Remembering Kenny Rogers

This weekend, the world lost one of the most iconic figures in country music: Kenny Rogers, who took a beard and an ability to spin stories through song and delivered a steady stream of hit singles that proved to be part of the soundtrack of the ‘70s, the ‘80s, and beyond.

While “The Gambler” and “Coward of the County” were already in Rogers’ rear view mirror by the time he arrived at Reprise Records in 1988, he was still a force to be reckoned with on the country charts, delivering four top-40 hits with his label debut, SOMETHING INSIDE SO STRONG: “When You Put Your Heart in It” (#26), “Planet Texas” (#30), “The Vows Go Unbroken (Always True to You)” (#8), and his duet with Holly Dunn, “Maybe” (#25). The title track of his 1990 album, LOVE IS STRANGE, a duet with his longtime friend Dolly Parton, provided him with a #21 hit, and Parton also helped Rogers secure a minor hit in 2013 with the title track of his album YOU CAN’T MAKE OLD FRIENDS. Between those two Partons, Rogers also hit #11 with “If You Want to Find Love,” the first single from 1991’s BACK HOME AGAIN.

We’ve put all four of these albums into a playlist, along with his underrated 1994 album, TIMEPIECE: ORCHESTRAL SESSIONS WITH DAVID FOSTER, and a few other Rogers tracks that happen to fall within the Rhino catalog. If you tuned out of Kenny’s career after he stopped delivering crossover hits to the pop charts, give this playlist a spin and listen to what you were missing.