"Twenty Years" was a song recorded by alternative rock band Placebo, and included on their 2004 best-of compilation release, Once More with Feeling. It was the only entirely new song to be released as a single (although Protège-Moi, a French-language re-recording of an earlier song, was released in France)^[1]. It was available with a video, radio play, and CD single distribution.

Furthermore, the song was one of two songs (with The Bitter End), performed by Placebo at the Paris leg of the international Live 8 benefit concert in 2005.

In the UK, it peaked at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart^[2]. In Australia, the song was ranked #95 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2004.

When played live, the song often has an extra middle eight section added on.

[edit] Track listing^[1]

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CD

1. "Twenty Years" – 4:19
2. "Twenty Years" (Fathom remix) – 3:45

7"

• Side A - "Twenty Years" – 4:19
• Side B - "Detox Five" – 2:51

Enhanced CD

1. "Twenty Years" – 4:19
2. "Detox Five" – 2:51
3. "Twenty Years" (Osymyso's Birthday mix) – 6:04
4. "Twenty Years" (video) – 3:21

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} http://www.placeboworld.co.uk/music.php
2. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/search-results-album/_/twenty+years

Lee Ann Womack
Lee Ann Womack signing an autograph.
Background information
Birth name	Lee Ann Womack
Born	(1966-08-19) August 19, 1966 (age 45)
Origin	Jacksonville, Texas, US
Genres	Country, Country Pop
Occupations	singer-songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, Guitar
Years active	1992–present
Labels	Decca Nashville MCA Nashville Mercury Nashville
Associated acts	Cross Canadian Ragweed, Willie Nelson, Jason Sellers, George Strait, Frank Liddell
Website	Official Website

Lee Ann Womack (born August 19, 1966 in Jacksonville, Texas, United States) is an American country music singer and songwriter, who is best known for her old fashioned-styled country music songs that often discuss subjects such as cheating and lost love.^[1] Her 2000 single, "I Hope You Dance" was a major crossover music hit, reaching #1 on the Billboard Country Chart and the Top 15 of the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her signature song.^[2]

Although Lee Ann Womack emerged as a contemporary country artist in 1997 with the release of her first album, her material closely resembled that of Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette,^[3] mixing Womack's music with an old fashioned style, as well as contemporary elements, making her different from her counterparts. Her 2000 release I Hope You Dance, however, was an entirely different sound, using pop music elements instead of traditional country, helping to establish Womack as a pop crossover artist. It was not until the release of There's More Where That Came From in 2005 that Womack returned to recording traditional country music.

Presently, Womack has released a total of six studio albums and two compilations. Four of her studio albums have received a Gold certification or higher by the RIAA. Additionally, she has received five Academy of Country Music Awards, five Country Music Association Awards, and a Grammy Award. She has sold over 6 million albums worldwide.*[1]

Early life[link]

Womack was born and raised in Jacksonville, Texas, United States. At an early age, she was interested in country music. Her father, a disc jockey, often took his daughter to work with him to help choose records to play on the air.^[4] Womack was the second of two daughters. Her mother was a schoolteacher and her father was also a high school principal. As a child, Womack studied the piano and later graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1984.^[1] After graduating, Womack attended South Plains Junior College in Levelland, Texas. The college was one of the first in the nation to offer country music degrees, and soon she became a member of the college band, Country Caravan.^[4] A year later, she left the college and after an agreement with her parents, Womack enrolled at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where she studied the commercial ways of the music business. In Nashville, she interned at the A&R department of MCA Records. She studied at the college until 1990, leaving the school a year before graduation.^[1]

Womack spent a few years raising her children before reentering the music business in the mid 90s.^[2] In 1995 she began performing her music in songwriting demos and at showcase concerts. At one of these showcase concerts, she was spotted by Tree Publishings, who signed her after listening to one of original demo recordings.^[4] Womack wrote songs with some popular Nashville songwriters, including Bill Anderson and Ricky Skaggs, who recorded her composition, "I Don't Remember Forgetting" for one of his albums. After divorcing her first husband around that time, Womack decided to pursue a career as a country music artist. She auditioned for MCA chairman, Bruce Hinton, who praised her talents. Shortly afterward, she accepted a contract from MCA's sister record company, Decca Nashville in 1996.^[1]

Music career[link]

Country music stardom: 1997 — 1999[link]

Womack released her self-titled debut album in May 1997, produced by Mark Wright. The album consisted of self-penned material as well as songs written by other artists, including Mark Chesnutt, Ricky Skaggs, and Sharon White.^[4] With the original release of the album, there was worry that the album wouldn't sell because some people wouldn't be able to differentiate between her and LeAnn Rimes, who was also a successful artist at that time. However, Womack decided to keep her given name.^[2] The first single, "Never Again, Again" made the country charts and playlists by March 1997, which led to the release of the album's second single, "The Fool" shortly afterward. More successful than her first single, "The Fool" reached the Top 5 on the Billboard Country chart that year. That year she won major awards from the country music community; Top New Female Vocalist from the Academy of Country Music Awards, Top Artist of the Year from Billboard Magazine, and was nominated for the Horizon award by the Country Music Association.^[1] Decca Nashville decided to close its doors in 1998, moving Womack to MCA Nashville Records that year.^[5]

In 1998, Womack released her second studio album, Some Things I Know,^[1] which was also produced by Mark Wright.^[3] The album's first two singles, "A Little Past Little Rock" and "I'll Think of a Reason Later" both went to #2 on the Billboard Country Chart.^[5] Two additional singles, "(Now You See Me) Now You Don't" and "Don't Tell Me" were released in 1999, and the album was certified Gold by the RIAA soon after.

