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Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was a very prominent CountryMusic singer known for his string of crossover pop ballads.

He started his career in TheFifties doing early RockAndRoll, had a {{Jazz}} phase, and eventually joined the 1960s FolkMusic group The New Christy Minstrels. In 1967, Rogers and several other New Christy Minstrel members broke off to form The First Edition, an eclectic band that was equally comfortable doing folk, CountryMusic and PsychedelicRock. The First Edition had a successful run, highlighted by the major pop hits "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)"[[note]]Perhaps best known for the trippy dance sequence in ''Film/TheBigLebowski''[[/note]] and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town". Rogers left in 1975 to start his own country-focused career, launching it with a cover of the gospel standard "Love Lifted Me". It wasn't until two years later that he broke through, sending a string of singles to the top of the charts and achieving consistent pop and adult contemporary airplay for each, along with country. Among his hits in the late 1970s and early 1980s were "Lucille", "The Gambler", "She Believes in Me", "Coward of the County", "Lady", and "Islands in the Stream", a duet with Music/DollyParton. The last two have the distinction of being among the only songs to top the country, pop, and AC charts ("Lady", written and produced by Music/LionelRichie, was also a moderate hit on the R&B chart).

Rogers' success declined in the 1980s after "Islands in the Stream", although he managed a semi-regular chart presence until 1991. After an eight-year stretch in which he recorded albums but did not issue very many singles, he launched the single "The Greatest" in 1999 off his own label, Dreamcatcher Records. Although it had only modest success, the album's second single, "Buy Me a Rose" (with guest vocals from Music/{{Alison Krauss|AndUnionStation}} and Billy Dean), returned him to the top of the charts in 2000. None of his other singles matched the success of that song, however, although 2006's ''Water & Bridges'' on Capitol Records gave him a little bit more commercial success.

Rogers is also known for being prolific in the duet field, having cut several duets with Parton, as well as Dottie West, Music/SheenaEaston, Kim Carnes, and James Ingram. He is also one of the highest-selling male country artists.

He also founded the Kenny Rogers Roasters chain of restaurants, which was frequently satirized in episodes of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', ''Series/LateNightWithConanOBrien'', ''Series/MadTV'', and ''Series/{{Jackass}}''. No Roasters restaurants remain in the U.S.A., but they can be found in such countries as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, China, the Philippines, Brunei, and Bangladesh.

In 2013, it was announced that Rogers was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. For his millions of fans, his induction is considered long overdue.

Kenny Rogers passed away on March 20, 2020, from natural causes.

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!!Rogers and his music provide examples of:

