Kenny Rogers

Biography

Kenneth Donald Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American country music singer-songwriter. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences, but also charted more than 120 hit singles across various genres, topping the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide during his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. His fame and career spanned multiple genres—jazz, folk, pop, rock, and country. He remade his career and was one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.
In the late 1950s, Rogers began his recording career with the Houston-based group the Scholars, who first released "The Poor Little Doggie". After some solo releases, including 1958's "That Crazy Feeling", Rogers then joined a group with jazz singer Bobby Doyle. In 1966, he became a member of the folk ensemble the New Christy Minstrels, playing double bass and bass guitar, as well as singing. In 1967, several members of the New Christy Minstrels and he left to found the group the First Edition, with whom he scored his first major hit, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", a psychedelic rock song, which peaked at number five on the Billboard charts. As Rogers took an increased leadership role in the First Edition following the success of 1969's "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town×Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town2002 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town2:562For the Good Times3:203Always Leaving, Always Gone2:344Shine on Ruby Mountain2:585Ticket to Nowhere2:266Lay It Down4:167Sunshine3:128Reuben James2:539Elvira2:4710Me and Bobby McGee2:3311Where Does Rosie Go2:1012I'm Going to Sing a Sad Song Suzie2:5913Tulsa Turnaround3:2714We All Got to Help Each Other2:2115Something's Burning3:5616All God's Lonely Children3:1717What Am I Gonna Do?2:3618But You Know I Love You3:0619A Stranger in My Place3:0020Someone Who Cares2:37", the band gradually changed styles to a more country feel. The band broke up in 1975–76, and Rogers embarked on a long and successful solo career, which included several successful collaborations, including duets with singers Dottie West, Dolly Parton, and Sheena Easton, and a songwriting partnership with Lionel Richie. His signature song, 1978's "The Gambler×The Gambler1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Gambler3:302I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again2:553The King of Oak Street5:014Making Music for Money3:165The Hoodooin’ of Miss Fannie Deberry4:446She Believes in Me4:127Tennessee Bottle4:008Sleep Tight, Goodnight Man2:529A Little More Like Me (The Crucifixion)2:4810San Francisco Mabel Joy3:3811Morgana Jones3:05", was a crossover hit that won him a Grammy Award in 1980, and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. He developed the Gambler persona into a character for a successful series of television films starting with 1980's Emmy-nominated Kenny Rogers as The Gambler.
Rogers's albums The Gambler and Kenny×Kenny10 September 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You Turn the Light On3:03A2You Decorated My Life3:39A3She’s a Mystery2:52A4Goodbye Marie2:43A5Tulsa Turnaround2:53A6I Want to Make You Smile3:23B1Santiago Midnight Moonlight3:16B2One Man’s Woman3:46B3In and Out of Your Heart3:18B4Old Folks2:42B5Coward of the County4:20 were featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever". He was voted the "Favorite Singer of All Time" in a 1986 poll by readers of both USA Today and People. He received numerous awards, such as the American Music, Grammy, Academy of Country Music, and Country Music Association awards, as well as a lifetime achievement award for a career spanning six decades in 2003. His later successes included the 2006 album release Water & Bridges×Water & Bridges21 March 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Water & Bridges4:102Someone Is Me3:303Someone Somewhere Tonight5:184I Can't Unlove You3:255Calling Me3:596Half a Man3:197I Can Feel You Drifting3:518The Last Ten Years (Superman)3:429You'll Know Love4:1410My Petition4:1311One Life3:4612Honey, Where's the Money Gone3:15, an across-the-board hit that entered the top five in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts, also charting in the top 15 of the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, "I Can't Unlove You", was also a sizable chart hit. Remaining a popular entertainer around the world, he continued to tour regularly until his retirement in 2017.
Rogers had acting roles in movies and television shows, including the title roles in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, the MacShayne series for The NBC Mystery Movie, and the 1982 feature film Six Pack. He was a co-founder of the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters in collaboration with former KFC CEO John Y. Brown Jr. Although the stores closed in the United States, they are still a fixture in Asia.

Early life

Kenneth Donald Ray Rogers was born the fourth of eight children on August 21, 1938, at St Joseph's Infirmary in Houston, Texas. His parents were Lucille Lois Rogers, a nurse's assistant, and Edward Floyd Rogers, a carpenter. The family lived in the San Felipe Courts public housing project. Rogers was said to be of Irish and Native American ancestry. Rogers attended Wharton Elementary School, George Washington Junior High School, and graduated from Jefferson Davis High School (now Northside High School) in 1956.
In 1949, Rogers won a talent show at the Texan Theatre. He served as a busboy at the Rice Hotel and swept floors at a hat store for $9 a week. He later attended the University of Houston.