That year, she also won Favorite Country New Artist from the American Music Awards.^[2] Womack also contributed her vocals to the songs "If You're Ever Down in Dallas" and "The Man Who Made Mama Cry" in collaboration with her ex-husband and musician, Jason Sellers. The material was promoted through shows through October to November before the birth of Womack's second child in January 1999.^[3]

Pop crossover success & career decline: 2000 — 2004[link]

She released her third studio album in 2000 entitled, I Hope You Dance, which was met with major success.^[1] The title track (which was released as the lead single), reached #1 on the Billboard Country chart for five weeks and crossed over to the Billboard Hot 100, becoming a major crossover Pop hit, reaching #14. It also peaked at the top spot on the adult contemporary chart and even reached the UK Singles Charts, peaking at #40. Both of Womack's daughters appeared in the song's video that year. Towards the end of 2000, "I Hope You Dance" won the Country Music Association's "Song of the Year" and "Single of the Year" awards.^[5] With the Pop success of "I Hope You Dance," Womack drew the attention of the magazines People and Time, both of which praised the single, calling it "one of her best." The song later won awards in 2001 from the Grammy and Academy of Country music awards.^[1] The album of the same name has sold 3 million copies in the United States to date.^[5] The album's follow-up single, a cover of Rodney Crowell's "Ashes by Now" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Country Chart. The third single, "Why They Call it Falling" was also successful, reaching the country Top 15.

On December 11, 2000, Womack performed "I Hope You Dance" at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert. This song was also featured in the 2008 Tyler Perry film entitled "The Family that Preys."

In 2002 Womack's fourth studio album, Something Worth Leaving Behind was released. The album made a stronger attempt at a pop-flavored style, however it did not react well, leading to poor record sales and only one major hit. Following its release, Womack's career stalled. Later that year, she released a Christmas album, The Season for Romance and also collaborated with Willie Nelson on his single, "Mendocino County Line," which won a Grammy and Country Music award in 2002.^[5] In early 2003, she got a small recurring role on the popular CBS drama, The District.^[4]

In 2004, Womack performed "I Hope You Dance" at the Republican National Convention, in which George W. Bush was nominated for his second term as President of the United States. The other performers that night included Sara Evans and Larry Gatlin.^[6] She also collaborated with Texas Music band, Cross Canadian Ragweed on their hit, "Sick and Tired" in 2004. Also that year, she also released her first Greatest Hits album, which included two new songs; "The Wrong Girl" (the only song from the album released as a single) and "Time for Me to Go."

[edit] There's More Where That Came From & hiatus: 2005 — 2007

In 2005, she released her fifth studio album aimed at traditional country music entitled, There's More Where That Came From.^[5] Many people in the music industry called the album, "a return to tradition," featuring songs about drinking and cheating with a distinctive older country twang, mixing strings and steel guitar. The album won the Country Music Association's "Album of the Year" award in 2005.^[7] Womack took inspiration from the records of the 60s and 70s, and according to Allmusic, the album sounded like albums by Loretta Lynn, Barbara Mandrell, and Dolly Parton from the 70s. They also called it one of her best records.^[8] The lead single, "I May Hate Myself in the Morning" was a Top 10 hit in 2005, and also won "Single of the Year" by the CMA awards later that year.^[5] Two additional singles were released from the album in 2005 that became minor hits, "He Oughta Know That by Now" and "Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago." The album was released on vinyl LP as well as CD.

Womack can be heard on the track "If I Could Only Fly" from Joe Nichols' album Real Things.^[9] Womack has also appeared on specials on the CMT network, including their, "100 Greatest Duets", which featured Womack singing the duet with Kenny Rogers, "Every Time Two Fools Collide". The song had been originally recorded by Rogers and Dottie West in 1978 and was a No. 1 Country hit that year. Womack took the place of West during that show, being West had died in a serious car accident in September 1991. Womack's other honors includes being listed at #17 on CMT's 2002 special of their countdown of the 40 Greatest Women of Country Music.

In 2006, Womack announced plans of a sixth studio album off of Mercury Nashville Records. The lead single, "Finding My Way Back Home" was released in the late summer of that year and debuted at #46 on the Billboard Country Chart.^[10] The single later peaked at #37 and was re-scheduled into 2007, because Womack found more songs that she wanted to record, however it was never released and Womack left Mercury.^[11]

Return to music: 2008 — present[link]

In 2008, Womack announced plans for a new single for the first time in three years, once again on MCA Nashville. "Last Call" was released on June 30, 2008. It served as the lead-off single to Womack's seventh studio album, Call Me Crazy, which was released on October 21, 2008.

Call Me Crazy was issued as a vinyl LP at the time of its release, as well as CD.

Call Me Crazy, produced by Tony Brown, has been described as a dark album with plenty of songs about drinking and losing love. It featured a duet with George Strait titled "Everything But Quits," a re-make of the George Strait classic, "The King of Broken Hearts," which first appeared on the Pure Country soundtrack. One track, "The Bees," features vocals from Keith Urban.^[12]

In October 2009, Womack released "There Is a God", as the lead-off single to her upcoming seventh studio album which she has said she is unsure of the release date. The song debuted at #60 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week of November 14, 2009, eventually peaking at #32 in early 2010. Womack has revealed a few of the tracks that she has recorded for the album, including: "Talking Behind Your Back", as well as "You Do Until You Don't".^[13]

In October 2010, Womack contributed the new track "Liars Lie" to the soundtrack for the film Country Strong. Womack also contributed guest vocals to Alan Jackson's cover of the song "Ring of Fire", which was released in December 2010 as a single from his compilation album, 34 Number Ones. His version of the song was a minor hit, charting to number 45 on the Hot Country Songs charts. Though Womack is featured on the song, she was not given credit on the charts.

