Life Is Like A Song (Deluxe Edition) Kenny Rogers

• 1 Love Is A Drug 02:58
• 2 I Wish It Would Rain 03:02
• 3 Am I Too Late 03:28
• 4 Tell Me That You Love Me 03:13
• 5 Straight Into Love 04:01
• 6 Wonderful Tonight 03:26
• 7 Catchin' Grasshoppers 04:09
• 8 That's Love To Me 03:43
• 9 I Will Wait For You 05:06
• 10 Goodbye 03:23
• 11 Say Hello To Heaven 03:40
• 12 At Last 02:47
• Total Runtime 42:56

Info for Life Is Like A Song (Deluxe Edition)

Kenny Rogers celebrates his musical legacy with a posthumous release featuring eight previously unreleased tracks and two rarities. Life Is Like a Song, has been curated and executive produced by his widow Wanda Rogers.

Life Is Like a Song is built around those eight never-before-heard recordings spanning 2008-2011. Rogers didn't release any full-length studio albums between 2006's Water and Bridges and 2011's The Love of God (which was expanded by UMe in 2022). Rogers brought his familiar, distinctive, and lived-in vocals to Eric Clapton's "Wonderful Tonight" and The Temptations' Norman Whitfield/Barrett Strong/Rodger Penzabene standard "I Wish I Would Rain" (both of which feature new instrumentation from producers Kyle Lehning and Viktor Krauss) and to a perhaps more unexpected cover of "I Will Wait for You," the lovely Academy Award-nominated tune by Michel Legrand, Jacques Demy, and American lyricist Norman Gimbel from director Demy's film musical The Umbrellas of Cherbourg.

Kenny was always a sympathetic duet partner to his old New Christy Minstrels pal Kim Carnes; here, he sings her "Love Is a Drug" and revisits Larry Keith and Jim Hurt's "Am I Too Late." The latter was first recorded by Rogers on 1977's Daytime Friends; this version features singer Kim Keyes. Australian country singer Jamie O'Neal appears on the new duet "Straight Into Love."

The most high-profile collaborator on the set is Rogers' longtime friend Dolly Parton. They'd teamed up numerous times over the years including on the chart-topping "Islands in the Stream," the Once Upon a Christmas album, and 2013's chart single "You Can't Make Old Friends." Dolly joins Kenny here on "Tell Me That You Love Me," which was first issued on the 2009 Time Life box set The First 50 Years. Produced by Tony Brown, it's featured on Life Is Like a Song in a new remix. The poignant, Lionel Richie-penned "Goodbye" (also helmed by Brown) hailed from that same box; it was reissued as a digital single following Rogers' 2020 death and also gets a reprise on this new album. (The third exclusive song on The First 50 Years, "Loving You Is a Natural Thing to Do," is not part of the new package.)

The most personal track on the new album may well be "Catchin' Grasshoppers," written by Laura McCall Torno and Earl Torno and sung to Kenny's twin sons with Wanda Rogers, Justin and Jordan. Produced by Kenny and Randy Dorman of his backing band Bloodline, the song is among the artist's most vulnerable.

Two additional tracks will be available only on Deluxe edition: a cover of Mack Gordon and Harry Warren's "At Last" (a No. 2 hit for Glenn Miller in 1942 that's perhaps best known today in Etta James' bluesy 1960 reinvention) and Buddy Hyatt's original song "Say Hello to Heaven."

Wanda Rogers shares in the press release, "I think the record is fabulous, and it is going to make Kenny so proud. These songs are such a beautiful reminder of his love 'for the feelings a song can make' for a person. He would often say that he wanted his songs to be 'what every man wants to say, and every woman wants to hear.' I think there are a lot of those moments on this album. This is a very special record to me and our family because it really tells the story of our life together, and I feel his fans will also relate to it in a big way because it walks the listener through the seasons of life that we all experience in one way or another. There is joy, there is love, there is family, there is uncertainty, there is pain, there is faith... it's emotional and real. This is the kind of music Kenny loved to make."

Rogers' six-decade legacy includes more than 120 hit singles and nearly 40 studio albums. One of the best-selling artists of all time with worldwide album sales topping 120 million, Rogers was the consummate crossover star who found vast success across the pop, country, AC, and rock charts. That versatility was evident in the singer, songwriter, and musician's earliest recordings - from his doo-wop era (The Scholars, Kenneth Rogers) and work with Columbia Records jazz trio The Bobby Doyle Three, to his time as a member of the celebrated folk ensemble The New Christy Minstrels and, starting in 1967, with the eclectic psychedelic rock, country, folk, pop, and R&B band, The First Edition. After nearly a decade of hits with The First Edition, Rogers embarked on a solo career, during which he would soar to global superstardom, thanks to a string of chart-topping hits, including "Lucille" (1977), "The Gambler" (1978), "Lady" (1980), and "Islands in the Stream" with Dolly Parton (1983).

