30 Kenny Rogers Quotes About Life, Fame & Country Music
Legendary Country Music Star dies, Kenny Rogers at 81.
Award-winning singer/ songwriter, Kenny Rogers was born on August 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas. He was the fourth of eight children to Lucile Lois, a nurse’s assistant and Edward Rogers, a carpenter. He worked as a busboy at the Rice Hotel and swept floors at a hat store for nine dollars a week. In 1949, he won a talent show at the Texan Theatre. His music career spanned over six decades.
From the 1950s, Rogers was a teenage rock sensation with a hit song, “That Crazy Feeling” which resulted in his National TV appearance on “American Bandstand”. He worked along with bands and as a solo artist.
His album and song, “The Gambler” released in 1978, the hit song became huge in the country and pop industry in which he won a second Grammy award. Rogers had 24 number-one hits and he is a sixth time Grammy award-winning artist. In 2013, the hit country legend was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Besides being a legendary musician, Rogers has published several books including a 2012 autobiography.
Until recent years it has been quoted that “he would choose success over family”. He has also stated that he has “regretted that decision because he missed out on the good years of his children growing up”.
Sadly, Kenny Rogers, 81, died at his home on March 20, 2020, from natural causes while he was under hospice care. He was surrounded by family. He leaves behind his wife, Wanda Miller and five children (three from previous relationships) in which he loved to spend most of his time.
Kenny Rogers’ music has impacted the history of American and Country Music. His music has touched the lives of many people across the world. Rogers’ legacy will continue to live on through his music. Here some of the best Kenny Rogers's quotes to remember him by.
1. There is no in-between in friendship.
“You can’t make old friends. You either have them or you don’t.” —Kenny Rogers
2. Sometimes singing has more impact rather than saying them.
“If you want people to know what your message is, just sing it.”—Kenny Rogers
3. If you love something it is who you are not what you do.
“Music is what I am, everything else is what I do.”—Kenny Rogers
4. Know your battles.
“You gotta know when to hold ‘em, know when to fold ‘em, know when to walk away, know when to run.”—Kenny Rogers
5. Remember where you came from.
“I had holes in my jeans well before it was fashionable.”—Kenny Rogers
6. Youth is in the eye of the beholder.
“Youth is a frame of mind. If you get out there and enjoy it, you can have it at any time of your life.”—Kenny Rogers
7. Business is always business.
“The music business is strictly business.”—Kenny Rogers
8. When you feel it you know it.
“I never had a doubt in my mind. I always knew that, with the right material, I could pop a hit.” —Kenny Rogers
9. When we are consumed with our dreams we often forget our loved ones.
“My music was my life, and it played a large part in my inability to sustain relationships.”—Kenny Rogers
10. Being young can be challenging when facing your dreams but never give up.
“It is difficult to get played at my age on the radio.”—Kenny Rogers
11. Eyes have a way of telling the truth to your soul.
“He said, Son, I've made a life out of readin' people's faces, and knowin' what their cards were by the way they held their eyes.”—Kenny Rogers
12. Being the bigger person does not make you weak.
“It won't mean you're weak if you turn the other cheek.”—Kenny Rogers
13. Celebrate your success.
“The Hall of Fame is forever, baby!”—Kenny Rogers
14. Being a musician comes with so many judgments but you have to tough it out.
“The first six years of my career, I got more comments on my weight than on my singing. So I think I became so self-conscious that I started working on it harder.”—Kenny Rogers
15. When you have a big family, love is enough to make your family whole.
“You know, when you're poor and you have a bunch of kids in your family, you don't know that everybody's not poor.”—Kenny Rogers
16. Music brings out all of your feelings.
“I've always said music should make you laugh, make you cry or make you think.”—Kenny Rogers
17. The future is inevitable but if you keep pushing and it will be great.
“I'm so totally future-oriented that, for me, I don't know what the future's about, but I can promise you it's gonna be exciting.”—Kenny Rogers
18. It is not aging that is the problem, it is how you handle it.
“Growing older is not upsetting; being perceived as old is.”—Kenny Rogers
19. Love is a powerful feeling.
“With all my heart and all my soul, I will love you till the winds don't blow. Until the oceans turn to stone, my love is yours and yours alone. My love is forever until forever's gone.”—Kenny Rogers
20. We are more comfortable in our true selves.
“I'm much more comfortable singing than talking.”—Kenny Rogers
21. When you are in the public eye, represent social issues that will make our world better.
“I do ballads that say what every man wants to say and that every woman wants to hear, or I do songs about social issues.”—Kenny Rogers
22. In whatever you do, do your best.
“You know, I think the greatest gift in the world is a good employee, you know, or people who can do your work for you and do it well the way you'd like to have it done. And I've always been able to surround myself with really good people.”—Kenny Rogers
23. Children can be a handful.
“Here's what I've learned about raising boys... if you keep 'em busy, they're fine. You let 'em get bored, they'll dismantle your house board by board.”—Kenny Rogers
24. We are all raised differently.
“I was raised in the church.”—Kenny Rogers
25. You are never too old to feel like you have to fit in.
“I think when you're in the public eye, you feel a pressure to stay younger looking.”—Kenny Rogers
26. It is exciting to show different people what you love to do.
“I think it's fun to play for people who don't know what you do.”—Kenny Rogers
27. The world needs love so spread it.
“I just hope I can spread some of the happiness that's been coming my way.”—Kenny Rogers
28. When success comes it can be surreal.
“I have awards right now that I do not remember walking on stage to get.”—Kenny Rogers
29. Life is a classroom.
“I feel like I learn something from everything I do.”—Kenny Rogers
30. Family regardless of who they are will always be there.
“Friendships come and go, but families are forever.”—Kenny Rogers
Katrina Harris is a writer who covers pop culture and entertainment topics.