Kenny Rogers' string of hits in the ’70s and ’80s made him a crucial bridge between country music's origins and its arrival as a true pop force in the ’90s.
Kenny Rogers may be best remembered for introducing a global pop audience to the homespun charms of country music. But his work as an ambassador didn’t open just his listeners’ ears: Perhaps more than any other Nashville act of his generation, Rogers,, dabbled freely in other sounds and styles; his long and varied catalog, with its many collaborations, is a testament to both his musical curiosity and his keen commercial sense.
A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame who scored 21 No. 1 country hits , Rogers understood that a sturdy persona and an unchanging look — and, of course, a warmly reassuring voice with just the right amount of grown-up sex appeal — could provide a kind of continuity that allowed him to experiment without alienating his core fans.
Yet it was his music in the ’70s and ’80s that made Rogers a crucial bridge between country’s origins and its arrival as a true pop force in the ’90s. Here are 10 of Rogers’ most enduring songs, listed in chronological order.Before he found stardom in Nashville — and after earlier forays into doo-wop, jazz and folk music — Rogers made the Top 10 as lead singer of the First Edition with this tidy blast of pop psychedelia.
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