Lee Ann Womack also performs the theme song for The Berenstain Bears animated television show.

Personal life[link]

At Belmont University, Womack met and married singer-songwriter Jason Sellers in 1990. Together they had a daughter Aubrie Lee Sellers, born 1991, before divorcing in 1996.^[14] In January 1999 daughter Anna Lise Liddell was born after Womack married record producer Frank Liddell.

Discography[link]

Studio album

• 1997: Lee Ann Womack
• 1998; Some Things I Know
• 2000: I Hope You Dance
• 2002: Something Worth Leaving Behind
• 2005: There's More Where That Came From
• 2008: Call Me Crazy

Compilation albums

• 2004: Greatest Hits
• 2011: Icon

Holiday albums

• 2002: The Season for Romance

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Lee Ann Womack's Official Website
• Lee Ann Womack Unofficial Site
• Lee Ann Womack at the Internet Movie Database

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lee Ann Womack

Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers^[1] (born August 21, 1938) is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. Though he has been most successful with country audiences, he has charted more than 120 hit singles across various music genres and topping the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone.

Two of his albums, The Gambler and Kenny, are featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever".^[2] He was voted the "Favorite Singer of All-Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People.^[3] He has received numerous such awards as the AMAs, Grammys, ACMs and CMAs, as well as a lifetime achievement award for a career spanning six decades in 2003.^[4]

Later success includes the 2006 album release, Water & Bridges, an across the board hit, that peaked at #5 in the Billboard Country Albums sales charts, also charting high in the Billboard 200. The first single from the album, "I Can't Unlove You," was also a chart hit. Remaining a popular entertainer around the world, the following year he completed a tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland, telling BBC Radio 2 DJ Steve Wright his favorite hit was "The Gambler". He has also acted in a variety of movies and television shows, most notably the title roles in Kenny Rogers as The Gambler and the MacShayne series as well as his appearance on The Muppet Show.^[5][6]

Personal life[link]

Rogers was born in Houston, Texas, in 1938, the fourth of seven children born to Lucille (née Hester; d. 1991), a nurse, and Edward Floyd Rogers (d. 1975), a carpenter.^[7] Rogers graduated from Jefferson Davis High School in Houston.

Career[link]

Early career[link]

His career began in the mid 1950s when he recorded with a doo-wop group called The Scholars, who had some success with a single called "Poor Little Doggie." Rogers was not the lead singer of the group and after two more singles they disbanded when their leader went solo.

Now on his own, Kenneth Rogers (as he was billed then) followed the breakup with his own single, a minor solo hit called "That Crazy Feeling" (1958). After sales slowed down, Rogers joined a jazz group called The Bobby Doyle Trio, who got a lot of work in clubs thanks to a reasonable fan following and also recorded for Columbia Records. The group disbanded in 1965, and a 1966 jazzy rock single Rogers recorded for Mercury Records, called "Here's That Rainy Day" failed. Rogers also worked as a producer, writer and session musician for other performers; including country artists Mickey Gilley and Eddy Arnold. In 1966 he joined The New Christy Minstrels as a singer and double bass player.

Feeling that the Minstrels were not offering the success they wanted, Rogers and fellow members Mike Settle, Terry Williams, and Thelma Camacho left the group. They formed The First Edition in 1967 (later renamed "Kenny Rogers and The First Edition"). They chalked up a string of hits on both the pop and country charts, including "Something's Burning", "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town", "Reuben James" and "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)." In his First Edition days, Rogers had something of a hippie image, sporting long brown hair, an earring, and pink sunglasses.

When the group split in 1976, Rogers launched his solo career. Rogers soon developed a more middle of the road sound, with a somewhat rough but tuneful voiced style that sold to both pop and country audiences; to date, he has charted more than 60 top 40 hit singles (including upwards of 25 #1's) and 50 of his albums have charted. His music has also been featured in top selling movie soundtracks, such as Convoy, Urban Cowboy and The Big Lebowski.^[8][9]

Solo career[link]

Rogers in 1981.

After leaving The First Edition in 1976, after almost a decade with the group, Rogers signed a solo deal with United Artists. Butler and Rogers began a partnership that would last four years.

Rogers first outing for his new label was Love Lifted Me. The album charted and two singles "Love Lifted Me" and "While the Feeling's Good" were minor hits. The song "Runaway Girl" was featured in the motion picture Trackdown. Later in 1976, Rogers issued his second album, the self-titled Kenny Rogers, whose first single "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)", was another solo hit.

The single "Lucille" (1977) was a major hit, reaching number one on the pop charts in 12 countries, selling over five million copies, and firmly establishing Rogers' post-First Edition career. On the strength of "Lucille", the album Kenny Rogers reached #1 in the Billboard Country Album Chart. More success was to follow, including the multi-million selling album The Gambler and another international Number 1 single, "Coward of the County", taken from the equally successful album, Kenny. In 1980, the Rogers/Butler partnership came to an end, though they would occasionally reunite: in 1987 on the album I Prefer the Moonlight and again in 1993 on the album If Only My Heart Had a Voice.

