And smoking!
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When I saw Roy Haynes a few years ago, he kept singing the chorus from “The Gambler” in between songs (a reviewer noted this too).
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Passed away at the age of 81.
His face was 14.
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Maybe I’m old but the First Edition is how I remember Kenny. I remember he had a TV show back when I was 11 or so and it was rock oriented. The country thing was a sell out if you ask me.
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All I can think of right now is Darryl Waltrip “singing” “You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel”
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Yeah he came up in that time where if you had some talent you’d get a contract and do your thing riding the waves of whatever style was popular at the moment or whatever genre of fan you drew. I personally won’t criticize it as a sell out though, sometimes a person sincerely starts out one place and ends up in another. Also, the man’s gotta eat.
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True enough, although I think that TV show might have been the reason he switched to country. Back in the 70’s it was hard to be seen as a rocker if you had your own show.
As musical variety shows from that period go, it was pretty good. Much better than Sonny and Cher and don’t even talk to me about Dean Martin.
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Dublin in the mid '80s. This…
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Kenny Roger’s Roaster are huge in Malaysia. They love their chicken over there too.
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First concert I ever went to. My parents took me to Kenny Rogers, at the Cow Palace in Daily City.
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Kenny was meta before meta was cool.
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I mean, it was barely country anyway. all his hits could be heard on pop radio, he was a crossover darling.
I got the song from his movie Six Pack in my head last year and realized I had no Rogers in my country folder so I went on a “greatest hits” download binge only to discover it was mostly sappy pop ballads. He’s a great songwriter, but the arrangements were for squares. But I still like him though, he just seemed like a good egg. and he was hilarious on Reno 911.
FWIW, these are the tunes I didn’t delete:
Ruby (probably better than the Gambler)
The Gambler
Reuben James
Coward of the County
Love Will Turn You Around (the 6 Pack tune, which is a sappy pop tune but fuck it, I like it)
and I already had What Condition My Condition Was In in my rock folder. I agree, that’s a much better sound. What other of his early work can you recommend?
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a timeless tune.
theirs sounds great!
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Well, he did a lot of covers, but Reuben James was also good as I recall.
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He picked a fine time to leave
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What did he choose for burial? Cremation? Kenny Roger’s Roasted?
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I remember it well.
I used to work off a theory that, the narrator’s disability from “this crazy Asian war” seems to get worse during the song - going from twisted legs to paralysis and impending death and he was actually an officer fragged by his own soldiers in the crazy American war…
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I’m surprised you could make out the lyrics at all! 
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You broke my goddamned like button, man.
I never realized that song was Kenny Rodgers too! Im so ashamed of myself.
Those matching denim suits…wow. so 70s!
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That sounds like something from a Gold Age Comic.
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