Born in Houston, Texas, Kenny Rogers is a multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, producer and actor who began performing in his teens. Known as a Country singer though his work crossed genre, his hits such as "Lucille" appeared on both the Pop and Country charts. Several collaborations gained popularity, notably with Dolly Parton, Aretha Franklin and Alison Krauss. His influence has been widely noted in the music industry, for composing, arranging, performance and production.
Kenny's wide-ranging career began when he was in high school, singing and playing with a rockabilly ensemble. Their talent got some notice and in 1957 his group the Scholars appeared on American Bandstand.
After playing in a variety of bands, Rogers formed The First Edition (later known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition) in 1967 in California. The band blended Country, Folk and the Psychedelia popular at the time. The band signed quickly with Reprise Records. Its first year found the single "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" released. The cross-genre hit created instant widespread attention. At the time, Jimi Hendrix considered it his favorite song. For most of the First Edition's tenure, a female singer contributed to the sound. Pre-famous Karen Carpenter unsuccessfully auditioned. Changes in personnel, changes in direction would ultimately cause the group to part, though they enjoyed a handful of chart hits and a short-lived TV show. In some circles, the First Edition get credit for modernizing Rockabilly into the Country Rock of the '70s.
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