In the late 1970s, Rogers teamed up with close friend and country singer Dottie West for a series of albums and duets. Together the duo had three hit albums, selling out stadiums and arenas while on tour. Their hits together "Every Time Two Fools Collide", "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight" and "What Are We Doin' in Love" became Country standards. Of West, Rogers stated in a 1995 TNN interview "She, more than anybody else I ever worked with, sang with such emotion that you actually believed what she sang." Rogers was with West when she died after sustaining injuries in a 1991 car accident. In 1995 he starred opposite Michele Lee in the CBS biopic Big Dreams and Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story.^{[citation needed]}

In 1980, his duet with Kim Carnes "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" became a major hit. Later in 1980 came his partnership with Lionel Richie who wrote and produced Rogers' #1 hit "Lady". Richie went on to write and produce Rogers' 1981 album Share Your Love, a chart topper and commercial favorite featuring hits such as "I Don't Need You" (Pop #3), "Through the Years" (Pop #13), and "Share Your Love with Me" (Pop #14). His first Christmas album was also released that same year. In 1982, Rogers released the album Love Will Turn You Around. The Love Will Turn You Around (song) reached #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topped the country and AC charts. due to its exposure as the theme song of Rogers' 1982 film Six Pack. Shortly after he started working with producer David Foster in 1983 recording the smash Bob Seger cover "We've Got Tonight", a duet with Sheena Easton.

He went on to work with the Bee Gees to record and produce his 1983 hit album Eyes That See in the Dark, featuring the title track and yet another #1 hit "Islands in the Stream", a duet with Dolly Parton. The Gibbs originally wrote the song for Marvin Gaye in an R&B style, only later to change it for the Kenny Rogers album.^[10] The partnership with Bee Gees only lasted one album, which was not a surprise considering that Rogers' original intentions were to work with Barry Gibb in only one song but Barry insisted on them doing the entire album.

"Islands in the Stream", Rogers' duet with Dolly Parton, was the first single to be released from Eyes That See in the Dark in the United States, and it quickly went to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100 (it would prove to be the last country single to reach #1 on that chart until "Amazed" by Lonestar did so in 2000), as well as topping Billboard's country and adult contemporary singles charts; it was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping two million copies in the United States. Rogers would reunite with Parton in 1984 for a holiday album and TV special, Once Upon a Christmas, as well as a 1985 duet "Real Love", which also topped the U.S. country singles chart.^{[citation needed]}

Despite the "Islands in the Stream"s success, however, RCA insisted on releasing Eyes' title track as the first UK single, and the song stalled at a disappointing #61 there, although it did stay in the top 100 for several weeks (when it was eventually released in the United States, it was more successful, charting high on the Adult Contemporary chart and making the country top 30). "Islands in the Stream" was issued as a followup single in Britain and sold well, making #7. The album itself reached #1 on the country charts on both sides of the Atlantic and enjoyed multi-million sales. "Buried Treasure," "This Woman" and "Evening Star"/"Midsummer Nights" were also all successful singles from the album.

Shortly after came the album What About Me?, a hit whose title track, a trio performance with James Ingram and Kim Carnes, was nominated for a Grammy award; the single "Crazy" (not to be confused with the Willie Nelson-penned Patsy Cline hit) topped the country charts. David Foster was to work again with Rogers in his 1985 album The Heart of the Matter, although this time Foster was playing backing music rather than producing, a role given to George Martin. This album was another success, going to #1, with the title track making to the top ten category in the singles charts.

The next few years saw Rogers scoring several top country hits on a regular basis, including "Twenty Years Ago," "Morning Desire," "Tomb of the Unknown Love", among others. On January 28, 1985 Rogers was one of the 45 artists who recorded the worldwide charity song "We Are the World" to support hunger victims in Africa. The following year he played at Giants Stadium.^{[citation needed]}

In January 1987, Rogers co-hosted the American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. In 1988 Rogers won a grammy "Best Country Collaboration with Vocals" with Ronnie Milsap — "Make No Mistake, She's Mine". In the 1990s Rogers continued to chart with singles such as "Crazy In Love", "If You Want To Find Love" and "The Greatest". His second Christmas album entitled "Christmas in America" was released in 1989 for Reprise Records. From 1991-94, Rogers hosted The Real West on A&E, and on The History Channel since 1995 (Reruns only on The History Channel). He visited Miller's during this time period. From 1992-95, Rogers co-owned and headlined Branson, Missouri's 4,000 seat Grand Palace Theatre. In 1994, Rogers released his "dream" album titled Timepiece on Atlantic Records. It consisted of 1930s/40s jazz standards; it was the type of music he performed in his early days with The Bobby Doyle Three in Houston.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996 he released an album Vote For Love where the public requested their favorite love songs and Rogers performed the songs (several of his own hits were in there). The album was the first for the TV shopping channel QVC's record label, onQ Music. The album, sold exclusively by QVC, was a huge success and was later issued in stores under a variety of different titles. It reached #1 in the UK country charts under the title Love Songs (a title also used for various compilations) and also crossed over into the mainstream charts.

In 1999 Rogers scored with the single "The Greatest", a song about life from a child's point of view (looked at through a baseball game). The song reached the top 40 of Billboard's Country singles chart and was a Country Music Television Number One video. It was on Rogers' album She Rides Wild Horses the following year (itself a top 10 success). In 1999, Rogers also produced a song, "We've Got It All", specifically for the series finale of the ABC show Home Improvement. Not on any album, the recording sells for a high sum at auction.^{[citation needed]}

Beyond the 1990s[link]

Kenny Rogers in 2004

In the 21st century, Rogers was back at #1 for the first time in more than a decade with the 2000 single "Buy Me a Rose". In doing so, he broke a 26-year-old record held by Hank Snow (who, in April 1974, was 59 years and 11 months old when he scored with "Hello Love"). Rogers held the record until 2003, when then 70-year-old Willie Nelson became the oldest artist to have a No. 1 on the country charts with his duet with Toby Keith, "Beer for My Horses".

