Born in Houston in 1938, Kenny Rogers epitomizes American and especially American Country music. His family was poor, and Kenny was born at the tail-end of the Great Depression too. Kenny Rogers symbolizes the American Dream, being the first in his family to graduate from high school. Without any formal or scholastic musical training, Rogers went on to become one of the biggest country music stars in America and is arguably one of the most renowned American musicians of any genre. Yet country music has a special place in the gamut of American music, representing the heartland of the country. Like Kenny Rogers himself, country music speaks to the core of hard-working people that form the backbone of the nation. Even though Rogers' music and that of his contemporaries appeals mainly to working-class white Americans, Rogers has managed to transcend barriers of race and class by appealing to universal human emotions and experiences. For instance, love songs comprise a large proportion of Kenny's repertoire. Of course, Rogers also sings about the pitfalls of gambling as in one of his most famous tunes "The Gambler."
             Rogers' music also has an uplifting spirit that characterizes the hope and optimism engendered by the American Dream. Not nearly as sombre or sad as country songs that are tinged more with blues influences, Kenny Rogers comes across as cheerful as his contemporary and occasional duet-partner Dolly Parton. Their hit single "Islands in the Stream" is a classic American love song that topped the charts and propelled Rogers into mainstream musical fame.
             Kenny Rogers was born fourth into a family of eight children. As if on cue, he started singing and playing music in high school and even recorded a song with a local doo-wop/rockabilly group called The Scholars. The Scholars released three singles including one written by Louella Parsons called "Kangewah." Doo-wop singing appealed to Kenny's appreciation of quality vocals, which...