* AdvertisedExtra: Although Music/{{Alison Krauss|AndUnionStation}} and Billy Dean are credited as featured artists on "Buy Me a Rose", their contributions are merely backing vocals that may not be all that easy to pick out (except when Dean echoes the line "rest of your life" on the last chorus).
* AndThisIsFor: In ''Coward of the County'', Tommy finishes the fight with the gang who attacked his beloved with:
-->He said "This one's for Becky" // As he watched the last one fall
* AwardBaitSong: "Love Will Turn You Around," the theme to his star vehicle ''Six Pack''.
* BSide. Two examples from the ''Eyes That See in the Dark'' album:
** "Buried Treasure", the B-side of "This Woman", made #3 on the country charts in 1984. The A-side did not make the country charts, but got to #23 pop and #2 AC.
** "Evening Star" and "Midsummer Nights", also from 1984, were a double A-side, meaning that both sides received radio airplay.
* BookEnds: In "Coward of the County", the line "Everyone considered him the coward of the county" is found at both ends of the song.
* TheCoverChangesTheMeaning: Although supposedly written as a loving homage to Music/WaylonJennings, "Sweet Music Man" is frequently covered by female artists. As a result, their interpretations envision the song as a woman feeling conflicted support toward her husband's musical career.
* DrugsAreBad: "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)", widely viewed as a song about a bad acid trip, though it's vague enough that it could be about other drugs or alcohol, or even a general SanitySlippageSong.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Most of the First Edition's material was more psychedelic rock, most notably "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)". Kenny also played bass guitar in the band; he started as a jazz upright bassist before switching to electric. He also sometimes used a deeper, smoother voice that sounds very un-Kenny-like in retrospect, particularly on their 1970 hit "Something's Burning".
* FakeShemp: He did his retirement tour in 2017 with longtime friend Linda Davis (best known for her duet vocals on Music/RebaMcEntire's "Does He Love You", and as the mother of Music/LadyA's Hillary Scott) singing the female vocals on "We've Got Tonight", "Islands in the Stream", and "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight" (which originally featured Sheena Easton, Music/DollyParton, and Dottie West respectively). Averted with "All I Ever Need Is You", also a duet with West, which instead used archival footage of her (she died in 1991).
* TheFilmOfTheSong:
** "The Gambler" spawned five [[MadeForTVMovie TV movies]].
** "Coward of the County" spawned one as well.
* TheGamblingAddict: One interpretation of the lead receiving the titular gambler's advice in "The Gambler".
* KnowWhenToFoldEm: "The Gambler" is the TropeNamer.
* IntercourseWithYou: With the First Edition, "Something's Burning". Solo, "Morning Desire". Both songs are narrated by a man in bed next to his lover.
* LyricalColdOpen: "Sweet Music Man". Most covers omit the opener.
* MagicRealism: Some people believe the Gambler is an angel.
* MurderBallad:
** "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is about a paralyzed war veteran who would like to kill his wife for cheating on him, but can't due to his injuries.
--->And if I could move, I'd get my gun\\
And put her in the ground
** "Tomb of the Unknown Love" features a trucker murdering his wife after receiving a DearJohnLetter from her... ''and'' after being warned of his fate by seeing a foreboding tombstone.
** He covered Leon Ashley's "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)", which is written ambiguously enough that it can be about either this or DrivenToSuicide. The song has the narrator berating his wife for infidelity and ends on the line "And if there's time before I pull this trigger / Then tell me what he's got that I ain't got", leaving open the possibility that the gun is pointed either at her, the other man, or himself.
* NarratorAllAlong: "Buy Me a Rose". The song is about a man who doesn't pay enough attention to his wife. It's set in third person until the last verse, when it changes to first person for TheReveal:
-->And the more that he lives, the less that he tries\\
To show her the love that he hold inside\\
And the more that she gives, the more that he sees\\
This is a story of you and me
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Delivered to the Gatlin boys by Tommy in "Coward of the County", as none of them are standing when he leaves.
-->Twenty years of crawlin'\\
Was bottled up inside him\\
He wasn't holding nothing back\\
He let 'em have it all\\
When Tommy left the barroom\\
Not a Gatlin boy was standing\\
He said "This one's for Becky"\\
As he watched the last one fall
* OhCrap: In "Coward of the County", this sets in for the Gatlin boys when Tommy confronts them.
-->When Tommy turned around, they said\\
"Hey, look, ol' Yellow's leavin'!"\\
But you could've heard a pin drop\\
When Tommy stopped and locked the door.
* PassedInTheirSleep: In "The Gambler," the titular character informs the narrator that the best a gambler can hope for is to die in his sleep before slipping away himself, or as the singer put it, [[DeadlyEuphemism "The Gambler, he broke even"]].
* ThePollyanna: The kid in "The Greatest" tosses up a ball three times, and tries to hit it, and fails all three times. His response? "Even I didn't know I could pitch that good!"
* ProfessionalGambler: The other lead in "The Gambler", who gives advice on being a smart gambler to the subject.
* RageBreakingPoint: In "Coward of the County", the Gatlin boys gang-raping Tommy's girlfriend is finally what causes him to snap and beat all three of them nearly to death.
* RecordProducer: While it was Larry Butler who successfully converted Rogers to a pop-friendly country sound and produced his early solo hits, Rogers went through a variety of producers after that, and was notable for working with famous non-Nashville names as producers, like Music/LionelRichie, [[Music/TheBeeGees Barry Gibb]] and [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] producer George Martin.
* ShoutOut: To Music/TheByrds' "Eight Miles High" in "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)": "''I tripped on a cloud and fell eight miles high.''"
* TheSoCalledCoward: "Coward of the County" encapsulates the trope. Tommy lives by an oath to his dying father to turn the other cheek and avoid trouble, but is labeled a coward by everyone for his behavior. It takes an act of horrible violence against his girlfriend to cause him to break his vow.
* SpaceWestern: "Planet Texas" is about a group of cowboys who take the narrator on an intergalactic voyage. At the end, he asks the cowboys where they are from, and they respond with "[[EverythingIsBigInTexas the biggest place in Outer Space, the planet known as Texas]]."
* SpotlightStealingTitle: The First Edition was originally just called by that name, reflecting the band being viewed as more of a collective than a vehicle for any one member. "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" was released as a single credited to Kenny Rogers & The First Edition in what was meant to be a one-off billing,[[labelnote:explanation]]It was issue alongside "Once Again, She's All Alone", which was credited to The First Edition, with the idea that since it was a band effort and "Ruby" was more focused on Rogers, they weren't competing with each other[[/labelnote]] but after it became a huge hit, the group was permanently renamed to Kenny Rogers & The First Edition.
* TakeThat: Subverted in "Coward of the County". The antagonists are named the "Gatlin boys", which many have seen as a reference to Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers (the group best known for "All the Gold in California"). However, one of the writers denied that this was the case, and Larry himself enjoyed the song. In addition, the Gatlins sang backing vocals on several of Rogers' later releases, so it's clear that they had no animosity.
* ToneShift: He went from being a rock musician singing about tripping on psychedelic drugs to being a country singer.
* TruckDriversGearChange:
** "Just Dropped In" goes from D minor to E-flat minor to E minor.
** "Coward of the County" goes by half-steps, from C to C-sharp to D.
** "Lucille" goes from A to B-flat at the second verse.
** "The Gambler" shifts up from D to E halfway through.
** "Islands in the Stream" shifts ''down'' from C to A-flat for Music/DollyParton's verse.
** "Tomb of the Unknown Love" shifts from G-flat to G at the second verse.
** "He Will, She Knows" goes from D to E at the chorus, then back down. The last chorus goes up even further to F-sharp.
* WeddingRingRemoval: "Lucille" is about a wife and mother who'd given up on her marriage. Its first two lines are:
-->In a bar in Toledo across from the depot\\
On a barstool, she took off her ring.

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-> ''And somewhere in the darkness\\
The Gambler, he broke even\\
And in his final words I found\\
An ace that I could keep.''

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