On March 21, Beijing time, the family of Kenny Rogers, the godfather of country music, posted on social platforms: "It is very sad to inform everyone that Kenny Rogers died at 10:25 last night at the age of 81. ”
His family said Kenny Rogers was a natural death. Given the COVID-19 pandemic currently spreading in the United States, the funeral will be held privately.
It is reported that Kenny Rogers was born on August 21, 1938 in the slum of Heston, Texas, USA, with multiple identities such as country singer, photographer, record producer, actor, etc., and his works include "Lady" and "I Don't Need You", which is known as the "Godfather of American Country Music".
Born on August 21, 1938 in the Slum of Heston, Texas, Kenny Rogers was the fourth child in a family of eight children, the son of a porter at a dockyard and a mother working in a hospital. He graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston.
At the age of 19, Kenny recorded a song called "This Crazy Feeling" for a small studio in Heston, which his brother, who worked for the American company De Macaque, promoted the record. The small success of the record prompted the brothers to form a production studio of their own.
Later, he joined the band Neo-Christ Troubadour and participated in the recording of the band's 1967 hit song album. Then the band eventually disbanded.
Kenny and the other separated band members Mike, Steele, Terma, Karma, Terry and Williams formed a new band, and their first album made them famous. After that, the band signed with Ripleys. Soon, Ripley released a new album, Just Dropped in, directed by Kenny.
After leaving Ripley, Kenny set up his own studio. By the time he disbanded the band in 1974, he had amassed $65,000.
In 1975, Kenny Rogers signed a contract with The Co-Artist. Producers Larry and Brunt intend to train him to become a musician who has achieved success in both pop and country music. Sure enough, Lucilie (No. 5 in the US charts and No. 1 in the UK charts) established Kenny Rogers as a great country singer. Since then, a narrative song written specifically for Kenny, "The Gambler", has become his representative track. At the same time, the song "She Believes In Me", which deeply expresses his love for free life (No. 5 in the US list), has strengthened his position.
Kenny Rogers has experimented with a variety of popular music: spirit songs, soft rock, country rock and lyrical songs, but is known for country songs.
Kenny Rogers has been married a total of 4 times. The first time he married was in 1958, when he was 20 years old. Kenny believes that the failure of his first marriage is largely to blame for his frequent touring. Kenny's fourth wife, Marian Gordon, is an American television presenter.
Since then, Kenny has released a series of songs that have hit the charts. For example: "Lady" by Lionel Ritchie (tops the US charts for 6 consecutive weeks), "I Don't Need You" (No. 1 in the US charts), "We've Got Tonight" (No. 6 in the US charts, 35 million copies sold) with Heena, Easton, Bob and Seger, "Islands in the Stream" (No. 1 in the US charts, No. 7 in the UK Charts), and "Waht about me" with James, etc. In the "Heart of Things" album produced by talented producers George and Martin for Kenny, the singles "Morning's Hot Hope" and "Tomb of the Unknown Lover" have both ranked first on the charts.
Kenny Rogers' country songs are unpretentious, plain in language but sparkling, widely sourced and profoundly meaningful.
Playing poker is also one of Kenny's favorite recreational activities.
Kenny Rogers' son, Kenny Rogers Jr., sang background harmony for his father's records. In 1989, Kenny Rogers Jr. began his own singing career with a song called "Closer Again.".
Kenny owns a farm in Georgia with an area of 1,200 acres. There he raised Arabian horses as well as cattle. Kenny also owns an entertainment center and a music studio with 200 employees.
Kenny Rogers' records have been a top seller in the United States, winning the Grammy Award for Best Album Album and 11 Platinum Album Awards. In more than 50 years of his musical career, Kenny Rogers has recorded 59 albums, sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, and won four Grammy Awards, 16 American Music Awards, eight Country Music Golden Melody Awards and five Country Music Association Awards.
After a concert tour in 2017, Kenny Rogers decided to quit the singing scene and spend more time with his family. According to foreign media reports, in the last days before his death, his family was with him.
Synthesized from Sina Entertainment, NetEase Entertainment, Sina Blog "Flying Keys" and so on
Editor: Tong Weijing