Kenny Rogers’ Music
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Abstract
This paper is going to give an account of the personal and musical background on Kenny Rogers. The article is going to shed light on his childhood, his musical journey, and his career in country music. The paper is going to analyze two songs by the music icon accurately; “The Gambler” and “Lady’.
Kenny Rogers’ Music
Kenny Rogers was among one of the superstars who majored in “country” songs. As many people are aware of him, he was a songwriter, singer, actor, and record producer, and he was raised from a very humble background, in accumulation to writing and performance a vast collection of music over several decades. Rogers also published a life story, “Luck or something like it – A Memoir” in 2012 (Rogers, 2012). He received many awards, and among them include the 2013 Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award from the country music association. In the same year, he was welcomed and published into the country music hall of fame. Rogers organized many concerts for country music.
Donald Rogers was born on August 21, 1938, in Huston, Texas. He was the fourth born out of eight children. He was raised from a very humble background, the dad was a carpenter and amateur musician by the name Floyd Edward Rodgers, and mother was a nurse Lucille Lois. Kenny Rodgers has an origin of Irish and America. He attended Wharton elementary school, and he graduated from Jefferson Davis high school, in Houston, Texas, back in 1956. In his year, he was active in choir and learned how to play guitar and fiddle. In his senior years in school, he was awarded many awards because of his talent. He became the first child of his family to graduate from high school. Kenny has an interest in singing while still young; he joined a recording group who identified themselves as “Scholars.” They released three singles, namely, “Kangewah,” “We will always fall in love again,” and “For you Alone.” From his single, he earns himself a chance on American bandstand. At the age of 19, Kenny chronicled “That Crazy Feeling” for a small Houston label, Carlton Records, and his career was off and running. He joined the “New Christy Minstrels” in the mid-1960s, then split off with others in the popular group to form “The First Edition.”
Kenny Rodgers started his band, the scholars, while in high school in 1956. He released his first solo single, “that crazy feeling” in 1957, and from the performance of this song, it accorded him leeway to a popular music show, “American Bandstand.” Kenny was a great performer, and his talent was recognized, and in 1958, he was signed to a small local label, Carton Records. Afterward, he joined new Christy minstrels, a group that was started by randy sparks in 1961.
Rodgers and few others from Minstrel left to form their band, the first edition that was a year later. It was at this time that Roger’s dream of music came to light, and the group was referred to as “Kenny Rodgers and the first edition.” Generally, the band used to play a mix of country, pop, and psychedelic music. In the late 1970s, Rogers hit his step. He decided to do solo songs again. He had his first major hit with the ballad “Lucille,” which won him a Grammy Award for best male country vocal performance 1977. “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. One year later, he launched his album “The Gambler,” the title song of which made him another Grammy for best male country vocal performance. In 1998 he started his 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, which was released in 2012.
Kenny Rodger grew up in San Felipe courts, a public housing development in the city’s fourth ward. His parents were Lucille Lois, born in 1910–1991, and she was a nurse’s assistant. His father, Edward Floyd Rogers, was born in 1904–1975, and he was a carpenter. Rogers was privileged to have lived two centuries; 20th and 21st. In an honest opinion, the most notable event that affected Kenny Rogers’ music is his death. Following his death in March of 2020, his album registered commendable sales. Aside from album sales, Rogers’ music was also affected concerning making it to the top of the charts. For instance, Billboard indicates that Rogers was at the top of the Top Country Album charts for the first time since 1986.
In terms of the effect that Rogers’ music had on society, just like any other form of music, he was a dominant force in society. Music has been prevailing since the birth of man. Using the resources available and careful observation of his fan records, it is clear that Rogers’ music affected members of society. It is hard to go by ten people who have not listened to either of Kenny Rogers’ songs. Using “The Gambler” as an example, listening to his music shown to improves mood and pass across important messages. From his music, intellectual growth is encouraged with his kind of music education has an even more significant effect following his death.
Rodger produced many songs, but the “The Gambler” presented him to the world. The song made its way to the pop music charts as well as on the country music charts. He played a significant role in the song to teach young people about the tricks of the trade. The song was also turned into a television movie that featured Rogers. The story is based on a parent advising on how its supposed to handle violence (Schiltz, The Gambler, 1978). Life should be like that. Making people stronger around you makes you stronger. “The Gambler” contains several pieces of advice like advice on when to choose to start a fight and when to walk away from violence, “You got to know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold and know when to walk away, know when to run” (Schiltz, The Gambler, 1978). The song gives a scenario that shows how hard it could be to walk away from the fighting, especially if it is to fight for something right. From the lyrics of the song, it is definite that Rogers was keen on pushing the themes of sexual abuse, parental relationships, and violence.
The song “Lady” was written and produced by Lionel Richie, and it was recorded in 1980 (Richie, Lady, 1980). It is ranked among Kenny Roger’s significant hits. Richie and Rogers performed the song as a duet on Richie’s 2012 release Tuskegee. Lionel Richie had initially proposed this song to the Commodores, but they turned it down. Richie did “Lady” himself on his 1998 album. Much later on, it was given to Kenny Rogers to record, and it grew to be the biggest selling hit single for him as a solo artist. It became the first record of the 1980s to go to the top of the charts on all four of Billboard magazine’s singles charts – country, Hot 100, adult contemporary and Top Soul Singles. As a country admission, “Lady” was Rogers’ 10th chart-topping hit.
In summary, Kenny Rogers managed to come from humble family background to the music icon that he is today. It is commendable how he was introduced to music at a tender age straight from participating in the choir. Even though Rogers did many songs, he is majorly remembered for the song “The Gambler.”
