Kenny Rogers Estate Releases "The Gambler" (Live) On His Birthday
In honor of Kenny Rogers’ birthday today, The Estate of Kenneth Ray Rogers is releasing for the first time ever “The Gambler” (Live) on all streaming services. Recorded during Kenny’s performance at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon on April 13, 1985 as part of his acclaimed 1985 North American tour, this live recording captures the Country Music Hall of Fame Member at the top of his game. “The Gambler” (Live) is the first single being released from the forthcoming Kenny Rogers album Greatest Hits Live. Additional details on the live album release will be unveiled later this year.
In 1985, the three-time GRAMMY® winner was in peak form touring arenas all across the U.S. and Canada including a stop at the first-ever Farm Aid concert. Less than three months prior to this live recording of “The Gambler,” Kenny was part of the supergroup USA For Africa and the landmark “We Are The World” recording. “It seemed fitting that the first release from the estate would be one of Kenny’s most beloved songs,” Wanda Rogers commented. “‘The Gambler’ was one of Kenny’s biggest hits, and his live performance of the track in concert was always a highlight of any show. ‘The Gambler’ became more than a song for Kenny, it became part of his persona. This live recording from 1985 is Kenny at the top of his game.”
“The Gambler,” written by GRAMMY®-winning Country Music Hall of Fame songwriter Don Schlitz, was Kenny's fourth #1 solo hit and one of five consecutive songs by the music icon to hit No. 1 on the Billboard country music chart. “The Gambler" also went to #3 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and #16 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the first #1 hit Schlitz had written. The song won a 1978 Grammy for Best Country Song and became CMA’s 1979 Song of the Year. Kenny won a 1979 Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for “The Gambler,” and also earned CMA’s 1979 Male Vocalist of the Year. In addition, the album, The Gambler, won CMA honors as 1979 Album of the Year, among other accolades.
In 2018, “The Gambler” was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or artistically significant.” Following Kenny’s death on March 20, 2020, “The Gambler” hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Digital Song Sales chart.
In addition to the release of "The Gambler" (Live) today, in commemoration of Kenny's birthday, Shout! Factory is hosting a 24-hour marathon featuring all five Gambler TV movies starring the talented singer/songwriter, musician, actor, and photographer (through Midnight Pacific Time on Saturday, August 22). The marathon can be watched via the Shout! Factory TV 24/7 channel on ShoutFactoryTV.com, Apple TV, Roku, Twitch, Amazon Fire TV & many more outlets. Shout! Factory is the worldwide distributor of ten film titles starring Kenny Rogers, including all five Gambler movies and Coward Of The County. More information regarding releases and streaming will be made available soon. Shout! Factory's original content unit Shout! Studios is also developing and has plans to produce a Gambler TV series reboot.
In honor of Kenny's legacy, several new vintage-flavored apparel and accessory merchandise items will also be made available for the first time today through The Official Kenny Rogers Store at www.kennyrogers.com.
In a career that spanned more than six decades, Kenny Rogers left an indelible mark on the history of American music. His songs have endeared music lovers and touched the lives of millions around the world. Chart-topping hits like “The Gambler,” “Lady,”“Islands In The Stream” (with Dolly Parton), “Lucille,” “She Believes In Me,” and “Through the Years” are just a handful of Kenny’s songs that continue to inspire new generations of artists and fans alike. Kenny, with twenty-four number-one hits, miraculously charted a song within each of the last seven decades. He is a Country Music Hall of Fame member, twenty-one-time American Music Awards winner, eleven-time People’s Choice Awards winner, ten-time ACM Awards winner, six-time CMA Awards winner, three-time GRAMMY® Award winner, recipient of the CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013, CMT Artist of a Lifetime Award honoree in 2015 and was voted the “Favorite Singer of All Time” in a joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.