Although Rogers did not record new albums for a couple of years, he continued to have success in many countries with more greatest hits packages. In 2004 42 Ultimate Hits, which was the first hits collection to span his days with the First Edition to the present, reached Number 6 on the American country charts and went gold. It also featured two new songs, "My World Is Over" with Whitney Duncan and "We Are the Same". "My World Is Over" was released as a single and was a minor hit. In 2005 The Very Best of Kenny Rogers, a double album, sold well in Europe. It was the first new solo Kenny Rogers hits album to reach the United Kingdom for over a decade, despite many compilations there that were not true hits packages.

Rogers also signed with Capitol Records and had more success with the TV advertised release 21 Number Ones in January 2006. Although this CD did contain 21 chart-toppers as the title claims (recorded between 1976 and the present day), this was not a complete collection of Rogers' #1 singles, omitting such singles as "Crazy in Love" and "What About Me?"

Much of his success was during the period from 1976 to 1983, when he was signed to United Artists and later Liberty. It is very rare for an artist of Rogers' age to be signed to a major label. Capitol followed 21 Number Ones with Rogers' new studio album, Water And Bridges, in March 2006 on the Capitol Nashville Records label. The first single from the album was "I Can't Unlove You" which peaked at # 1 7 on the country charts, after spending over 6 months on the hit list, more than 50 years after he formed his first group and 38 years after his first major hit as leader of The First Edition; the song remains in recurrent airplay on some radio stations today. "I Can't Unlove You" was followed up with the second single from the album, "The Last Ten Years (Superman)", in September 2006. The third single, "Calling Me," which features Don Henley, became popular in early 2007, and was nominated for a Grammy Award at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Also in 2007, the 1977 "Kenny Rogers" album was re-issued as a double play CD, also featuring the 1979 "Kenny" album and this once again put Rogers' name into the sales charts worldwide. The following year, another compilation album ("A Love Song Collection") also charted. He currently lives in Atlanta.

As of 2011 Rogers has recorded 65 albums and sold over 190 million records.^[11][12]

On August 26, 2008, Rogers released "50 Years"^[13] exclusively at Cracker Barrel stores. The album includes some of Rogers' greatest hits, plus 3 new songs. The release is designed to celebrate Rogers' 50th year in the music business. However, it should be noted Rogers has been in the music business for more than 50 years including his releases with The Scholars, who recorded for a local label in Houston. 1958 was the year he signed his first recording deal with a major label. In 2007 the England national rugby union team team adopted Rogers song "The Gambler" as their unofficial 2007 Rugby World Cup anthem,^[14] after hearing prop Matt Stevens playing it in the team hotel. Before the Semi-final against France and the Final against South Africa, Rogers sent video messages of support to the team in light of them choosing his song. He offered to come to England and party with the team if they won the World Cup.

In 2008 Rogers toured with his Christmas Show. He split the show up, making the first half his "best of" and the second half his Christmas songs. One such show was at Mohegan Sun Casino^[15] in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In 2009 he toured the United Kingdom. In 2009, Rogers embarked on his 50th Anniversary Tour. The tour went around the United States, Britain and Ireland.

On April 10, 2010, a TV special was taped, Kenny Rogers: The First 50 Years. Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie were among those set to perform with Kenny during a show celebrating his contribution to country, blues and pop music, It took place at the MGM Grand in Foxwoods. This special is set debut on March 8, 2011 on Great American Country.^{[dated info]}

Outside music[link]

Rogers also had success as an actor. His 1982 movie Six Pack, in which he played a race-car driver, took more than $20 million at the United States box office, while made-for-TV movies such as The Gambler, Christmas in America, and Coward of the County (based on hit songs of his) topped ratings lists.

As an entrepreneur, he collaborated with former Kentucky Fried Chicken CEO John Y. Brown, Jr. in 1991 to start up the restaurant chain Kenny Rogers Roasters. The chicken and ribs chain, which is similar to Boston Market, was famously featured in an episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld called "The Chicken Roaster". On the November 27, 1997, broadcast of Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Rogers could not pick his chicken out in a taste test, claiming he preferred "greasy burgers."^{[citation needed]}

Rogers and his restaurant were subjects of comedy from MADtv, especially the impersonation done by Will Sasso; the sketch of the faux-Rogers hosting Jackass became popular on the Internet.

Rogers put his name to the Gambler Chassis Co., a Sprint car racing manufacturer started by C. K. Spurlock in Hendersonville, Tennessee. The company used the name from Rogers hit song The Gambler. During the 1980s/90s, Gambler was one of the fastest and widely used Sprintcars with such drivers as Steve Kinser, Sammy Swindell and Doug Wolfgang driving the cars to victory in the World of Outlaws and the famous Knoxville Nationals. Gambler sprintcars were also successful in Australia with drivers such as Garry Rush and Steve Brazier using Gamblers to win multiple Australian Sprintcar Championships.

Rogers appeared in a 2004 episode of Reno 911 as himself being subjected to incompetent security provided by starstruck sheriff's deputies to comical effect.

