Happy Trails, Kenny Rogers (1938-2020)

Country music legend, occasional actor and fried chicken purveyor Kenneth Ray Rogers passed away yesterday.

To non-country music fans, Rogers is probably best known for a slew of top 10 hits and duets with the likes of Dolly Parton, Sheena Easton and Kim Carnes.

Incidentally last year's Watchmen used the Rogers/Parton duet Islands in the Stream (the title cribbed from a posthumous Hemingway novel) to some effect:

In the realm of film, Kenny enjoyed considerable success with no less than five Gambler TV movies, based on his 1978 hit of the same name, rather more popular than the recent dire Netflix anthology series Heartstrings, which used some of his pal Dolly's hits as basis for the stories.

Rogers also re-tooled his 1979 hit Coward of the County as a TV movie.

The Coen Brothers' Big Lebowksi gave a second life to Kenny's pre-country 1967 hit (as leader of the First Edition) 'Just Stepped In (to see what Condition My Condition Was In):

Roger's Roasters fried chicken chain was memorably spoofed in Seinfeld's 'The Chicken Roaster' episode and the man was happy to make fun of himself in shows including Conan O'Brien and Reno 911:

So, farewell then Kenny Rogers:

You've got to know when to hold 'em

Know when to fold 'em

Know when to walk away

And know when to run

You never count your money

When you're sittin' at the table

There'll be time enough for countin'

When the dealin's done

The Gambler (Kenny Rogers) 1978

My personal favourite? this early 1968 hit with the First Edition about a paralysed Vietnam veteran with a wife who needs some lovin' - outside the confines of matrimony.

And he sure ain't happy about it.