brown, Jr., former coowner of Kentucky Fried Chicken and governor of Kentucky (1979–83). The restaurant chain was memorably featured in an episode of the sitcom Seinfeld in 1996, but it declared bankruptcy a couple years later and closed its last U.S. location in 2011. A Malaysian corporation purchased the business, and it remained popular overseas.

Among his numerous awards, Rogers received the 2013 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Country Music Association, and he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame the same year. In 2017 the U.S. Library of Congress added “The Gambler” to the National Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

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Rogers embarked on a farewell world tour in 2016 that he intended to conclude with a final concert in August 2018, but poor health forced him to cut the tour short in April of that year. He died of natural causes at age 81 in 2020.