Kenny Rogers's has long, glorious run on the country and pop charts from 1976 to 1983 when he recorded for United Artists. In the span of nearly three decades, Kenny Rogers has recorded more than 59 albums with a worldwide sale in excess of 100 million units. Born in Houston, TX, Rogers and his seven siblings were raised in one of the poorest sections of town. Nevertheless, these facts of life didn’t stop him from learning how to play guitar in the high school. As a senior, he played in a band called the Scholars, Following his graduation, he released two singles, "We'll Always Fall in Love Again" and "For You Alone." The B-side of the first single, "That Crazy Feeling," earned him a slot on American Bandstand. In 1959, he dropped from the University of Texas to play bass in the jazz combo the Bobby Doyle Three. The Bobby Doyle Three released one album, In a Most Unusual Way, before Rogers left the to sign a solo record contract with Mercury. ogers handful of singles released on Mercury failed. Mercury dropped the singer, and he went on to join the New Christy Minstrels in 1966. He stayed with the folk group for a year and in 1967 formed the First Edition. The First Edition signed with Reprise and recorded the pop-psychedelic single "Just Dropped In", which became a hit early in 1968. Within a year, so called Kenny Rogers & the First Edition group had their second and final Top Ten hit, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town." By the end of 1972, the group experienced a drought in their sales. Rogers left the group in 1974, and the band dismantled the following year.

In order to jump-start his career, Rogers signed to United Artists in 1975, and that marked the modest beginning of his career. "Love Lifted Me," his debut single for the label, was a minor hit early in 1976, but it took a full year for Rogers to have a genuine breakthrough hit with "Lucille." His road gravel voiced style sold to both pop and country audiences and helped him earn four Grammys; 11 People's Choice Awards; 18 American Music Awards; Eight Academy of Country Music Awards; Five Country Music Association Awards. To this date he has charted more than 60 hit singles more than 40 hit albums. His music has also been featured in top selling movie soundtracks, such as Convoy and Urban Cowboy. Between 1978 and 1980, he had five straight number one country singles -- "Love or Something Like It," "The Gambler," "She Believes in Me," "You Decorated My Life," "Coward of the County" -- most of which also reached the pop Top Ten. His 1985 greatest-hits package, "The Kenny Rogers Story," reached #1 on the British country chart -- and four years later (in 1989), was still at #2. Rogers' concerts continued to be popular, as did his made-for-TV movies, he no longer had pop crossover hits. He returned to his first label, Reprise, where he had one major hit -- 1989's Top Ten "The Vows Go Unbroken.” In 1990, Kenny was honored with the Horatio Alger Award. late '80s and '90s, Rogers kept busy with charity work, concerts, his fast-food chain Kenny Rogers' Roaster. The mainstay of his career is his "live" concerts he continues to pack them in – not only in the United States, but in Europe, New Zealand, Africa and the Far East.

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