He was elected to the Country Music Hall of Fame in He sold over million records worldwide during his lifetime, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. He remade his career, and was one of the most successful cross-over artists of all time. In the late s, Rogers began his recording career with the Houston-based group the Scholars, who first released "The Poor Little Doggie". After some solo releases including 's "That Crazy Feeling", Rogers then joined a group with the jazz singer Bobby Doyle.

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Who Was Kenny Rogers?
Kenny Rogers, the country and pop singer known for hits like "The Gambler" and "Islands in the Stream," has died at From bold psychedelic rockers and cinematic story songs to sentimental country pop, Kenny Rogers covered considerable musical turf throughout six decades of recording and performing, using his gravel-tinged vocals to dramatic effect. Along the way, he also became a globally recognized actor, photographer, businessman, and philanthropist. When Rogers announced his final Nashville concert in , after 60 years of performances, he acknowledged that his mobility had become more limited in recent years. Rogers died Friday night at age 81 from natural causes at home in Georgia, his rep confirmed in a statement.
Quick Facts
Kenny Rogers, who has died aged 81, was a prolific hit-maker from the late s into the 80s, and with songs such as Lucille, The Gambler and Coward of the County helped to create a bestselling crossover of pop and country material. And if they do, then it becomes country music. Altogether he recorded 65 albums and sold more than m records. Born in Houston, Texas , Kenny was the fourth of eight children of Lucille nee Hester , a nursing assistant, and Edward Rogers, a carpenter, and grew up in the San Felipe Courts housing project. He attended Jefferson Davis high school, where he formed his first band, a doo-wop group called the Scholars, in which he sang and played guitar. In he left school and within two years had scored a solo hit with That Crazy Feeling , which earned him an appearance on the TV show American Bandstand. B ut by the group were in commercial decline, prompting Rogers to start a solo career with the United Artists label. In he topped the US country chart for the first time with Lucille also a No 1 hit in the UK and several other countries , another storytelling song, which sold 5m copies worldwide. Another of his talents was picking the right duet partners. That track came from a chart-topping concept album that Carnes and her husband, Dave Ellingson, wrote for Rogers, called Gideon, the story of cowboy Gideon Tanner.
After working with bands and as a solo artist, Kenny Rogers released The Gambler in The title track became a huge country and pop hit and gave Rogers his second Grammy Award. Rogers also recorded a series of hits with country legend Dottie West and scored a big No. Rogers also published several books, including a autobiography. While his name was "Kenneth Donald" on his birth certificate, his family always called him "Kenneth Ray. Rogers grew up poor, living with his parents and six siblings in a federal housing project. By high school, he knew that he wanted to pursue a music career. He bought himself a guitar and started a group called the Scholars. The band had a rockabilly sound and scored a few local hits.