Rogers, Kenny 1938–

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Rogers, Kenny 1938–

(Kenneth Ray Rogers)

PERSONAL: Born August 21, 1938, in Houston, TX; son of Floyd and Lucille (Hester) Rogers; married first wife (marriage ended); married Janice Gordon, 1957 (divorced, 1959); married third wife, 1964 (divorced, 1976); married Marianne Gordon (an actress), October 2, 1977 (divorced, 1993); married Wanda Miller (a production assistant), June 1, 1997; children: (second marriage) Carolee; (third marriage) Kenneth Jr.; (fourth marriage) Christopher Cody. Education: Attended University of Houston. Hobbies and other interests: Softball, tennis.

ADDRESSES: Agent—c/o Author Mail, HarperCollins Publishers, 10 E. 53rd St., New York, NY 10022.

CAREER: Musician. The Scholars (rockabilly band), member, c. 1956; Bobby Doyle Trio (jazz band), bass fiddle player, 1959–66; New Christy Minstrels (pop and funk band), member, 1966–67; First Edition (rock 'n' roll band; later known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition), 1967–74; solo musician, 1974–; United Artists, recording artist, 1975–83; RCA Records, New York, NY, recording artist, 1983–88; Dreamcatcher Entertainment (record company), Nashville, TN, founder, 1999. Photographer, c. 1980s. Hands Across America (charity fundraiser), participant, 1985.

Singer on numerous albums, including (with First Edition) Something's Burning, Reprise, 1970; (with First Edition) Ballad of Calico, Reprise, 1972; Kenny Rogers, United Artists, 1976; Lucille, United Artists, 1977; Daytime Friends, United Artists, 1977; (with Dottie West) Every Time Two Fools Collide, United Artists, 1978; Love or Something Like It, United Artists, 1978; (with Dottie West) Kenny Rogers and Dottie West—Classics, United Artists, 1979; The Gambler, United Artists, 1979; Kenny, United Artists, 1979; Ten Years of Gold, EMI America, 1979; Classics, United Artists, 1979; Gideon, United Artists, 1980; Love Lifted Me, United Artists, 1980; Greatest Hits, EMI America, 1980; Share Your Love, Liberty, 1981; Christmas, Liberty, 1981; Love Will Turn You Around, Liberty, 1982; We've Got Tonight, Liberty, 1983; Twenty Greatest Hits, Liberty, 1983; Eyes that See in the Dark, RCA, 1983; What about Me?, RCA, 1984; Duets: Kenny Rogers with Kim Carnes, Sheena Easton, and Dottie West, Capitol, 1984; (with Dolly Parton) Once upon a Christmas, RCA, 1984; Love Is What We Make It, Liberty, 1985; Short Stories, Liberty, 1985; The Heart of the Matter, RCA, 1985; They Don't Make Them like They Used To, RCA, 1986; Twenty-Five Greatest Hits, EMI America, 1987; I Prefer the Moonlight, RCA, 1987; Greatest Hits, RCA, 1988; Lucille and Other Classics, EMI/Capitol, 1989; Something Inside So Strong, Reprise, 1989; Christmas in America, 1989; Twenty Great Years, Reprise, 1990; Greatest Country Hits, 1990; Love Is Strange, Reprise, 1990; Back Home Again, WEA/Warner Bros. Records, 1991; Very Best, Quicksilver Records, 1991; Best of Kenny Rogers, EMI/Capitol, 1992; If Only My Heart Had Voice, 1993; TimePiece, Atlantic, 1994; All-Time Greatest Hits, Cema, 1996; Greatest Hits, Hipp, 1996; Vote for Love, QMusic, 1996; The Gift, Magnatone, 1996; A Decade of Hits, Reprise, 1997; Across My Heart, Magnatone, 1997; King of Country, Spotlight On, 1997; Songs You Know by Heart, Boomerang, 1997; Vol. 1—Greatest Hits, Public Music, 1997; Branson City Limits, Unison/Navarre, 1998; Original Hits, Forever Classic, 1998; With Love, 1998; Christmas from the Heart, Dreamcatcher, 1998; A&E Biography—A Musical Anthology, Cema/Capitol, 1999; She Rides Wild Horses, Dreamcatcher, 1999; Kenny Rogers, Classic World, 1999; Love Collection, Madacy Records, 1999; Love Songs, EMD/Capitol, 1999; Through the Years—A Retrospective, Cema/Capitol, 1999; Forever Love, 2000; There You Go Again; (with Dolly Parton) Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers Gold.

Actor in television series, including Rollin' on the River, syndicated, 1971–73; and The Real West, Arts and Entertainment (A&E), 1993. Actor in television miniseries, including The Luck of the Draw: The Gambler Returns, National Broadcasting Company, Inc. (NBC), 1991; and The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps, Columbia Broadcasting System, Inc. (CBS), 1994. Actor in television movies, The Dream Makers, NBC, 1975; The Gambler, CBS, 1980; Coward of the County, CBS, 1981; Kenny Rogers as The Gambler, Part II—The Adventure Continues, CBS, 1983; Wild Horses, CBS, 1985; Kenny Rogers as the Gambler, Part III—The Legend Continues, CBS, 1987; Rio Diablo, CBS, 1993; MacShayne: Winner Takes All, NBC, 1994; MacShayne: Final Roll of the Dice, NBC, 1994; Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story, CBS, 1995; and Get to the Heart, CBS, 1997.