Marriages[link]

• Wanda Miller, June 1, 1997 – present; 2 children
• Marianne Gordon, October 1, 1977 – 1993, divorced; 1 child
• Margo Anderson, October 1964 – 1976, divorced; 1 child
• Jean Rogers, October 1960 – 1963, divorced
• Janice Gordon, May 15, 1958 – April 1960, divorced; 1 child^[16]

Discography[link]

Awards/Honors[link]

Record labels[link]

The following is a list of record labels to which Rogers signed:

• Cue (1957, with the band The Scholars and also as a solo singer)
• Carlton (1958, solo deal)
• KenLee (one single, label owned by Rogers and his brother Lelan)
• Columbia (1960s, with jazz combo, The Bobby Doyle Three)
• Reprise (1967, with The First Edition, all material recorded during this time has since been acquired by Universal Music)
• Jolly Rogers (1973, with The First Edition, label was owned by Rogers)
• United Artists (1975, solo deal)
• Liberty (1980, United Artists merged into EMI/Capitol in 1980; some pressings of albums were issued on Capitol's imprint labels, EMI, EMI America, and EMI Manhattan.)
• RCA (1983, solo deal)
• Reprise (1989, solo deal)
• Giant (1993, one solo album)
• Atlantic (1994, one solo album)
• onQ Music (1996, one solo album; onQ Music was created by the QVC Network to release exclusive albums for sale only on QVC. The first onQ release was Rogers' Vote for Love, a two-disc set that would later become available in standard retail stores.)
• Magnatone (1996, solo deal)
• Dreamcatcher (1998, solo deal; Dreamcatcher was owned and run by Rogers and Jim Mazza for the purpose of releasing Rogers albums and certain reissues of Rogers' catalog. Other artists such as Marshall Dyllon and Randy Dorman were released on Dreamcatcher Records, also. The label closed in 2004)
• Capitol Nashville (2004, solo deal)

See also[link]

• Brady Hawkes

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Kenny Rogers
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• Kenny Rogers at the Internet Movie Database
• Official website
• Delafont.com profile
• Allmusic.com profile
• CMT.com profile
• Kenny Rogers' Classic Weekend 1988
• Goldsmith, Thomas. (1998). "Kenny Rogers". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 455–6.

v t e Kenny Rogers Studio albums Love Lifted Me Kenny Rogers Daytime Friends Love or Something Like It The Gambler Kenny Gideon Share Your Love Love Will Turn You Around We've Got Tonight Eyes That See in the Dark The Heart of the Matter Love Is What We Make It They Don't Make Them Like They Used To I Prefer the Moonlight Something Inside So Strong Love Is Strange Back Home Again If Only My Heart Had a Voice Vote for Love Across My Heart She Rides Wild Horses There You Go Again Back to the Well Water & Bridges The Love of God Collaboration albums Every Time Two Fools Collide (with Dottie West) Classics (with Dottie West) What About Me? (with Kim Carnes and James Ingram) Timepiece (with David Foster) Christmas albums Christmas Once Upon a Christmas Christmas in America The Gift Christmas from the Heart Christmas with Kenny Christmas Collection Notable singles "That Crazy Feeling" "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" "But You Know I Love You" "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" "Laura (What's He Got That I Ain't Got)" "Lucille" "Daytime Friends" "Sweet Music Man" "Every Time Two Fools Collide" (with Dottie West) "Love or Something Like It" "The Gambler" "All I Ever Need Is You" (with Dottie West) "She Believes in Me" "'Til I Can Make It on My Own" (with Dottie West) "You Decorated My Life" "Coward of the County" "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" (with Kim Carnes) "Love the World Away" "Lady" "I Don't Need You" "Share Your Love with Me" "Blaze of Glory" "Through the Years" "Love Will Turn You Around" "A Love Song" "We've Got Tonight" (with Sheena Easton) "All My Life" "Scarlet Fever" "Islands in the Stream" (with Dolly Parton) "Buried Treasure" "Together Again" (with Dottie West) "What About Me?" (with Kim Carnes and James Ingram) "Crazy" "Morning Desire" "Goodbye Marie" "Tomb of the Unknown Love" "Twenty Years Ago" "Make No Mistake, She's Mine" "I Prefer the Moonlight" "The Factory" "I Don't Call Him Daddy" "Planet Texas" "The Vows Go Unbroken (Always True to You)" "Maybe" "Love Is Strange" "Crazy in Love" "If You Want to Find Love" "The Greatest" "Buy Me a Rose" (with Alison Krauss and Billy Dean) Guest singles "What Are We Doin' in Love" "Real Love" Related articles Discography The First Edition United Artists Records Liberty Records RCA Records Reprise Records Kenny Rogers Roasters Book:Kenny Rogers

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (March 2011)

Juice Newton
Background information
Birth name	Judy Kay Newton [1]
Born	(1952-02-18) February 18, 1952 (age 60)
Origin	Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States
Genres	Country, pop, rock
Occupations	Singer
Instruments	Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Percussion
Years active	1975–present
Labels	Capitol Records, RCA Records
Associated acts	Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Crystal Gayle, Alabama (band), Eddie Rabbitt

Judy Kay "Juice" Newton (born February 18, 1952, Lakehurst, New Jersey, United States)^[2] is an American pop and country singer, songwriter and guitarist. To date, Newton has received five Grammy Award nominations in the Pop and Country Best Female Vocalist categories (winning once in 1983), as well as an ACM Award for Top New Female Artist and two Billboard Female Album Artist of the Year awards (won consecutively). She has several Gold and Platinum records to her credit, including Juice, Quiet Lies and her first Greatest Hits album. During the 1980s, Newton charted 14 Top-10 hits across the Billboard Country, AC, and Hot 100 charts, with many of the recordings achieving crossover success and six of the songs hitting the #1 position.^{[citation needed]}

