Kenneth Ray Rogers (1938 - 2020)

Born 21 Aug 1938 in Harris, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 20 Mar 2020 at age 81 in Colbert, Madison County, Georgia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Terry Phillips [send private message]

Biography

Kenny Rogers was a Texan.

Kenny Rogers is Notable.

Kenny Rogers was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013.

Kenneth Ray Rogers was born to Edward Floyd Rogers and Lucille Lois (Hester), in Harris, Texas, U.S.A., on August 21, 1938.^[1]

Music

Kenny was a singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, entrepreneur, and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. In 2020 (the year of his death), his net worth was estimated to be approximately 250 million U.S. Dollars.^[2]

Although Kenny was, perhaps, most successful with country music audiences, he charted hit singles across various music genres, including rock, folk, and "pop."^[3]

Kenny sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[4]

Two of Kenny's albums, The Gambler and Kenny, were featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever."^[4]

He was voted the "Favorite Singer of All-Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.^[5]

Kenny's songs and albums were on the country and pop charts for dozens (perhaps hundreds) of weeks, abroad, as well as in the U.S.A. (Some of his songs and albums may have been on the charts at the same time others were.)^[6]

In the United Kingdom, two of his songs made it to Number 1; five, to the Top 10; nine, to the Top 40; and eleven, to the top 75. In the United Kingdom, his songs spent three weeks at Number 1; thirty-three weeks, in the Top 10; eighty-two, in the Top 40; and one hundred twelve weeks, in the Top 75. In the United Kingdom, two of his albums were among the Top 10, for fifteen weeks; eight, among the Top 40, for sixty-one weeks; and ten, among the top 75, for one hundred four weeks. His hit songs include, "Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town" (October 18, 1969), which peaked at #2, and stayed on the chart twenty-three weeks; "Something's Burning" (February 7, 1970), which peaked at #8, and stayed on the chart fourteen weeks; "Lucille" (April 30, 1977), which peaked at #1, and stayed on the chart fourteen weeks (one week at #1); "Daytime Friends" (September 17, 1977), which peaked at #38, and stayed on the chart four weeks; "She Believes in Me" (June 2, 1979), which peaked at #42, and stayed on the chart seven weeks; "Coward of the County" (January 26, 1980), which peaked at #1, and stayed on the chart twelve weeks (two weeks at #1); "Lady" (November 15, 1980), which peaked at #12, and stayed on the chart twelve weeks; "We've Got Tonight" (February 12, 1983), which peaked at #28, and stayed on the chart seven weeks; "Eyes That See in the Dark" (September 24, 1983), which peaked at #61, and stayed on the chart six weeks; "Islands in the Stream" (duet with Dolly Parton, November 12, 1983), which peaked at #7, and stayed on the chart fifteen weeks; "What About Me" (trio with Kim Carnes and James Ingram, October 13, 1984), which peaked at #92, and stayed on the chart three weeks; "Christmas Without You" (duet with Dolly Parton, December 15, 1984), which peaked at #88, and stayed on the chart three weeks;"The Gambler" (April 27, 1985), which peaked at #22, and stayed on the chart six weeks; and "Islands in the Stream" (duet with Dolly Parton, re-released March 24, 2007), which peaked at #84, and stayed on the chart four weeks.^[6]

Kenny's album, Water & Bridges, was released in 2006. It reached #14 on the Billboard Chart, and remained on that Chart for fifteen weeks. One of the singles on this album, titled "I Can't Unlove You," reached #4 on the Billboard Chart, and remained on the chart three weeks.^[7]

In 2007, Kenny completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, telling BBC Radio 2 DJ, Steve Wright, that his favorite hit was "The Gambler."^[4]

On September 25, 2015, Kenny announced, on NBC's "Today Show," that he was retiring from show business, after a final tour, to spend more time with his wife and twin boys. In 2018, he curtailed the “Kenny Rogers Final World Tour: The Gambler’s Last Deal,” due to health problems.^[8]