In 1986, on The Phil Donahue Show, Rogers told the audience that he was the first person in his family "as far back as we know" to graduate from high school. We were broke. We lived in a federal housing project. I think the most money my father ever made was $75 a week. There were times as a child that, I don't think I was ever really hungry – I always had food to eat – but there's no question that our family was nutritionally deprived at times. We'd eat peanut butter sandwiches, 'cause that's all there was. Quite honestly, when you're a kid, you don't know any better, you think that's how everyone eats.

Early career

In a recording career dating back to the 1950s, Rogers moved from teenager rock and roll through psychedelic rock to become a country-pop crossover artist of the 1970s and 1980s. He had a minor solo hit in 1957 called "That Crazy Feeling". After sales slowed down, Rogers joined a jazz group called the Bobby Doyle Three, who were frequently hired by clubs due to their fan following. The group recorded for Columbia Records. They disbanded in 1965, and a 1966 jazzy rock single Rogers recorded for Mercury Records, called "Here's That Rainy Day", failed. Rogers also worked as a producer, writer, and session musician for other performers, including country artists Mickey Gilley and Eddy Arnold. In 1966, he joined the New Christy Minstrels as a singer and double bass player.
Feeling that the Minstrels were not offering the success they wanted, Rogers and fellow members Mike Settle, Terry Williams, and Thelma Camacho left the group. They formed the First Edition in 1967 (later renamed "Kenny Rogers and the First Edition"). They were later joined by Kin Vassy. They chalked up a string of hits on both the pop and country charts, including "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" (Rogers doing lead vocals and bass), "But You Know I Love You", "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town×Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town2002 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town2:562For the Good Times3:203Always Leaving, Always Gone2:344Shine on Ruby Mountain2:585Ticket to Nowhere2:266Lay It Down4:167Sunshine3:128Reuben James2:539Elvira2:4710Me and Bobby McGee2:3311Where Does Rosie Go2:1012I'm Going to Sing a Sad Song Suzie2:5913Tulsa Turnaround3:2714We All Got to Help Each Other2:2115Something's Burning3:5616All God's Lonely Children3:1717What Am I Gonna Do?2:3618But You Know I Love You3:0619A Stranger in My Place3:0020Someone Who Cares2:37", "Tell It All, Brother", "Reuben James", and "Something's Burning".
When the First Edition disbanded in 1976, Rogers launched his solo career. He soon developed a more middle-of-the-road sound that sold to both pop and country audiences. He charted more than 60 top-40 hit singles (including two number ones—"Lady" and "Islands in the Stream"). His music has been featured in top-selling movie soundtracks, such as Convoy, Urban Cowboy, and The Big Lebowski.