Early career[link]

Newton graduated from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia.^[3] In the early 1970s, Newton, Otha Young and Tom Kealey formed a band that would eventually be called Juice Newton and Silver Spur that was signed to RCA Records. The group released two RCA albums in 1975 and 1976, and scored only one charting country single with "Love Is a Word." The band signed with Capitol Records in 1977, but disbanded shortly after releasing one album.^{[citation needed]}

In late 1977, Newton went solo (but remained with Capitol Records), although Silver Spur would remain the name of her backup band until 1982. Later in 1977, "It's a Heartache" became Newton's first solo record and a major hit in Mexico, where it was eventually certified Gold. In 1978, Newton released the song in the United States, and it became the first of her 11 "Hot 100" pop hits. Also in 1978 The Carpenters' version of the Newton/Young-penned song "Sweet, Sweet Smile" reached the Top 10 on both the Country and Adult Contemporary charts, and #44 on the Hot 100 chart.^{[citation needed]}

Newton's solo debut album, Well Kept Secret, was released later in 1978. and stands as Newton's most rock-oriented record, to date. Neither the record nor its sole single ("Hey Baby") charted, though Capitol Records proceeded to renew Newton's contract. Capitol's investment in Newton began to pay off in 1979, when Newton had her first Top-40 Country hit with "Let's Keep It That Way" (another one-off single). Later that year, the album Take Heart featured five modestly charting singles: "Until Tonight"; "Any Way That You Want Me"; "You Fill My Life"; "Lay Back In The Arms of Someone"; and "Sunshine." The latter became Newton's second top-40 single on the country charts in 1980, with "You Fill My Life" reaching #41 and "Until Tonight" reaching #42. Both of Newton's initial solo efforts performed with modest success but failed to have lasting impacts on the album charts.

Early 1980s pop music success[link]

In 1981, Newton's third solo album, simply titled Juice, was released. It spawned three consecutive Top-10 pop hits: "Angel of the Morning" (written by Chip Taylor); "Queen of Hearts"; and an updated version of "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" (the original version appeared on the 1975 Silver Spur debut album), which earned Newton the first of several #1 Country singles. A fourth single, "Ride 'Em Cowboy," was lifted from Juice in 1984 to support Newton's first Greatest Hits album and reached the Top 40 of the Country chart.

Juice sold more than a million copies in the United States and went Triple-Platinum (300,000 copies) in Canada. "Angel of the Morning" and "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" each reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, where Newton would chart regularly for the next several years. In 1982, Newton received two Grammy nominations for Best Female Vocalist: one for "Angel of the Morning" in the Pop category, and another for "Queen of Hearts" in Country.^{[citation needed]}

These two singles became her biggest sellers in the United States, each earning an RIAA Gold certification. (Note: in 1981 and 1982, when these singles were certified, the RIAA standard for Gold singles was "more than 1 million copies sold"; in 1989, RIAA lowered the standard to 500,000 for Gold single certifications.) The songs were also sizable hits in Australia, Germany, Holland and other countries. While "The Sweetest Thing (I've Ever Known)" failed to receive a U.S. certification, the song's popularity propelled album sales from Gold to Platinum, and the recording remained in the Top 40 (of the Hot 100) for 18 weeks.^{[citation needed]}

In the spring of 1982 Newton released her fourth solo album, Quiet Lies, which sold 900,000 copies in the United States. The album went platinum in Canada (100,000 copies). From Quiet Lies came the Top 10 Pop and Adult Contemporary hit "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" (which garnered her another Pop Female Vocalist Grammy nomination). "Break It to Me Gently" was the second single and hit #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, #2 on the Billboard Country chart, and #11 on the Hot 100. The recording, a contemporary remake of a Brenda Lee hit from the '60s, won Newton her first Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance, beating out contemporaries Dolly Parton, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris and Sylvia. The album's third and final single, "Heart of the Night," reached #4 on the Adult Contemporary chart in early 1983 and climbed to #25 on the Hot 100. The album also garnered Newton an award from Australia as the "Top International Country Artist" for the continent. In 1982, Newton toured with country band Alabama on the "Salem Spirit" double-headliner tour. (Various acts opened for Newton and Alabama.)

The direction for Newton's sixth and final Capitol album, 1983's Dirty Looks, was decidedly more rock-oriented and experimental than her usual blending of folk, pop and country styles. The album spawned a moderate-sized hit with "Tell Her No" (Hot 100 #27/AC #14) and the title track, a rock-edged number that charted low in the Hot 100. The single "Stranger at My Door" had a brief run on the country charts. The album was a moderate success, selling more than 300,000 copies in the United States and going Gold in Canada (50,000 copies).^{[citation needed]} (The song "Dirty Looks" was written by Dave Robbins and Van Stephenson, who would later become part of the Country group Blackhawk in the 1990s. The pair also wrote Newton's 1984 country single "Restless Heart.")

