History Music / KennyRogers

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).

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)" 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).

* AndThisIsFor: In ''Coward of the County'', Tommy finishes the fight with the gang who attacked his beloved this way.

* DeadlyEuphemism: In "The Gambler": "''And somewhere in the darkness/The gambler he broke even''." Unusual example in that the gambler died of natural causes.

* MagicRealism: Some people believe The Gambler is an angel.

** "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is about a paralyzed war veteran attempting to murder his wife.

* 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, "The Gambler, he broke even".

* 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.]]"

--> ''And somewhere in the darkness\\

An ace that I could keep.''

He got his start in the 1960s folk group The New Christy Minstrels. By 1967, he was part of the rock group The First Edition, which had major pop hits with "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" and "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town". Rogers broke off in 1975 to start his own 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. 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.

* IntercourseWithYou: With the First Edition, "Something's Burning". Solo, "Morning Desire". Both songs are literally narrated by a man in bed next to his sleeping lover, wishing she would wake up so he could get some action.

* IntercourseWithYou: With the First Edition, "Something's Burning". Solo, "Morning Desire".

* 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 in the Fifth Edition. He also sometimes used a deeper, smoother voice that sounds very un-Kenny-like in retrospect, particularly on their 1970 hit "Something's Burning".