Kenny Rogers to perform with Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra

Note: Tons of Rogers gushing to follow

by PegNews wire

For more than four decades, Kenny Rogers’ memorable songs have topped the charts, drawing fans among rock, pop, soul and country audiences with such hits as “Lady,” “The Gambler,” “She Believes in Me,” “Islands in the Stream,” and “We’ve Got Tonight.” Don’t miss his one-night-only performance with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra on Saturday, January 24 at Bass Performance Hall. The concert starts at 8 p.m.

Houston-born Rogers formed his first band while in high school in 1956 and never quit making music. The rockabilly group, called The Scholars, got a record deal and released two singles that had local success, and led to a performance spot on American Bandstand. Soon afterward, Rogers joined the Bobby Doyle Trio, playing stand-up bass in the jazz band, and appearing on their album. In 1966 he became a member of the New Christy Minstrels, the popular folk group, leaving a year later to form The First Edition with other members of the troupe. The spotlight started focusing on Rogers when the group got its first hit, “I Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” Within a year the band was called Kenny Rogers and The First Edition, and his distinctive voice led the group to both pop and country chart success.

In 1974, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition disbanded, leaving Rogers at a crossroads. Disillusioned with the fickleness of the pop world, but not with music itself, he searched for a direction to take his solo career. Impressed by the loyalty of country fans that supported their favorite artists long after they had disappeared from radio, Rogers looked to country. It was the perfect transition for him. “Love Lifted Me,” went Top 20 in 1975, but it was “Lucille” that shot him into the stratosphere. Tops at country, it also succeeded on the pop chart, was named the CMA’s Single of the Year and was certified Gold.

“Daytime Friends,” “Sweet Music Man,” and “Love or Something Like It” continued his run of success. Then came “The Gambler,” a story song so vivid it not only delighted country and pop fans, it also became a TV movie, starring Rogers himself in the title role. The movie spawned four follow-ups, making it the longest running miniseries franchise on television. It started Rogers on a second career as an actor on television and movies, including another TV movie based on one of his hit songs, “Coward of the County.”

Though theoretically a country singer, Rogers dominated the pop charts, consistently finding songs with universal appeal. In the 1980s he came to embody the role of the sensitive male, singing such romantic hits as “Through The Years,” “She Believes In Me,” “You Decorated My Life,” and “Lady,” the biggest song of his career. Those songs are classics today, sung at countless weddings, and even engraved on tombstones.

Source: FWSO