Christmas

During an interview that Kenny granted The Guardian, which was published on December 21, 2015, he stated that, "For 35 years I’ve done a 40-day Christmas tour. We start the day after Halloween and we work literally every night. The people who come to Christmas shows have a different mindset than people who want to hear the hits. They are looking for someone to help re-enforce the importance of Christmas to them. I encourage them to not lose Christmas. I bought some clothes the other day, and the young kid said: 'Have a happy holiday,' and I said: 'Have a merry Christmas,' and he said: 'We aren’t allowed to say that in here,' and I said: 'Well, I can.' It’s so easy to be politically correct and pretty soon everything gets sterilised [sic].

"I did a song with Allison Krauss called 'Some Children See Him' and she has a chilling voice. I’ve never been overtly religious, but I’ve always been deeply spiritual. Music touches me. I feel more depth in myself at this time of year than any other time."^[9]

Film and Television

Kenny acted in a variety of movies and television shows, perhaps most notably in the title roles in "The Gambler" and the "MacShayne" series; he also made an appearance on "The Muppet Show."^[10]

As of March 23, 2020, the Internet Movie Database listed one hundred thirty-five credits on his profile, for use of his music in soundtracks, between 1973 and 2020, as well as two dozen actor credits, between 1973 and 2010. He also has several credits as a writer, composer, and "miscellaneous crew." Perhaps most notably, he has nearly two hundred fifty credits as "himself."^[10]

Restaurant

He was also a co-founder of the restaurant chain "Kenny Rogers Roasters."^[11]

Awards

Kenny received numerous awards, such as AMAs (American Music Awards), Grammys, ACMs (Academy of Country Music Awards) and CMAs (Country Music Association awards). In 2003, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award for a career spanning six decades.^[12]

Kenny's awards include induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame, in 2013; a 1988 Grammy, for the Best Country Vocal Performance, Duet (shared with Ronnie Milsap, for "Make No Mistake, She's Mine"); a 1980 Grammy, for the Best Country Song (shared with Debbie Hupp and Bob Morrison (songwriters), for "You Decorated My Life"); a 1979 Grammy, for the Best Country Song (shared with Don Schlitz (songwriter), for "The Gambler"); a 1978 Grammy for the Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, for "Lucille"); a Western Heritage Awards Bronze Wrangler Award, for Western Documentary, for The Real West (1992) (shared with Craig Haffner (executive producer), Donna E. Lusitana (executive producer), and Steven Lewis (executive producer); and a Music City Walk of Fame Star (Guitar), in 2017. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe, a CableACE Award, and three other Grammys.^[10]

Marriages

Between 1958 and 2020, Kenny had five wives and four divorces.^[13][14]

Politics

During an interview in 2015, when asked how he felt about the Republican Candidate, he stated, "I really like him. I think his problem is that he says what everyone wants to hear, but he doesn’t say it well. I love what he says, I have to admit. He can be President and not owe anybody anything; he’s one of the few people has the money to do it, and has the guts to do it. You’re biting off a lot by doing that. He believes everything he says: whether he’s right or not, he says what everybody fears. My older sons laugh at me when I tell them that. They are Democrats that live in California – there’s no hope for them. They’ll vote for [the Democratic Candidate] no matter what she does. She’s a friend of mine, I’m not trashing her."^[9]

Death

Kenny died, in Colbert, Madison County, Georgia, on March 20, 2020. His remains were cremated.^[15]

Research Notes

Discrepancy in Place of Death

CNN reported that Kenny died in Sandy Springs, Georgia; however, his FindaGrave Memorial indicates, as of March 27, 2020, that he died in Colbert, Madison County, Georgia.^[16]

