Kenny Rogers’ life and incredibly prolific career are a subject of an upcoming two-hour special documentary from A&E. The network announced that the “Kenny Rogers Biography” will air on Monday, April 13th.
The documentary, according to the network, will trace the life of the iconic vocalist from his early days, as a child in poverty through his rise to fame.
“Biography: Kenny Rogers” will cover the singer’s childhood, his first taste of music with The First Edition, and his successful run as a solo country artist that cemented his legacy,” a press release from A&E reads.
The project also spotlights live performances and never-seen-before behind the scenes of Roger’s concerts, including live performances and behind the scenes moments from Rogers’ 2017 star-studded farewell concert including performances by country legends like Dolly Parton, Little Big Town, Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire and more.
The two-hour documentary will feature clips from the All in for The Gambler and in Nashville concerts for a deserving tribute to a real country legend.
Fans can also expect to have a rare peek into exclusive photos, never in the public domain private acoustic performances by Rogers himself as well as intimate interviews with family and friends.
Kenny Rogers passed away in the early hours of Saturday, March 20th, from natural causes a family representative confirmed. He was 81. “Rogers passed away peacefully at home from natural causes under the care of hospice and surrounded by his family.”
Rogers announced his retirement in April 2018, after canceling the remaining dates including a scheduled appearance at the Stagecoach Festival in California from his farewell tour due to unspecified health challenges.
“I didn’t want to take forever to retire,” Rogers said in his April 2018 statement. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this opportunity to say farewell to the fans over the course of the past two years on ‘The Gambler’s Last Deal’ tour.
I could never properly thank them for the encouragement and support they’ve given me throughout my career and the happiness I’ve experienced as a result of that,” he said at the time.
During an illustrious career that spanned more than 50 years, Rogers released more than 120 hit singles across various music genres. He topped the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the U.S. alone.
With over 100 million records sold worldwide during his lifetime, Rogers is rightly among the few best-selling music artists of all time. Winner of multiple Grammy Awards, numerous AMA, CMA, and ACM awards as well as a lifetime achievement award and being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
His signature hit song “The Gambler” was voted “The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever.” In 2018, “The Gambler” was designated as one of the classic country songs worth saving by the Library of Congress which means the song was added to the National Recording Registry.
“The Gambler” is still as relevant today as the day it was released. Whether you’re playing offline or using an online casino app, you are better served to heed these timeless words:
“If you’re gonna play the game, boy.
You gotta learn to play it right.
You’ve got to know when to hold’em
Know when to fold’em.”