Kenny Rogers was an American singer, songwriter, and actor until his death in March of 2020. He was well known for his country songs and was even inducted into the country music Hall of Fame in 2013. Despite Rogers’ career starting in the late 1950s, he didn’t begin solo stardom until 1974 when Kenny Rogers and The First Edition broke up. Country-pop music peaked during this time, and Rogers started to stack award after award. This included three Grammys, five Country Music Association awards, and eight Academy of Country Music awards. These wins only added to his stature, being famous enough to sell out entire arenas, while being known as one of the first country artists to do so.

A new record containing never released songs will be coming out in June. The album Life is Like a Song, will contain a collection of unreleased songs. Rogers recorded these songs before his death, and a few are available to stream. The album holds not only unreleased songs, but also a series of rarities, remixes, and covers Rogers recorded. There are also collaboration songs with artists Dolly Parton, Kim Keyes, and Jamie O’Neal. 

The album will include songs illustrating parts of Kenny Rogers’ life, showing how Rogers cherishes the memories he made with his twin sons Justin and Jordan when they were little. One of the songs acts as an ode to the time spent with a loved one. This song “Straight into Love,” is a duet with Jamie O’Neal, and elaborates on the love of spending time with his family. Wanda Rogers, the wife of the late Kenny Rogers, even makes a statement about the record. She says, “I think the record is fabulous, and it is going to make Kenny so proud.” Wanda seems to cherish the time with her family as much as Kenny did, stating, “This is a very special record to me and our family because it really tells the story of our life together, and I feel his fans will also relate to it in a big way because it walks the listener through the seasons of life that we all experience in one way or another. There is joy, there is love, there is family, there is uncertainty, there is pain, there is faith…it’s emotional and real. This is the kind of music Kenny loved to make.” 

The record will offer songs to connect with people of any age. Kenny Rogers made many songs and even achieved a high rate of number-one hits. Kenny’s legacy though, is in all of his music, the songs that did well, the songs that didn’t, and now, even the songs that were only released after his death. Despite Kenny’s love for music, his family was at the base of it all, they are what inspired him the most.