Solo career and duets with other artists

As the First Edition was breaking up in 1975, Rogers was the face of a national commercial advertising the "Quick Pickin' Fun Strummin' Home Guitar Course", but in 1976, Rogers signed a solo deal with United Artists. Producer Larry Butler and Rogers began a partnership that would last four years.
Rogers's first outing for his new label was Love Lifted Me. The album charted and two singles, "Love Lifted Me×Love Lifted Me1976 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Love Lifted Me3:492Abraham, Martin and John · Precious Memories4:173I Would Like to See You Again3:084Runaway Girl2:495The World Needs a Melody3:316You Gotta Be Tired2:557Homemade Love2:308While the Feeling’s Good4:049Heavenly Sunshine2:4610There’s an Old Man in Our Town3:37" and "While the Feeling's Good", were minor hits. The song "Runaway Girl" was featured in the film Trackdown (1976). Later in 1976, Rogers issued his second album, the self-titled Kenny×Kenny10 September 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You Turn the Light On3:03A2You Decorated My Life3:39A3She’s a Mystery2:52A4Goodbye Marie2:43A5Tulsa Turnaround2:53A6I Want to Make You Smile3:23B1Santiago Midnight Moonlight3:16B2One Man’s Woman3:46B3In and Out of Your Heart3:18B4Old Folks2:42B5Coward of the County4:20 Rogers, whose first single, "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)", was another solo hit.
The single "Lucille" (1977) was a major hit, reaching number one on the pop charts in 12 countries, selling over five million copies, and firmly establishing Rogers's post-First Edition career. On the strength of "Lucille", the album Kenny Rogers reached number one on the Billboard Country Album Chart. More success was to follow, including the multiplatinum-selling album The Gambler×The Gambler1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Gambler3:302I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again2:553The King of Oak Street5:014Making Music for Money3:165The Hoodooin’ of Miss Fannie Deberry4:446She Believes in Me4:127Tennessee Bottle4:008Sleep Tight, Goodnight Man2:529A Little More Like Me (The Crucifixion)2:4810San Francisco Mabel Joy3:3811Morgana Jones3:05 and another international number one single, "Coward of the County", taken from the equally successful album, Kenny. In 1980, the Rogers/Butler partnership came to an end, though they occasionally reunited, in 1987 on the album I Prefer the Moonlight×I Prefer the Moonlight1987 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1I Prefer the Moonlight5:112Now and Forever4:103We’re Doin’ Alright4:004Make No Mistake, She’s Mine3:585One More Day2:576She’s Ready for Someone to Love Her2:527I Don’t Call Him Daddy4:098The Factory3:269We Fell in Love Anyway3:2210You Can’t Say (You Don’t Love Me Anymore)3:14 and again in 1993 on the album If Only My Heart Had a Voice×If Only My Heart Had a Voice1993 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Fightin’ for the Same Thing3:122Missing You3:163She Waits3:094Ol’ Red3:085If I Were You3:116Wanderin’ Man3:547Reason to Go3:548If You Were the Friend3:419If Only My Heart Had a Voice3:3610Somebody’s Wrong, Somebody’s Right3:14.
In the late 1970s, Rogers teamed up with close friend Dottie West for a series of albums and duets×Duets1987 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1We’ve Got Tonight3:532Everytime Two Fools Collide3:013(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song3:124’Til I Can Make It on My Own3:215All I Ever Need Is You3:096Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer3:417Baby I’m a Want You2:478Together Again2:579Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight2:2210That’s the Way It Could Have Been3:05. Together, the duo won two gold records (one of which later went platinum), two CMA Awards, an ACM nomination, two Grammy nominations, and one Music City News award for their two hit albums Every Time Two Fools Collide×Every Time Two Fools Collide20 March 1978 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Every Time Two Fools Collide3:022You Needed Me3:123All I Ever Need Is You3:094What Are We Doin’ in Love3:035Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song3:116Let It Be Me3:277Anyone Who Isn’t Me Tonight2:248’Til I Can Make It on My Own3:219Together Again2:5810You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling4:07 (number one) and Classics×Classics19 March 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1All I Ever Need Is You3:08A2Til I Can Make It on My Own3:19A3Just the Way You Are3:32A4You Needed Me3:12A5(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong3:11B1Together Again2:55B2Midnight Flyer3:06B3You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin4:09B4Let’s Take the Long Way Around the World2:58B5Let It Be Me3:26 (number three), selling out stadiums and arenas while on tour for several years, as well as appearing on several network television specials, which showcased them. Their hits together, "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (number one), "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight" (number two), "What Are We Doin' in Love" (number one), "All I Ever Need Is You" (number one), and "Till I Can Make It On My Own" (number three), all became country standards. Of West, Rogers stated in a 1995 TNN interview: "She, more than anybody else I ever worked with, sang with such emotion that you actually believed what she sang. A lot of people sing words, Dottie West sang emotions." In a 1978 press release for their album Every Time Two Fools Collide, Rogers credited West with further establishing and cementing his career with country music audiences. In the same release, West credited him with taking her career to new audiences. Rogers was with West only hours before she died at age 58 after sustaining injuries in a 1991 car accident, as discussed in his 2012 biography Luck or Something Like It. In 1995, he starred as himself, alongside Michele Lee as West, in the CBS biographical film Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story.