Actor in television specials, including The World's Largest Indoor Country Music Show, NBC, 1978; The Kenny Rogers Special, CBS, 1979; A Special Kenny Rogers, CBS, 1981; Roy Acuff—Fifty Years the King of Country Music, NBC, 1982; Kenny Rogers in Concert, Home Box Office (HBO), 1983; Glen Campbell and Friends: The Silver Anniversary, HBO, 1984; Kenny and Dolly: A Christmas to Remember, CBS, 1984; Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton: Together, 1985; Kenny Rogers: Working America, CBS, 1987; Kenny Rogers Classic Weekend, 1988; Kenny, Dolly, and Willie: Something Inside So Strong, 1989; Kenny Rogers in Concert: A Holiday Special for Public Television, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), 1989; Christmas in America: A Love Story, NBC, 1989; Kenny Rogers: Keep Christmas with You, CBS, 1992; A Day in the Life of Country Music, CBS, 1993; The American Music Awards 20th Anniversary Special, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc., (ABC), 1993; Kenny Rogers: Going Home, Disney Channel, 1995; The Life and Times of Kenny Rogers, The Nashville Network (TNN), 1996; Kenny Rogers: The Gift, Family Channel, 1996; Live by Request, A&E, 1999.

Actor in television episodes, including American Bandstand, ABC, 1958; The Andy Williams Show, NBC, 1969; The Muppet Show, syndicated, 1979; Evening Shade, CBS, 1990; "The Portrait," Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, CBS, 1993; Cybill, CBS, 1995; and Touched by An Angel, CBS, 2000. Actor in films, including Six Pack, Twentieth Century-Fox, 1982. Actor in stage productions, including Christmas from the Heart Featuring the Toy Shoppe, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, 1998, then touring U.S. cities. Executive producer of television movie A Different Affair, 1987; executive producer of television special Kenny Rogers in Concert, HBO, 1983.

AWARDS, HONORS: Album of the Year, Academy of Country Music Awards, 1977, for Kenny Rogers; named "Cross-Over Artist of the Year" by Billboard, 1977; Grammy Award for best male vocalist (country) from National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Academy of Country Music Award best single, and Academy of Country Music Award best song, all 1977, and American Music Award for country favorite singer from Dick Clark Productions, 1978, all for "Lucille"; Academy of Country Music Award for best male vocalist, 1977; Academy of Country Music Award for entertainer of the year, 1978; three awards from America's Juke Box Operators Association, 1978; Academy of Country Music Awards (with Dottie West) for vocal duo of the year, 1978, 1979; Country Music Association Awards for male vocalist of the year and album of the year, both 1979; Grammy Award for best male country vocalist, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and The Nashville Network Music City News Country Award for best single, both 1979, both for "The Gambler"; Music City News Country Award for male artist of the year, The Nashville Network, 1979; Country Music Association Award (with Dottie West), vocal duo of the year, and The Nashville Network Music City News Country Award (with Dottie West), best vocal duo, both 1979; named People Weekly's top male vocalist, 1979, 1980, and most popular male singer, 1981, 1982, and 1983; American Music Awards for country favorite male vocalist, Dick Clark Productions, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1985; American Music Awards for favorite album, Dick Clark Productions, 1979, 1980, 1981, and 1985; American Music Award for country favorite single, Dick Clark Productions, and Music City News Country Award for best single, The Nashville Network, both 1981, both for "Coward of the County"; American Music Awards for pop/rock favorite male vocalist, Dick Clark Productions, 1981, 1982; People's Choice Awards for best male musical performer, 1981, 1982, 1983, and for best country/western musical performer, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, and 1987; American Music Award for pop/rock favorite album, Dick Clark Productions, 1982, for Greatest Hits; American Music Awards for special award of merit and country favorite single, Dick Clark Productions, 1983, both for "Love Will Turn You Around"; Academy of Country Music Awards single of the year and best vocal group and/or duet (with Dolly Parton), both 1983; song of the year, American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Award, 1983; Presidential End Hunger Award (celebrity category), Agency for International Development, 1983; Music City News Award (with Dolly Parton) for best vocal duo, The Nashville Network, 1984; Rolling Stone Readers' Poll Award for country artist of the year, 1984; Record Industry Association of the America Award for most awarded artist, 1984, for number of gold and platinum albums; American Music Awards (with Dolly Parton) for country favorite single, Dick Clark Productions, 1984, 1985, both for "Islands in the Stream"; Roy Acuff Award, Country Music Foundation, 1985; named "Favorite Singer of All Time," PM Magazine/USA Today poll, 1986; Grammy Award (with Ronnie Milsap) for best country vocal collaboration, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, 1987, for "Make No Mistake, She's Mine"; People's Choice Award for best male musical performer, 1988; Harry Chapin Award for Humanitarianism, American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, 1988; People's Choice Award (with Randy Travis) for best country/western performer, 1990; Horatio Alger Award, Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, 1990; Diamond Award, Recording Industry Association of America, 1999; named a "hero of public housing," United States Department of Housing and Urban Development; United Nations Peace Award.

