Kenny Rogers is a prolific American country music singer, photographer, producer, songwriter, actor and businessman. He has charted more than 70 hit singles across various music genres and topping the country and pop album charts for more than 420 individual weeks in the Unites States alone.
Kenny has become such an icon that it's easy to forget how he got there. The songs on Kenny's 42 Ultimate Hits bring together the top songs of his career from the last 60s First Edition years up to his current return to the charts. Songs such as Lady, Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, The Gambler, She Believes in Me, Islands in the Stream. We've Got Tonight, and Buy Me a Rose.
Two of Kenny's albums, The Gambler and Kenny are featured in the About.com poll of The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever. He was voted the Favorite Singer of All-Time in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People Magazine.
His accolades only tell a portion of the story. He has recorded 63 albums and sold more than 185 million records. He has received three Grammy Awards, five Country Music Association Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards, eleven People's Choice Awards and eighteen American Music Awards.
After leaving The First Edition in 1976, Kenny's single Lucille in 1977 was a major hit, reaching number one on the pop charts in 12 countries, selling over five million copies, and firmly establishing Kenny's post-First Edition career. On the strength of Lucille, the album Kenny Rogers reached #1 in the Billboard Country Album Chart.
In the late 1970s Kenny teamed up with close friend and country singer Dottie West for a series of albums and duets. Together the duo had three hit albums. Every Time Two Fools Collide, Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight and What Are We Doin' in Love became Country standards. Islands in the Stream, his classic pairing with Dolly Parton, was recently named the # 2 country duel of all time by the CMT.
Later in 1989, came Kenny's partnership with Lionel Ritchie who wrote and produced Kenny's #1 hit Lady. Lionel then went on to write and produce Kenny's 1981 album Share Your Love, a chart topper and commercial favorite featuring hits such as
I Don't Need You and Through the Years.
In the 21st century, Kenny was back at #1 for the first time in almost a decade with the 2000 single Buy Me a Rose, making him at 61, the oldest artist in the history of country music to reach the chart summit. In doing, he broke a 26-year old record held by Hank Snow. Kenny had even more success in 2006 with the advertised release 21 Number Ones which went gold.