In 1980, a selection he recorded as a duet with Kim Carnes, "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer", became a hit. Earlier that year, he sang a duet of "You and Me" with Lynda Carter in her television music special Lynda Carter Special (Rogers originally recorded this with Dottie West for the Every Time Two Fools Collide album). Later in 1980 came his partnership with Lionel Richie, who wrote and produced Rogers's number-one hit "Lady". Richie went on to produce Rogers's 1981 album Share Your Love×Share Your Love15 June 1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Blaze of Glory2:342I Don’t Need You3:293The Good Life2:494Make Me Wonder If I Ever Said Goodbye2:315Through the Years4:466Share Your Love With Me3:197So in Love With You4:148Goin’ Back to Alabama4:329Without You in My Life5:0710Greybeard2:35, a chart topper and commercial favorite featuring hits such as "I Don't Need You" (pop number three), "Through the Years×Through the Years1981 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 2 tracks1Through the Years4:232So in Love With You4:17" (pop number 13), and "Share Your Love with Me" (pop number 14). His first Christmas album was also released that same year. Rogers returned the favor by singing backing vocals on Richie's top-five hit "My Love". In 1982, Rogers released the album Love Will Turn You Around×Love Will Turn You Around1982 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Love Will Turn You Around3:36A2A Love Song3:14A3Fighting Fire With Fire2:29A4Maybe You Should Know2:36A5Somewhere Between Lovers and Friends2:53B1Take This Heart3:19B2If You Can Lie a Little Bit3:34B3I’ll Take Care of You2:32B4The Fool in Me4:03B5I Want a Son3:09. The album's the title track reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the country and AC charts. It was the theme song of Rogers's 1982 film Six Pack. Shortly afterwards, he started working with producer David Foster in 1983, recording the smash Top 10 hit Bob Seger cover "We've Got Tonight", a duet with Sheena Easton. Also a number-one single on the country charts in the United States, it reached the top 30 on the British charts.
In 1981, Rogers bought the old ABC Dunhill building and built one of the most popular and state-of-the-art recording studios in Los Angeles, which he named Lion Share Studios. The song "We Are the World" was recorded there and at A&M Studios.
Rogers went on to work with Barry Gibb of the Bee Gees, who produced his 1983 hit album Eyes That See in the Dark×Eyes That See in the DarkOctober 1983 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1This Woman3:592You and I4:383Buried Treasure4:124Islands in the Stream4:105Living With You3:106Evening Star3:417Hold Me4:158Midsummer Nights3:519I Will Always Love You4:2310Eyes That See in the Dark3:44, featuring the title track and yet another number-one hit "Islands in the Stream", a duet with Dolly Parton. Gibb, along with his brothers, Robin and Maurice, originally wrote the song for Diana Ross in an R&B style, only later to change it for Rogers's album.
"Islands in the Stream", Rogers's duet with Dolly Parton, was the first single to be released from Eyes That See in the Dark in the United States, and it quickly went to number one in the Billboard Hot 100 (it proved to be the last country single to reach number one on that chart until "Amazed" by Lonestar did so in 2000), as well as topping Billboard's country and adult contemporary singles charts; it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping two million copies in the United States. Rogers reunited with Parton in 1984 for a holiday album, Once Upon a Christmas×Christmas26 October 1981 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1Christmas Everyday3:42A2Kentucky Homemade Christmas4:13A3Carol of the Bells2:42A4Kids2:41A5Sweet Little Jesus Boy3:02B1Christmas Is My Favorite Time of the Year2:43B2White Christmas2:47B3My Favorite Things3:00B4O’ Holy Night4:38B5When a Child Is Born3:49, and the TV special Kenny and Dolly: A Christmas to Remember (which resulted in a popular video of "Christmas Without You"), as well as a 1985 duet "Real Love", which also topped the U.S. country singles chart. The two continued to collaborate on occasional projects through subsequent years, including a 2013 duet single "You Can't Make Old Friends".
Despite the success of "Islands in the Stream", however, RCA Records insisted on releasing Eyes' title track as the first UK single, and the song stalled at a disappointing number 61 there, although it did stay in the top 100 for several weeks. (When it was eventually released in the United States, it was more successful, charting high on the adult contemporary chart and making the country top 30). "Islands in the Stream" was issued as a follow-up single in Britain and sold well, making number seven. The album itself reached number one on the country charts on both sides of the Atlantic and enjoyed multimillion unit sales. "Buried Treasure", "This Woman", and "Evening Star"/"Midsummer Nights" were also all successful singles from the album.
Shortly after came the album What About Me?×What About Me?1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1What About Me?4:20A2The Night Goes On4:34A3Dream Dancin’4:23A4Two Hearts, One Love3:35A5I Don’t Want to Know Why4:02B1Didn’t We?3:52B2Somebody Took My Love3:49B3Crazy3:40B4The Stranger3:43B5Heart to Heart3:39, a hit whose title track—a trio performance with James Ingram and Kim Carnes—was nominated for a Grammy Award; the single "Crazy" (not to be confused with the Willie Nelson-penned Patsy Cline hit), co-written with Richard Marx, topped the country charts. David Foster was to work again with Rogers in his 1985 album The Heart of the Matter×The Heart of the Matter1985 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1I Don’t Want to Have to Worry3:412The Heart of the Matter4:373You Made Me Feel Love3:414Morning Desire4:105Don’t Look in My Eyes3:356The Best of Me4:027Tomb of the Unknown Love4:038People in Love3:049I Can’t Believe Your Eyes3:0210Our Perfect Song4:01, although this time Foster was playing backing music rather than producing, a role given to George Martin. This album was another success, going to number one, with the title track making to the top-10 category in the singles charts.