Rogers, who also found success as an actor, entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and photographer, officially retired in 2017. The recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 1990, Rogers was an active philanthropist, including work with the Kenny Rogers Children's Center, USA For Africa/"We Are The World," and Hands Across America. His mighty and enduring influence was celebrated in a final, star-studded concert in Nashville, "All In For The Gambler," which featured performances and tributes by Parton and Richie, plus Don Henley, Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire, and Idina Menzel, among many others. During his lifetime, Rogers was honored with multiple GRAMMYS®, CMA, AMA, ACM, People's Choice, and CMT Music Awards. In 2013, he was among the first recipients of the CMA's prestigious Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award (second only to its namesake). That same year, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Kenny Rogers

Digitally remastered

Kenny Rogers
Known for his instantly identifiable raspy vocals and an extraordinary ability to vividly inhabit each song he performs, Kenny Rogers has enjoyed great success during his storied career of nearly five and a half decades. A groundbreaking recording artist, distinctive vocalist and consummate entertainer, the legendary music icon is one of the elite few whose voice is instantly recognized the world over.

The country and pop superstar has endeared music lovers around the globe with his amazing songs, heartfelt performances and rare storytelling ability while receiving countless awards for his music and charity work, including three GRAMMY Awards, 18 American Music Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards and five Country Music Association Awards. In addition, he has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Entertainment Buyers Association, is a recipient of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award from the Academy of Country Music, and in 1990, Kenny was honored with the Horatio Alger Award, given to those who have distinguished themselves despite humble beginnings.

Rogers, who was announced as a Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee on April 10, 2013 and who will be officially inducted in a special Medallion Ceremony this fall, is the RIAA’s 8th-best-selling male artist of all time with 1 Diamond album, 19 Platinum albums, 31 Gold albums and sales of more than 120 million records worldwide. His Greatest Hits has sold over 24 million copies worldwide. The first country artist to consistently sell out arenas, Rogers has played to millions of fans around the world. Against all odds, he has charted a record within each of the last seven decades (50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, 2000’s, 2010’s).

Rogers has recorded 24 No. 1 songs (including “The Gambler,” “Lady,” “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” “Through The Years,” “Love Will Turn You Around,” and “Islands In The Stream”) and 12 No. 1 albums. Rogers’ 2011 release, The Love Of God, became his 21st Top 10 Country album.

His 28 Billboard Adult Contemporary Top 10’s is sixth-best all-time, and fourth-best among men, trailing only Elton John, Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley. Rogers was the only male artist to notch Billboard AC Top 10s in the ‘60s, ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s (only Barbra Streisand also managed that feat in those decades). He has sent the most country No. 1’s to the top spot on AC (five of his eight AC No. 1’s were also country No. 1’s) and no core country artist has crossed over more titles to AC.

He is unique in that he has enjoyed success in such a variety of genres—jazz, folk, country and pop. Houston-born Rogers formed his first band while in high school in 1956—a rockabilly group called the Scholars—and has never quit making music. He charted as a solo artist in the late 50’s with “That Crazy Feeling” (released on Kix Records in 1957 as Kenneth Rogers and picked up by Carlton Records in 1958) and performed the song on American Bandstand, played stand-up bass in the jazz group the Bobby Doyle Three (appearing on their album released by Columbia Records), and in 1966 became a member of the popular folk group, The New Christy Minstrels.

The spotlight started focusing on Rogers when his group, the First Edition, scored their first hit, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In).” Pop and country chart success followed for the band with "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town" (when the group officially became known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition). A string of hits, including “Reuben James,” “Something’s Burning” and “Tell It All Brother,” and a TV variety show continued to make the popular group relevant. But it was Rogers’ breakthrough, Grammy-winning performance of “Lucille” as a solo artist in 1977 that propelled him to superstardom, launching one of the most prosperous careers in the history of music. Certified gold, “Lucille” was named Song of the Year and Single of the Year by the Academy of Country Music and also earned Single of the Year honors from the Country Music Association.

"Daytime Friends," "Sweet Music Man," and "Love Or Something Like It” continued his run of success. Then came his smash hit, "The Gambler," a story song so vivid it not only delighted country and pop fans, it also became a TV movie, starring Rogers himself in the title role as Brady Hawkes. The movie spawned four follow-ups, making it the longest running miniseries franchise on television. The five Gambler mini-series have attracted over 100 million viewers nationwide and launched a second career for Rogers as an actor on television and movies, including another TV movie based on one of his #1 hit songs, “Coward of the County.”

Though theoretically a country singer, Rogers dominated the pop charts, consistently finding songs with universal appeal. “I've never considered myself a great singer, but I am a great storyteller," Rogers told Billboard magazine, also noting that he feels his strength as an artist is in finding great songs.

While drawing new listeners and fans to Country Music in the 1980s, he came to embody the role of the sensitive male, singing such romantic hits as “Through The Years,” “She Believes In Me,” “You Decorated My Life,” and “Lady,” the biggest song of his career. Those songs are classics today, sung at countless weddings, and even engraved on tombstones.

"There are a lot of songs that may have initial success but don't linger the period of time those songs have," Rogers says. "They do take a different value in your heart when they have that kind of staying power that represents your success and represents a feeling and a thought. A song like that becomes a part of your soul."

