The famous American country singer Kenny Rogers died peacefully at home on March 20, local time, at the age of 81. When it comes to country singers, Chinese listeners may be the first to think of John Denver, but when it comes to performance in the U.S. home market and influence in the industry, Kenny Rogers may be more successful than Denver, and his experience and achievements are far more than "country singers". >>> the famous American country music singer Kenny Rogers died at the age of 81
Born in 1938 in Houston, Texas, Kenny Rogers grew up in poverty and began joining the music industry at the age of 17. In the early days, he experimented with different musical genres such as rock, country, folk, jazz and even gospel with different bands, which also determined that although he was known as a country singer, his musical styles throughout his career were very rich and varied. In fact, as early as 1968, he broke into the top five of the Billboard Top 100 with the rock style "Just Dropped In", which was also his first highlight moment.
Included on this album
《Just Dropped In》。
The 1970s was the golden age of country music, and it was during this era that Kenny Rogers began to turn to country style and gradually rose to the forefront of the field. His 1978 single "The Gambler" was not his best-selling single at the time, but the Texas Hold'em theme, a folk narrative and country music style, exuded a timeless charm in the long years that followed. One of them is "You should know when to follow, when to fold, when to continue, when to leave." It has become a well-known allegory of life for Americans. In 2012, Billboard named "The Gambler" number one of the 100 greatest country songs of all time. It became the masterpiece of Kenny Rogers' career, and also labeled him the main label of "country singer". In 2017, he gave a farewell tour called "All In for the Gambler."
But despite his great achievements in country music, Kenny Rogers, like the gambler in his lyrics, knows exactly when to continue and when to leave. In the 1980s, he once again changed his musical style and entered the mainstream pop music market, and further achieved greater success. And during this period, he also discovered a number of musical talents, contributing to the prosperity of popular music in the 1980s.
2017 Kenny Rogers Farewell Concert Poster.
In 1980, Young Singer-Songwriter Leon Neerrich had just solo flown out of the original "Admiral" band, and as he searched for an opportunity, it was Kenny Rogers who gave him his initial help. Kenny, who entered the pop market, sang Ritchie's love song "Lady", which was undoubtedly a successful collaboration, kenny won the Billboard Top 100 for the first time representing the mainstream market with this song, and Ritchie has since won more opportunities and eventually became a legendary singer. The two also became lifelong friends. In 1985, when Ritchie and Michael Jackson created "We Are The World" with the intention of organizing a chorus of stars, Kenny Rogers was the first to join in for the greatest public service song of all time.
Kenny is not alone in helping. In 1984, he included two songs by an obscure young man, "Crazy" and "What About Me," on his new album, with the latter as the title of the same name. And this young man is Richard Max, who has since become famous for "Right Here Waiting."
Although Kenny Rogers himself has good creative ability, he knows very well that his talent is not unlimited. Throughout his career, he sang many songs written by others, unlike most self-composed country singers. But in terms of effect, Kenny can always create this win-win situation in which his own records are selling well and the creators are getting ahead. This ability to make good use of people has given Kenny Rogers an extraordinary 62-year long career, and in these years he has won two Top 100 songs, 11 platinum records, over 100 million worldwide sales, 4 Grammys, 16 American Music Awards and 8 Country Golden Melody Awards.
In the brutal world of pop music, Kenny Rogers walked freely between styles and became a successful gambler with his excellent sense of smell. He has made himself a success and discovered more brilliant talents.
□ Excellent Works (Music Critic)
Beijing News Editor Wu Longzhen Proofreader Lu Qian