The next few years had Rogers scoring several top country hits on a regular basis, including "Twenty Years Ago", "Morning Desire", and "Tomb of the Unknown Love", among others. On January 28, 1985, Rogers was one of the 45 artists who recorded the worldwide charity song "We Are the World" to support hunger victims in Africa. The following year, he played at Giants Stadium.
In 1988, Rogers won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals with Ronnie Milsap—"Make No Mistake, She's Mine". In the 1990s, Rogers continued to chart with singles such as "The Factory" and "Crazy in Love", another selection Kim Carnes provided him, "If You Want to Find Love", and "The Greatest×The Greatest2003 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town3:012She Believes in Me4:143Lady3:544Lucille3:415Daytime Friends3:136The Gambler3:327Coward of the County4:228Islands in the Stream4:129Crazy3:4410Buy Me a Rose3:4911The Greatest3:1312There You Go Again2:49". His second Christmas album, Christmas in America×Christmas In America1989 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 14 tracks1Christmas in America3:022Winter Wonderland2:103I’ll Be Home for Christmas3:054Silver Bells3:565Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas3:276Christmas in America (reprise)1:037Joy to the World1:568Away in a Manger1:239O Little Town of Bethlehem2:4210God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen1:2511The First Noel2:4212Christmas in America (Segue)0:2213What Child Is This1:5014Silent Night2:27, was released in 1989 for Reprise Records. From 1991 to 1994, Rogers hosted The Real West on A&E, and on the History Channel since 1995 (reruns only on the History Channel). He visited Miller's during this time. From 1992 to 1995, Rogers co-owned and headlined Branson, Missouri's 4,000-seat Grand Palace Theatre. In 1994, Rogers released his "dream" album titled Timepiece×Timepiece1994 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1I Remember You5:082But Beautiful5:013When I Fall in Love4:154Love Is Here to Stay2:575The Nearness of You4:366My Favorite Valentine4:527Love Is Just Around the Corner2:298Where or When4:169My Romance5:0410In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning4:1011I Get Along Without You Very Well5:4112You Are So Beautiful3:25 on Atlantic Records. It consisted of 1930s/1940s jazz standards, the type of music he had performed in his early days with the Bobby Doyle Three in Houston.
In 1996, Rogers released an album Vote for Love×Vote for Love1996 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 30 tracks · 2 discsDisc 11Have I Told You Lately That I Love You4:502As Time Goes By2:523Endless Love3:524Unforgettable3:245I Only Have Eyes for You4:186Evergreen3:367Misty3:218She Believes in Me4:209Always2:3810When I Fall in Love3:2911Crazy3:2112When a Man Loves a Woman3:4713You Decorated My Life3:4714I Can’t Help Falling in Love3:2315The Wind Beneath My Wings3:38Disc 21It Had to Be You2:432I Swear3:513Stardust3:464I Will Always Love You3:015You Send Me3:066Through the Years3:307Unchained Melody3:298Lady3:509Always and Forever4:4710My Funny Valentime4:0811Somewhere My Love2:4712You Are So Beautiful3:1113You Light Up My Life3:1014Love Is a Many Splendored Thing2:4015Love Me Tender3:05, where the public requested their favorite love songs×Love Songs1990 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 20 tracks1Lady3:552Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer3:423Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town2:524She Believes in Me4:115Lucille3:416You Decorated My Life3:397Every Time Two Fools Collide3:038All I Ever Need Is You3:069You Needed Me3:1210Together Again2:5711You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’4:0912Why Don’t We Go Somewhere and Love3:2413But You Know I Love You3:1614Love Lifted Me3:4515Love or Something Like It2:5516(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song3:1217My World Begins and Ends With You2:4118Just the Way You Are3:3319You and Me2:5820We Love Each Other2:52 and Rogers performed the songs. (Several of his own hits were in the final version.) The album was the first for the TV shopping channel QVC's record label, onQ Music. The album, sold exclusively by QVC, was a huge success and was later issued in stores under a variety of different titles. It reached number one in the UK country charts under the title Love Songs (a title also used for various compilations) and also crossed over into the mainstream charts.
In 1999, Rogers scored with the single "The Greatest", a song about life from a child's point of view (looked at through a baseball game). The song reached the top 40 of Billboard's Country Singles chart and was a Country Music Television number-one video. It was on Rogers's album She Rides Wild Horses×She Rides Wild Horses11 May 1999 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Slow Dance More3:062Buy Me a Rose3:493I Will Remember You5:064Love Don’t Live Here Anymore3:495She Rides Wild Horses3:176The Kind of Fool Love Makes4:147Loving Arms3:428I Can’t Make You Love Me4:199Let It Be Me3:5510The Greatest3:11 the following year (itself a top-10 success). Also in 1999, Rogers produced a song, "We've Got It All", specifically for the series finale of the ABC show Home Improvement.

