On this day in 1938,Country singer Kenny Rogers was born in Houston, Texas. Rogers made his first record in his teens, with a high school band called the Scholars. In college, he recorded with a jazz trio and later joined a folk group called the New Christy Minstrels.
When that group broke up, he and some of its members formed Kenny Rogers and the First Edition in 1967. The following year, they appeared on the comedy-variety show The Smothers Brothers, and were soon releasing pop hits with heavy country and rock influences, including “Reuben James” (1969) and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love to Town” (1969). The band had its own TV show from 1971 to 1973, called Rollin’ on the River. After the band broke up, Rogers released a string of hits throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, including “The Gambler,” “Lady,” and “Islands in the Stream,” a duet with Dolly Parton. He began acting in the 1980s and made frequent TV appearances. He also launched a chain of fast-food chicken restaurants in the 1990s.
Recent Comments