RIP Kenny Rogers

[JimH5]

Not the Texas Rangers lefty...

And presumably not from COVID-19, songwriter and singer Kenny Rogers died tonight of natural causes at 81.

 

It is hard to explain his stardom, and I don't know if it could be recreated in today's world, but for a not-short time in the 1970s and 80s, the grey-bearded middle aged singer was the most popular performer and recording artist in the country. His records were huge hits.

 

He played at the opening day of Summerfest and was a headliner there many times. I don't know if his songs got much play in recent years, but his solo records and especially his pop duets were huge.

[OldHeidelberg]

He was definitely a megastar for a short window, I loved the Gambler TV movies as a kid. I am not a country fan so not sure if he was a great talent getting his due or just a marketing sensation. Without looking it up the only songs I remember are "The Gambler", "Coward of the County" which was pretty much the same song, and "Islands in the Stream" which may have been a BeeGee's song if not for the collapse of disco. That insurance commercial a few years ago was hilarious. RIP