WRITINGS:

(With Len Epand) Making It with Music (nonfiction), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 1978.

Kenny Rogers' America (photography), forward by Yousuf Karsh, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1986.

Your Friends and Mine: A Collection of 80 Photographs, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1987.

The Gift: An Original Short Story, T. Nelson (Nashville, TN), 1996.

Kenny Rogers Presents the Greatest (based on a song written by Don Schlitz), Addax Publishing Group (Lenexa, KS), 2000.

(With Kelly Junkermann) Kenny Rogers Presents the Toy Shoppe, Addax Publishing Group (Lenexa, KS), 2000.

(With Donald Davenport) Christmas in Canaan (for children), HarperCollins (New York, NY), 2002.

Author of numerous songs, including "Sweet Music Man." Author of songs for television movies, including The Dream Makers, NBC, 1975; Wild Horses, CBS, 1985; MacShayne: Final Roll of the Dice, 1994. Author of songs for specials, including From the Heart … The First International Very Special Arts Festival, NBC, 1989. Author of songs for television miniseries, including The Gambler V: Playing for Keeps, CBS, 1994. Author of songs for films, including Urban Cowboy, Paramount, 1980; Tough Guys, Buena Vista, 1986; Light of Day, TriStar, 1987; and The Big Lebowski, Gramercy Pictures, 1998. Wrote story with Kelly Junkermann, and co-wrote songs for stage production Christmas from the Heart Featuring the Toy Shoppe, Beacon Theatre, New York, NY, 1998.

ADAPTATIONS: An unabridged version of Christmas in Canaan was adapted for audio cassette, HarperCollins, 2002; The single "The Greatest" was adapted as a children's book.

SIDELIGHTS: A tireless performer, Kenny Rogers devotes equal time to touring and recording. He has recorded numerous gold records, as well as given concerts throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, and Scotland. His many awards testify to his talents as both a singer and songwriter. Rogers' career took off after he formed the band the First Edition with other members of the New Christy Minstrels. A basic rock 'n' roll group, the First Edition peaked in the late 1960s with a string of hits, including "Just Dropped in to See What Condition My Condition Was In," "Ruby (Don't Take Your Love to Town)," and "Something's Burnin." "I loved the First Edition," Rogers once recalled. "There never was one minute I didn't feel proud of its success." Rogers soon tired of the repetition involved in touring and recording with the group, though, so the band broke up. "One day we realized doing the same thing over and over just didn't excite us," he said. "There were no hard feelings. We just left the stage one night and never came back."

Embarking on a solo career, Rogers seemed content to stay out of the limelight for a while. Within two years, however, he was back with another popular song, "Lucille." "I was going along just fine with my quiet little career," Rogers mused, "when someone screwed up and got me a hit." "Lucille" was not his first solo hit, however. He had already made the country music charts with three singles: "Home-made Love," "Laura," and "While the Feeling's Good."

Rogers followed the success of "Lucille" with another popular tune, "Every Time Two Fools Collide." From the album of the same title, "Every Time Two Fools Collide" was recorded with another country music artist, Dottie West. "Dottie is a very good friend of mine and the thing I enjoyed most about doing the album is that it was all so genuine," claimed Rogers. "It was done for the right reason; we really enjoy singing together." The resulting collaboration was such a success with music fans that Rogers and West decided to record a second album together.

While working with West, Rogers also was busy writing a book, Making It with Music. "The reason I decided to write the book is that I've been barraged constantly, throughout my career, with questions from aspiring young musicians," said Rogers. "The book heavily stresses what one should do to get started in the business. It's not designed to make a star out of someone who is not capable of or interested in becoming a star. It's designed to help a person with an average amount of talent who just wants to make a decent living in a very lucrative business." Rogers has done more than just make a living for himself. He reached the top of his field in two distinctly different forms of music: country and rock 'n' roll. Although he never regretted his years playing rock 'n' roll, Rogers noted: "It's interesting. I had to become a country artist to buy a tuxedo."

Rogers expanded his career beyond music and advice for aspiring musicians when he published a number of books containing his photographs as well as fictional works. One of his published collections of photographs is Kenny Rogers' America. Including photographs he took all around the United States, the book incorporates images of churches, national parks, and prisons. While People Weekly contributor Campbell Geeslin called the pictures "technically sharp," the reviewer also commented that Rogers "has not yet found a subject or way or presentation that would make his images unique."

The children's novel Christmas in Canaan, which Rogers wrote with screenwriter Donald Davenport, takes on the theme of overcoming racial prejudice through the tale of two young boys in the Texas town of Canaan in the early 1960s. DJ is white, while Rodney is African American. After a conflict between the two on the school bus, DJ is forced to confront his racist attitude towards Rodney through a unique punishment devised by their families. The two boys eventually become friends. Shelley Townsend-Hudson noted in Booklist that "the gentle narrative chronicles a sweet, lifelong bond."