Life Is Like A Song, a stunning and emotional new song cycle, featuring previously unreleased gems and coveted rarities performed by the legendary Kenny Rogers, telling the story of the love, life, loss, and faith between Rogers and his family, will be released June 2nd via UMe. The collection, comprising songs from Rogers’ archives that were deeply personal to him, will be available on CD and vinyl as well as digitally. The project marks the first new non-Christmas studio album by Rogers in 10 years and the only non-compilation/non-reissued full-length album to be released on vinyl since 1991.
Curated and executive produced by the late Country Music Hall of Famer’s widow, Wanda Rogers, Life Is Like A Song features eight never-before-heard recordings, spanning 2008-2011, and showcases Rogers’ range through an array of original material and covers, including interpretations of Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and Lionel Richie’s “Goodbye,” as well as the artist’s long-sought-after duet with Dolly Parton, “Tell Me That You Love Me.” A digital deluxe edition includes two bonus tracks: a cover of the Mack Gordon/Henry Warren standard, “At Last” (made famous by Etta James), and the Buddy Hyatt-penned original, “Say Hello to Heaven.”
The tracks on Life Is Like A Song feature production from a whole host of producers and co-producers, including Rogers himself, Tony Brown, Viktor Krauss, Kyle Lehning, and Brent Maher, as well as members of Rogers’ longtime band, Bloodline: Randy Dorman, Steve Glassmeyer, Warren Hartman, and Chuck Jacobs. The album was executive produced by Wanda Rogers, Ken Levitan, and Jason Henke.
Rogers’ six-decade legacy includes more than 120 hit singles and nearly 40 studio albums. One of the best-selling artists of all time with worldwide album sales topping 120 million, Rogers was the consummate crossover star who found vast success across the pop, country, AC, and rock charts. That versatility was evident in the singer, songwriter, and musician’s earliest recordings – from his doo-wop era (The Scholars, Kenneth Rogers) and work with Columbia Records jazz trio The Bobby Doyle Three, to his time as a member of the celebrated folk ensemble The New Christy Minstrels and, starting in 1967, with the eclectic psychedelic rock, country, folk, pop, and R&B band, The First Edition. After nearly a decade of hits with The First Edition, Rogers embarked on a solo career, during which he would soar to global superstardom, thanks to a string of chart-topping hits, including “Lucille” (1977), “The Gambler” (1978), “Lady” (1980), and “Islands in the Stream” with Dolly Parton (1983).
Rogers, who also found success as an actor, entrepreneur, New York Times best-selling author, and photographer, officially retired in 2017. The recipient of the Horatio Alger Award in 1990, Rogers was an active philanthropist, including work with the Kenny Rogers Children’s Center, USA For Africa/”We Are The World,” and Hands Across America. His mighty and enduring influence was celebrated in a final, star-studded concert in Nashville, “All In For The Gambler,” which featured performances and tributes by Parton and Richie, plus Don Henley, Chris Stapleton, Reba McEntire, and Idina Menzel, among many others. During his lifetime, Rogers was honored with multiple GRAMMYS®, CMA, AMA, ACM, People’s Choice, and CMT Music Awards. In 2013, he was among the first recipients of the CMA’s prestigious Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award (second only to its namesake). That same year, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