2000–2015

In 2000 (and at age 61), Rogers was back at number one for the first time in more than a decade with the single "Buy Me a Rose". In doing so, he broke a 26-year-old record held by Hank Snow (who, in April 1974, was 59 when he scored with "Hello Love"). Rogers held the record until 2003, when then-70-year-old Willie Nelson became the oldest artist to have a number one on the country charts with his duet with Toby Keith, "Beer for My Horses".
Although Rogers did not record new albums for a few years, he continued to have success in many countries with more greatest hits packages. In 2004's 42 Ultimate Hits, which was the first hits collection to span his days with the First Edition to the present, reached number six on the American country charts and went gold. It also featured two new songs, "My World Is Over" with Whitney Duncan and "We Are the Same". The former was released as a single and was a minor hit. In 2005, The Very Best of Kenny Rogers, a double album, sold well in Europe. It was the first new solo Rogers hits album to reach the United Kingdom for over a decade, despite many compilations there that were not true hits packages.
Rogers also signed with Capitol Records and had more success with the TV-advertised release 21 Number Ones in January 2006. Although this CD did contain 21 chart-toppers as the title claims (recorded between 1976 and the present day), this was not a complete collection of Rogers's number-one singles, omitting such singles as "Crazy in Love" and "What About Me?×What About Me?1984 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracksA1What About Me?4:20A2The Night Goes On4:34A3Dream Dancin’4:23A4Two Hearts, One Love3:35A5I Don’t Want to Know Why4:02B1Didn’t We?3:52B2Somebody Took My Love3:49B3Crazy3:40B4The Stranger3:43B5Heart to Heart3:39"
Capitol followed 21 Number Ones with Rogers' new studio album, Water & Bridges×Water & Bridges21 March 2006 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Water & Bridges4:102Someone Is Me3:303Someone Somewhere Tonight5:184I Can't Unlove You3:255Calling Me3:596Half a Man3:197I Can Feel You Drifting3:518The Last Ten Years (Superman)3:429You'll Know Love4:1410My Petition4:1311One Life3:4612Honey, Where's the Money Gone3:15, in March 2006 on the Capitol Nashville Records label. The first single from the album was "I Can't Unlove You", which peaked at number 17 on the country charts, after spending over six months on the hit list, more than 50 years after he formed his first group and 38 years after his first major hit as leader of the First Edition; the song remains in recurrent airplay on some radio stations today. "I Can't Unlove You" was followed up with the second single from the album, "The Last Ten Years (Superman)", in September 2006. The third single, "Calling Me", which features Don Henley, became popular in early 2007, and was nominated for a Grammy at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Also in 2007, the 1977 Kenny Rogers album was reissued as a double CD, also featuring the 1979 Kenny×Kenny10 September 1979 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracksA1You Turn the Light On3:03A2You Decorated My Life3:39A3She’s a Mystery2:52A4Goodbye Marie2:43A5Tulsa Turnaround2:53A6I Want to Make You Smile3:23B1Santiago Midnight Moonlight3:16B2One Man’s Woman3:46B3In and Out of Your Heart3:18B4Old Folks2:42B5Coward of the County4:20 album and this once again put Rogers's name into the sales charts worldwide. The following year, another compilation album (A Love Song Collection×A Love Song Collection4 February 2008 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 17 tracks1A Love Song3:182Love Will Turn You Around3:413You Decorated My Life3:404Love the World Away3:145You Are So Beautiful2:556She Believes in Me4:147Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer3:428Share Your Love With Me3:209Lady3:5610We’ve Got Tonight3:5311All My Life3:5412Love Is What We Make It3:3013Islands in the Stream4:1014Crazy3:4315Buy Me a Rose3:4516I Can’t Unlove You3:2617Through the Years4:45) also charted.
On August 26, 2008, Rogers released 50 Years exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores. The album included some of Rogers's greatest hits, plus three new songs. The release was designed to celebrate Rogers's 50th year in the music business. In 2007, the England national rugby union team adopted Rogers' song "The Gambler×The Gambler1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Gambler3:302I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again2:553The King of Oak Street5:014Making Music for Money3:165The Hoodooin’ of Miss Fannie Deberry4:446She Believes in Me4:127Tennessee Bottle4:008Sleep Tight, Goodnight Man2:529A Little More Like Me (The Crucifixion)2:4810San Francisco Mabel Joy3:3811Morgana Jones3:05" as their unofficial 2007 Rugby World Cup anthem, after hearing prop Matt Stevens playing it in the team hotel. Before the semifinal against France and the final against South Africa, Rogers sent video messages of support to the team in light of them choosing his song.

