Member-only story
Kenny Rogers' 15 Best Songs Ranked
Too pop? Too schmaltzy? Whatever. He left behind a lush legacy.
In life, Kenny Rogers never really got the respect he deserved. Sure he cranked out a steady succession of country and pop hits, especially between 1977 and 1987, but he often was dismissed by country purists as being too pop and by the pop establishment (which, during Rogers’ late-’70s and early ’80s peak, was basically disco diehards and new-wavers) as being too schmaltzy and middle of the road.
At times, Rogers, who died on March 20 at age 81, could be both, but he left behind a formidable discography anyway. In fact, it’s so sturdy, that his four signature songs — “Coward of the County,” “The Gambler,” “Lady,” and “Islands in the Stream” — aren’t even his best hits, at least not to this lifelong fan.
He wasn’t the greatest singer and from a technical standpoint, he certainly never was a match for his country contemporaries like Ronnie Milsap and Don Williams. Vocal pyrotechnics never made their way onto a Kenny Rogers album. Still, he was instantly identifiable in a genre filled with interchangeable second-tier acts.