According to a 1984 front-page article in Billboard magazine, changes at Capitol led Newton to return to RCA. The 1984 album "Can't Wait All Night" continued with a rock-oriented sound. The launch single "A Little Love" and the title track (which was written for Newton by Bryan Adams) became Newton's final charting pop singles to date, reaching #44 and #66, respectively; while "Restless Heart" made #57 on the country chart. "A Little Love" became Newton's seventh and final Top-10 hit on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, reaching the #7 spot. (Newton's final double-header "Salem Spirit" tour with Alabama took place during this time, with Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers as the opening act.)^{[citation needed]}

From pop to country[link]

In 1985, Newton's waning popularity was revitalized with the release of the Old Flame album, which reached #12 on the Billboard chart and featured six Top-10 country hits, including the #1s "You Make Me Want to Make You Mine", "Hurt," and "Both to Each Other (Friends and Lovers)" (with Eddie Rabbitt). (Note: The duet was released to the public before the pop version "Friends and Lovers" by Gloria Loring and Carl Anderson; the pop version was released to radio and stores two weeks after Newton and Rabbitt's version first appeared, even though it was recorded first. Newton's version was originally available only on a special edition of the Old Flame album and on the Eddie Rabbitt album Rabbitt Traxx.) The "Old Flame" album produced hit singles for more than sixteen months, with the final release being "What Can I Do with My Heart" (written by Otha Young), which reached the Top 10 in early 1987.

She returned to the Top 10 in 1988 with "Tell Me True" from her 1987 album Emotion. The album's lead single, the progressive-country tune "First Time Caller," stalled at #24. Her final album of the decade, Ain't Gonna Cry (1989), was not promoted by the label and did not chart. But it did spawn her final Top-40 country hit to date, "When Love Comes Around the Bend," which RCA refused to release as a single to stores because Newton's contract had not been renewed.^{[citation needed]}

After being dropped by the RCA label in 1989 (along with several other country-based artists, including Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers), Newton took time to focus on her family life with then-husband Tom Goodspeed, daughter Jessica and son Tyler in San Diego, California. Newton took a hiatus from recording albums, touring sporadically until the returning to the music scene in late 1990s when she released the albums "The Trouble with Angels" and "American Girl".^{[citation needed]}

Juice Newton, San Diego, 2009

Highlights: 1990s to today[link]

In 1994, Newton contributed the track "Lovers of One Day" to the Edith Piaf tribute album, which also included songs by Pat Benatar and Donna Summer.

In 1995, Newton recorded a double-album of pop duets (which was slated to be sold via infomercial), but the project was riddled with legal issues, resulting in a low-impact, "accidental" release of the "Platinum & Gold" series of duets in the early 2000s (the CD set was released without Newton's permission). Subsequently, bootleg CDs including most of the duets turned up on U.S. store shelves as "Gold & Platinum, Volumes 7 and 8". Those CDs also contain 1995 solo versions of three of Newton's pop hits ("Angel of the Morning", "Love's Been a Little Bit Hard on Me" and "Queen of Hearts"). Newton's duet partners included Willie Nelson, Melissa Manchester, the Pointer Sisters and Frankie Valli. In 1998, Newton released "The Trouble with Angels," a collection of seven re-recorded hits and three new songs, including the single "When I Get Over You." The 1998 effort was quickly followed by American Girl in 1999, which was Newton's first album of all-new material since 1989 and featured the single "They Never Made It to Memphis." The collection featured tracks written by Otha Young, Freddie Mercury, Nanci Griffith, Tom Petty and Newton herself.^{[citation needed]}

Every Road Leads Back to You (which consists of live material and a bonus EP of four studio recordings of original songs) was released in 2002 with an accompanying DVD. And American Girl Vol. II, which was originally sold exclusively at cdbaby.com and at Newton's live shows, was released in 2003 and reissued in 2006 and again in 2011 by Brookside Records.

In 2005, Juice Newton appeared on the TV show Hit Me Baby One More Time on which she performed a folk-rock rendition of Ashlee Simpson's "Pieces Of Me" and a truncated version of "Queen of Hearts"; online voters selected Newton's performance as their favorite of the five acts that appeared on the episode. In the mid-2000s, Newton also contributed tracks to the albums An All-Star Tribute To Cher ("Reason to Believe") and An All-Star Tribute to Shania Twain ("Come On Over").

On November 15, 2007, Newton released The Gift of Christmas, her first Christmas album. The 12-song album includes a new version of Newton's "Christmas Needs Love to Be Christmas" and "Mary's Boy Child," as well as a special Christmas version of "For Believers", an Otha Young-penned song first recorded in 1983 for the Dirty Looks album.

On August 6, 2009, Newton's longtime musical partner Otha Young died of cancer. The pair worked together for 37 years.

On October 26, 2010, Juice Newton's Duets: Friends & Memories album was released by Fuel 2000. The album contained duets performed with Willie Nelson, Melissa Manchester, Frankie Valli and others. One single ("Funny How Time Slips Away") has been released. In addition to the domestic album, an import edition was released on November 30, 2010.

On July 26, 2011, Fuel 2000 released Juice Newton: The Ultimate Hits Collection, which included Newton's own version of the Carpenters' 1978 hit "Sweet Sweet Smile."

On May 7, 2012, BGO Records issued a two-CD set containing Newton's three 1970s Capitol albums: "Come To Me", "Well Kept Secret" and "Take Heart." This marks the first time these albums have been available in the CD format. With the release of this set, all Newton's 17 studio albums have been issued on CD.

Discography[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

	Book: Juice Newton
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Juice Newton

• Official website
• Fansite
• Juice Newton at Allmusic
• Juice Newton at the Internet Movie Database
• The Official US Charts
• Canadian Sales Database
• US Sales Database
• Austria Chart History
• Switzerland Chart History