Kenny Rogers, Who Brought Country To Pop And Sang With The Muppets And Dolly Parton, Has Died At 81

Rogers was the original country star selling out arenas, long before Garth Brooks or Shania Twain in the 1990s. “Rogers’s popularity stemmed partly from his genial persona and rugged good looks, but also from his ability to inhabit his material, which, he often said, was of two main types: love songs like ‘You Decorated My Life’ and narrative ballads like ‘The Gambler’ and ‘Lucille.'” – The New York Times