Kenny Rogers … The Gambler

“I had holes in my jeans well before it was fashionable.” 
– Kenny Rogers


He went from Folk, to Psychedelic, to Rock, to Country…
to become the greatest Ballad singer I’ve heard.

 Kenny Rogers has passed at age 81.
Kenny was one of the Greatest Entertainment Star of our time
with an immensely successful career in
Country and Popular music.
Legendary Status.

Along the way he also made a 1980 TV Western called The Gambler that was spearheaded by an iconic Hit Song also called The Gambler  which all led to a series of 5 TV Westerns with Kenny Starring as Brady Hawkes, a fictional old-west gambler. Most of these Movies were … well not so good. They rode completely on Kenny’s Star Power and his Song.

(Originally sung by Bobby Bare, Johnny Cash, among others) But only Kenny’s version clicked.
Grammy award for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1980.

It’s one of those songs that sticks in your head.
A winner. 

The TV Movies 

Kenny’s first movie, The Gambler (1980) was OK …
Worth a couple of watches – despite Bruce Boxleitner.

“6.4” That’s about right.

It’s popularity led to 4 sequels. 
Most of ’em pretty bad. 

Awards and Honors:


Islands in the Stream with Dolly Parton
Written by Maurice Gibb, Robin Gibb, Barry Gibb

2017 Texas Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee
2013 Country Music Association Awards Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award
2013 Country Music Hall of Fame Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame
2010 American Eagle Award American Eagle Award[62]
2009 ACM Honors Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award (w/ Jerry Reed, Randy Travis, Hank Williams Jr.)
2007 ASCAP Golden Note Award ASCAP Golden Note Award
2007 CMT Music Awards Album of the Year—Water & Bridges
2005 CMT Music Awards Favorite All Time Country Duet—”Islands In the Stream” (w/Dolly Parton)
2004 CMT’s 100 Greatest Cheating Songs “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town”—No. 6
2003 International Entertainment Buyers Association Lifetime Achievement Award
2003 CMT’s 100 Greatest Country Songs “The Gambler”—No. 26
2002 CMT’s 40 Greatest Men of Country Music Ranking—No. 19
2000 TNN Music Awards Career Achievement Award
1999 BBC’s Greatest Country Singer Ranking—No. 2
1988 Grammy Awards Best Duo Country Vocal Performance—”Make No Mistake She’s Mine” (w/ Ronnie Milsap)
1986 USA Today Favorite Singer of All Time
1985 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album—Eyes That See in the Dark
1985 American Music Awards Favorite Male Country Artist
1983 Academy of Country Music Awards Single of the Year—”Islands In the Stream” (w/ Dolly Parton)
1983 Academy of Country Music Awards Top Vocal Duet (w/ Dolly Parton)
1983 American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Country Artist
1983 American Music Awards Favorite Country Single—”Love Will Turn You Around”
1983 ASAP Awards Favorite Single—”Islands In the Stream” (w/Dolly Parton)
1982 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album—Greatest Hits
1981 American Music Awards Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist
1981 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album—The Gambler
1981 American Music Awards Favorite Country Single—”Coward of the County”
1980 American Music Awards Favorite Male Country Artist
1980 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album—The Gambler
1980 Music City News Country Single of the Year
1979 American Music Awards Favorite Male Country Artist
1979 American Music Awards Favorite Country Album—10 Years of Gold
1979 Country Music Association Awards Male Vocalist of the Year
1979 Country Music Association Awards Vocal Duo of the Year (w/ Dottie West)
1979 Country Music Association Awards Album of the Year—The Gambler
1979 Music City News Country Male Artist of the Year
1979 Music City News Country Single of the Year—”The Gambler”
1979 Grammy Awards Best Male Country Vocal Performance—”The Gambler”
1978 American Music Awards Favorite Single—”Lucille”
1978 Country Music Association Awards Vocal Duo of the Year (w/Dottie West)
1978 Academy of Country Music Awards Entertainer of the Year
1978 Academy of Country Music Awards Top Male Vocalist
1977 Country Music Association Awards Single of the Year—”Lucille”
1977 Academy of Country Music Awards Top Male Vocalist
1977 Academy of Country Music Awards Single of the Year—”Lucille”
1977 Academy of Country Music Awards Song of the Year—”Lucille”
1977 Grammy Awards Best Male Country Vocal Performance—”Lucille”


Goodbye Kenny Rogers 

Charities & foundations supported 7

Kenny Rogers has supported the following charities:

 

 

Author: jcalberta

Howdy! I love Westerns. ... and the intent of MyFavoriteWesterns.com is to celebrate Western Movies/Film - old and new. This site will eventually show my top 30 favorite Westerns - or more. I will have original graphic work with regular updates. All this - and more ... Yee Haw ... !! - jcablerta / Moderator / Administrator

5 thoughts on “Kenny Rogers … The Gambler”

  1. Kenny Rogers was truly a legend and it is so sad that he has passed on 🙁

    Anyway, keep up the great work as always – also, you doing fine in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic? 🙂

    1. Thank you John. We are all struggling and adjusting as able with this thing. Hope you are all doing well down there. Nobody’s got it figured out just yet.

    1. Funny isn’t it. I do follow some Country – not the commercial stuff – but he was an unusual Artist in that he cut across to Popular Music fans also. I was looking at some of his music on YouTube and he did a lot of good music that I didn’t know about so I get what you say about him being the background. Maybe I can still pick up on some of it.

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