Middle Name Ray NOT Donald

Several sources, including Wikipedia and Britannica, indicate that Kenny's middle name was "Donald" on his Birth Certificate. However, the record of his birth on FamilySearch indicates that his name was "Kenneth Ray Rogers." Unfortunately, no image is available. Furthermore, a FamilySearch of people named "Kenneth Donald Rogers," born, in Texas, between 1935 and 1940, did not produce any results showing that any such person was ever born. It did, however, list similar records, including the afore-mentioned record of Kenneth Ray Rogers' birth.^{[1][17][18][19][20]}

Vaughan-3997 16:17, 30 March 2020 (UTC)

Wikipedia Verbage

While researching Kenny, I discovered an error found on Wikipedia:

"He charted more than 120 hit singles."

Research shows that Kenny's number of "hit singles" was probably less than two dozen. Vaughan-3997 11:38, 23 March 2020 (UTC)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Texas Birth Index 1903-1997" database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VDMR-5L6 : 01 Jan 2015) from "Texas Birth Index 1903-1997" on ancestry.com database and images citing Texas Department of State Health Services; Edward Floyde Rogers in entry for son Kenneth Ray Rogers, b: 21 Aug 1938 [1]
2. ↑ Wallin, Emmy. "Kenny Rogers' Net Worth." WealthyGorilla.com [2]
3. ↑ Staff, Taste of Country. "Kenny Rogers Songs." [3]
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Roy and Carol in the Morning. WCCQ.com "Country Music Icon Kenny Rogers Dies at 81"[4]
5. ↑ KFAL.com The Big 900. "Kenny Rogers" Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[https://kfalthebig900.com/page/6/?s=Kenny+rogers
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Official Charts: Kenny Rogers. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[5]
7. ↑ Billboard.com "Kenny Rogers: I Can't Unlove You" 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 31, 2020.[6]
8. ↑ The San Diego Tribune. "Kenny Rogers Dead at 81: Revisit Our Interviews With the Pop Country Star" March 21, 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[7]
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} McManmon, Michele. "Kenny Rogers on Donald Trump: 'I love what he says, I have to admit' " TheGuardian.com December 21, 2015. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan [8]
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} The Internet Movie Database. Kenny Rogers. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[9]
11. ↑ Google Knowledge Panel: "cofounder Kenny Rogers Roasters" Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[10]
12. ↑ Ultimate Pop Culture. Fandom: Kenny Rogers. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[11]
13. ↑ Google Knowledge Panel: "Kenny Rogers Wives" Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[12]
14. ↑ CBS News. Much-Married Celebs: Kenny Rogers. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[13]
15. ↑ Hines, Morgan. "'My heart's broken': Dolly Parton mourns 'singing partner' Kenny Rogers; more stars react". CNN.com [14]
16. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 March 2020), memorial page for Kenny Rogers (21 Aug 1938–20 Mar 2020), Find A Grave: Memorial #207556361, ; Maintained by Find A Grave Cremated.
17. ↑ Biography.com "Kenny Rogers" March 21, 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[15]
18. ↑ Thanki, Juli. Nashville Tennessean. "Kenny Rogers, a charismatic and husky-voiced country music legend, dies at 81" March 21, 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 23, 2020.[16]
19. ↑ Blumberg, Naomi. "Kenny Rogers: American Singer-Songwriter" Britannica.com March 21, 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 30, 2020.[17]
20. ↑ Wikipedia.org "Kenny Rogers" March 30, 2020. Accessed by William Mortensen Vaughan, on March 30, 2020.[18]

See also:

• Wikipedia: Kenny Rogers
• Wikidata: Item Q217160, en:Wikipedia

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crockett,_Texas#Notable_people

• Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 21 March 2020), memorial page for Kenneth Ray “Kenny” Rogers (21 Aug 1938–unknown), Find A Grave: Memorial #207556361, ; Maintained by The Grimley Family (contributor 49951521) Cremated.

• Rogers, K. (2012). Luck Or Something Like It: A Memoir. United States: HarperCollins, 2012.