In 2008, Rogers toured with his Christmas Show. He split the show up, making the first half his "best of" and the second half his Christmas songs. In 2009, Rogers embarked on his 50th Anniversary Tour.
On April 10, 2010, a TV special was taped, Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years. Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie were among those set to perform with Rogers during a show celebrating his contribution to country, blues, and pop music. It took place at the MGM Grand in Foxwoods. The TV special was executive produced by Gabriel Gornell and Colleen Seldin and aired on GAC in North America and BBC worldwide.
On June 10, 2012, Rogers appeared on stage with the musical group Phish to perform his hit song "The Gambler" at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival. Also in 2012, Rogers re-recorded the hit song "Lady", a duet with its songwriter Lionel Richie, on Richie's album Tuskegee. The pair also performed the song live at the 2012 ACM concert, Lionel Richie and Friends.
On April 10, 2013, the CMA announced that Rogers would be a 2013 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame, along with Cowboy Jack Clement and Bobby Bare. In June 2013, he performed at the Glastonbury Festival in England in the Sunday afternoon 'Legends×Legends1996 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1For the Good Times3:232Me and Bobby McGhee2:373The King of Oak Street4:094Ticket to Nowhere2:175Tell It All Brother3:206The Way It Used to Be3:317Heed the Call3:168Chunch Without a Name3:149But I Know I Love You3:0410Poem for My Little Lady2:3511I Believe in Music4:0512Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town2:58' slot.
In 2013, Rogers recorded a new album with the name You Can't Make Old Friends. This album included the title track, a new duet with Dolly Parton, which was his first single released in six years.
Rogers recorded 65 albums and sold over 165 million records.

Retirement

In 2015, Rogers announced his farewell tour, titled The Gambler×The Gambler1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Gambler3:302I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again2:553The King of Oak Street5:014Making Music for Money3:165The Hoodooin’ of Miss Fannie Deberry4:446She Believes in Me4:127Tennessee Bottle4:008Sleep Tight, Goodnight Man2:529A Little More Like Me (The Crucifixion)2:4810San Francisco Mabel Joy3:3811Morgana Jones3:05's Last Deal. He stated his intention to retire from touring at its completion, although he was considering the possibility of recording another studio album. In announcing the tour, Rogers indicated at the time that his final tour appearance would be on NBC's Today show. Concert dates were scheduled through 2018 and included visits to the United States, Australia, Scotland, Ireland, England, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. On April 5, 2018, though, Rogers canceled his remaining tour as advised by doctors due to a series of health problems.
Rogers's final concert in Nashville took place on October 25, 2017, at the Bridgestone Arena, where he was joined by an array of guest artists, including Linda Davis, Elle King, Little Big Town, Lionel Richie, Billy Currington, Lee Greenwood, The Flaming Lips, The Oak Ridge Boys, Justin Moore, Travis Tritt, the Judds, Kris Kristofferson, Alison Krauss, Chris Stapleton, Lady Antebellum, Idina Menzel, Crystal Gayle, Reba McEntire, and Jamey Johnson. The concert also included a special appearance by long-time friend Dolly Parton, who serenaded Rogers with her signature "I Will Always Love You" and performed "You Can't Make Old Friends" and "Islands in the Stream" with Rogers for the final time.

Bloodline

Although Rogers used many session musicians to play instruments on his recordings, he was backed on tours by the group Bloodline since 1976. The group originally started as three pieces. In The Journey (a 2006 documentary about his career), Rogers said he did not understand singers who changed their touring band every year, and that he stuck with Bloodline as they already "know the songs". Members of Bloodline have included Steve Glassmeyer, Chuck Jacobs, Randy Dorman, Gene Golden, Bobby Daniels, Rick Harper, Edgar Struble, Lynn Hammann, Warren Hartman, Gene Sisk, Brian Franklin, Mike Zimmerman, and Amber Randall.

