Kenny Rogers: Musical Profile

Entry Point Into Pop Music

On August 21, 1938 Kenny Rogers was born in the city of Houston, Texas (A + E Networks, 2012). The environment Rogers was brought up in was not prolific. He was raised in a federal housing project where there was a cyclone fence between him and the African American community (Tannenbaum, 2001). His father did not take care of his family well and his six siblings had to quit school in order to support the family with a source of income (Tannenbaum, 2001). By high school he began pursuing a music career. He started a rockabilly band called the Scholars and locally was a hit.

Significant Events

Growing up within an African American community, Rogers would listen to them sing songs in church (Tannenbaum, 2001). He was attracted to their songs as they were unique and portrayed the pain they have suffered (Tannenbaum, 2001). Hence, his first influence was the soul music singer Ray Charles (Tannenbam, 2001). His first solo hit single was a DooWop song called “That Crazy Feeling” recorded in 1958. Next Rogers changed genres by playing bass in a jazz group called the Bobby Doyle Trio. A folk-pop group called the New Christy Minstrels asked him to join in 1966. After a year he left the group with a few members to fuse folk, rock, and country in a hit band that became known as Kenny Rogers. In 1974 Rogers decided to focus his energy on country music as a solo artist. Only a year later he earned a spot on the top 20 country hit list with the song “Love Lifted Me”. Two years later he was awarded a Grammy Award for Best Male Country Performance in his song “Lucille” which reached the top of the country charts and top five of the pop charts. Following this success he was awarded his second Grammy Award for the country and pop hit song “The Gambler”. Duets also proved successful for Rogers as he recorded multiple hits with the country music legend