Former Country music singer and pop star Kenny Rogers was born Kenneth Donald Rogers on August 21, 1938 in Houston Texas. Raised in a poor area of the city, Kenny learned to play fiddle and guitar to rockabilly with "The Scholars" in 1956.
The Scholars released three singles and Kenny released two songs on his own that received the attention of American Bandstand in 1958. Kenny Rogers attended the University of Texas in 1959, but he dropped out of college soon thereafter and joined The Bobby Doyle Trio.
In early 1960, Kenny played bass in country singer Mickey Gilley's single "Is it wrong?", while The Bobby Doyle Trio released an album before Kenny Rogers left the band to join first The Kirby Stone Four and then the New Christy Minstrels in 1966.
In 1967, Kenny Rogers signed to Reprise Records and along with his band debuted with the album "The First Edition", achieving immediate success with this and their following album.
In 1969, Kenny Rogers and The First Edition released their third album, "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town", confirming their popularity as country and pop band with a hippie-like look that approached them to San Francisco's psychedelia.
With their fifth 1970 album, "Something's Burning", Kenny and the band broke into the international scene, getting their own television show in 1972.
In 1973, the popularity of Kenny and The First Edition declined and they tried to regain popularity recording Merle Haggard's "Today I Started Loving You Again". However, that same year John Fogerty's ghost-band, The Blue Ridge Rangers, also released it as part of a self-titled solo album following Creedence Clearwater Revival's break up.
Although, Fogerty's hit the charts with Hank William's classic "Jambalaya", his recording eclipsed Kenny, who was severely in debt and had to leave The First Edition.
In 1975, he signed with United Artists, beginning the era of his major success alternating with Dolly Parton, Dottie West, and Don Henley, just to name a few.
Albums like "Love Lifted Me", "The Gambler", "Gideon", and many others hit the Billboard charts and went certified platinum, bringing to Kenny Rogers numerous awards and a successful acting career until present day, with 39 studio albums recorded between 1976 and 2006.
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