Acting and other ventures

Rogers also had success as an actor. His 1982 movie Six Pack, in which he played a race-car driver, took in more than $20 million at the United States box office, while made-for-TV movies such as The Gambler series, Christmas in America, and Coward of the County (based on hit songs of his) topped ratings lists. He also served as host and narrator for the A&E historical series The Real West.
Rogers said that photography was once his obsession, before it morphed into a passion. He authored the photo books Kenny Rogers' America (1986) and Your Friends and Mine (1987).

As an entrepreneur, he collaborated with former Kentucky Fried Chicken CEO John Y. Brown Jr. in 1991 to start up the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters. The chicken and ribs chain, which is similar to Boston Market, featured in an episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld called "The Chicken Roaster". Season four of the TV series Fresh Off the Boat depicts the chain as owning a share of Louis Huang's Cattleman's Ranch restaurant and then filing for bankruptcy. Rogers is shown from the back, but played by Jeff Pomerantz in the episode "Let Me Go, Bro".
Rogers put his name to the Gambler Chassis Co., a sprint-car racing manufacturer started by C. K. Spurlock in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The company used the name from Rogers's hit song "The Gambler×The Gambler1978 · Studio albumSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1The Gambler3:302I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again2:553The King of Oak Street5:014Making Music for Money3:165The Hoodooin’ of Miss Fannie Deberry4:446She Believes in Me4:127Tennessee Bottle4:008Sleep Tight, Goodnight Man2:529A Little More Like Me (The Crucifixion)2:4810San Francisco Mabel Joy3:3811Morgana Jones3:05". During the 1980s and 1990s, Gambler was one of the fastest and widely used sprint cars, with such drivers as Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell, and Doug Wolfgang driving the cars to victory in the World of Outlaws and the famous Knoxville Nationals. Gambler sprint cars were also successful in Australia, with drivers such as Garry Rush and Steve Brazier using Gamblers to win multiple Australian Sprintcar Championships. Rush also used a Gambler chassis to win the unofficial 1987 World Sprintcar Championship at the Claremont Speedway in Perth, Western Australia.
In October 2012, Rogers released the book Luck or Something Like It: A Memoir about the ups and downs in his musical career.
In 2014, Rogers appeared as himself in a GEICO commercial, singing part of his song "The Gambler" a cappella while acting as the dealer in a card game.

Personal life and death

Rogers was married five times and had five children. His first marriage was to Janice Gordon on May 15, 1958; they divorced in April 1960 with one child, a daughter. He married his second wife, Jean, in October 1960: they divorced in 1963. His third marriage was to Margo Anderson in October 1963; they divorced in 1975 and had a son. He married his fourth wife, actress Marianne Gordon, on October 1, 1977; they divorced in 1993, and had a son. His fifth marriage was to Wanda Miller on June 1, 1997. They had twin sons and remained married for 22 years until his death.
At Beaver Dam Farms, a former estate in Colbert, Georgia, Rogers kept a pet goat named Smitty. He acquired the animal from a friend in 2008. Rogers described the goat as "(his) center", providing a calming influence after long and stressful touring schedules.
Rogers's six-decade career wound down by 2017, as he encountered health problems that included a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease and bladder cancer. Rogers died while under hospice care at his home in Sandy Springs, Georgia, on March 20, 2020, at age 81. He was interred in Oakland Cemetery in Atlanta.

Record labels

The following is a list of record labels to which Rogers signed:

Cue (1957, with the band the Scholars and also as a solo singer)
Carlton (1958, solo deal)
KenLee (one single, label owned by Rogers and his brother Lelan)
Columbia (1960s, with jazz combo, the Bobby Doyle Three)
Reprise (1967, with the First Edition, all material recorded during this time has since been acquired by Universal Music Group)
Jolly Rogers (1973, with the First Edition, label was owned by Rogers)
United Artists (1975, solo deal)
Liberty (1980, United Artists merged into EMI/Capitol in 1980; some pressings of albums were issued on Capitol's imprint labels, EMI, EMI America, and EMI Manhattan.)
RCA Records (1983, solo deal)
Reprise (1989, solo deal)
Giant (1993, one solo album)
Atlantic (1994, one solo album)
onQ Music (1996, one solo album; onQ Music was created by the QVC Network to release exclusive albums for sale only on QVC. The first onQ release was Rogers's Vote for Love, a two-disc set that would later become available in standard retail stores.)
Magnatone (1996, solo deal)
Dreamcatcher (1998, solo deal; Dreamcatcher was owned and run by Rogers and Jim Mazza for the purpose of releasing Rogers's albums and certain reissues of Rogers's catalog. Other artists, such as Marshall Dyllon and Randy Dorman, were also released on Dreamcatcher Records. The label closed in 2004.)
Capitol Nashville (2004, solo deal)