Kenny Rogers The Gamblers Last Deal

Mavericks Lauren Barnett catches up with country icon Kenny Rogers on taking his final bow in the world of country music….

- Lauren Barnett

Kenny Rogers. The two words that conjure up a lifetime of memories for country fans across the globe, young and old. Hits like The Gambler, Coward Of The County, We’ve Got Tonight, You Can’t Make Old Friends, Lucille, Islands In The Stream (I could go on forever) are the soundtrack to some of the most important times in peoples lives, and are songs that will live on forever. The man behind the music however, is hanging up his hat and bowing out of the world of country music for good.

Predictably Rogers has amassed an impressive collection of awards and accolades over the years, including three Grammy Awards, 19 American Music Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, eight ACM Awards and six CMA Awards. He is a Country Music Hall Of Fame member, and can boast of achieving the Willie Nelson lifetime achievement award among others. Amazingly, he has managed to chart a record in each of the last seven decades and has amassed 31 gold albums, 19 platinum albums and one diamond album since the release of his debut solo album LOVE LIFTED ME in 1976.

After 12 number one albums, 24 number one songs and over 120 million albums sold worldwide it’s safe to say that Kenny has well and truly found the key to success when it comes to producing quality country music. It’s no surprise that in 2016, aged 78 years old, Kenny announced his retirement with his ‘Farewell Tour’, which I was lucky enough to attend.