In 1985, Kenny participated in the historical USA For Africa recording of “We Are The World,” the multi-celebrity performance which raised millions of dollars for famine relief in Africa. A year later, he co-chaired the audacious “Hands Across America” fund-raiser for America’s hungry.

Into the late 80’s and 90’s, in addition to staying busy on the road with worldwide touring and recording new music, Rogers established himself as a well-respected photographer, publishing several books, and was even invited to the White House to shoot a portrait of First Lady Hillary Clinton. He also authored several short stories, and appeared off-Broadway in his Christmas musical, The Toy Shoppe, which he subsequently toured.

In 1999, after forming his own record company, Dreamcatcher Entertainment, Rogers returned to the charts in a big way with the hit and #1 video, "The Greatest," and when the follow-up, "Buy Me a Rose," hit #1 in 2000, Rogers, at age 61, became the oldest artist in chart history to have a #1 solo record on the country chart, proving his talent was just as vibrant and meaningful as it was when he first started out. That same year, the Recording Industry Association of America awarded Kenny the prestigious Diamond Award celebrating sales of more than 10 million albums for his Greatest Hits album (sales to date exceed 24 million).

He has continued his amazing run into the 21st century with a critically acclaimed album (Water and Bridges) produced by the award-winning Dann Huff, a hit single, “I Can’t Unlove You,” a Grammy nomination (“Calling Me,” a duet with Don Henley), a Gold-certified record (21 Number Ones); and the singer’s first inspirational Gospel album, The Love Of God. Released to critical acclaim in the United States in 2011, The Love Of God has been referred to by Rogers as “one of the best things I’ve ever done.” The album, which features guest appearances by The Whites, Point of Grace, and Winfield’s Locket and songs both traditional and new (with writers such as Vince Gill and Michael McDonald), was re-titled Faith and released by Wrasse Records in Europe on May 28, 2012 to rave reviews.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Rogers is now a New York Times Best Selling Author. His autobiography, Luck or Something Like It – A Memoir, immediately became a New York Times Best Seller upon its October 2, 2012 release by William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, and continues to receive stellar reviews.

Rogers was also the only artist to perform at both the popular Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and the CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, this summer. Rogers wowed the crowd at the CMA Music Festival on May 9, 2012 to multiple standing ovations and was showered by love and chants of “Kenny! Kenny!” at Bonnaroo on May 10, 2012, receiving incredible reviews on his performance from the likes of Rolling Stone, MTV.com, FUSE TV, CMT, Yahoo Music, American Songwriter Magazine, and many others. “Spellbinding…breathtaking…One of the 10 Best Performances of Bonnaroo 2012…” said Billboard Magazine about Kenny’s set. SPIN raved: “The country star fit in beautifully (at Bonnaroo), delivering crisp versions of hits like ‘Love Or Something Like It’ and ‘Islands In The Stream’…He belongs…” Kenny played to a huge audience in the afternoon and was joined by his longtime friend, Lionel Richie, on stage as a surprise guest for “Lady.” Later that evening, Rogers joined Phish on stage in front of 70,000 fans during the closing set of the festival to perform “The Gambler.” The day after, the assembled media proclaimed their excitement about his performances as well.

It was announced on March 27, 2013 that Rogers will play the main stage at Britain’s Glastonbury Festival, the world’s largest outdoor music and performing arts spectacle, with the likes of the Rolling Stones, Mumford & Sons, Rufus Wainwright, Arctic Monkeys, Vampire Weekend and others. Rogers will also represent Country Music headlining Festival Timitar – a world music festival – in Agadir, Morocco.

In the summer of 2012, Rogers sang “The Gambler” during the Songwriters Hall of Fame induction and awards ceremony in New York City to honor long-time friend and writer of the song, Don Schlitz, at Don’s induction into the Hall. And in early May 2012, Rogers completed his Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Artist-in-Residence in Nashville, which was marked by two amazing intimate performances at the Hall of Fame’s Ford Theater. It was announced there that he had signed a long-term recording contract with Warner Bros. Records. Rogers is recording a new album for Warner Music Nashville, which is scheduled for release in 2013.

Remaining a popular entertainer around the world, Rogers, voted the "Favorite Singer of All-Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People, still loves touring and recording new music. Rogers completed a very successful tour of Australia and New Zealand in August of 2012, and performed in Asia in October 2012. Rogers was one of the most talked about performances of the sold-out 2012 Stagecoach Festival in Indio, CA where over 55,000 fans attended each day. On November 23, 2012, Rogers embarked on his 31st Christmas tour – 2012 Christmas & Hits – in the United States. The tour wrapped December 23, 2012.

Rogers’ most recent musical offerings were released by Gaither Music Group in 2012 – Christmas Live! on September 25, 2012 and Amazing Grace (a re-release of Rogers’ Gospel album) on October 9, 2012.

"I really, really love what I'm doing," Rogers says. "People survive longer if they love what they're doing – because you just don't quit."

Kenny Rogers is the singer, musician, songwriter, photographer, producer, actor, and of course…The Gambler.

This album contains no booklet.