FILE - Kenny Rogers poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, May 17, 1989. Previously unreleased songs recorded by the late country superstar Rogers will be on a new record coming out in June 2023. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) – Previously unreleased songs recorded by the late country superstar Kenny Rogers will be on a new record coming out in June.
After a career spanning jazz, rock, country and pop, the Grammy-winning balladeer nicknamed “The Gambler” died at the age of 81 in 2020. His widow, Wanda Rogers, curated the posthumous record called “Life is Like a Song,” coming out June 2 on UMe.
The recordings were made between 2008 and 2011 and includes originals and covers like Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight” and “At Last,” made famous by Etta James, which will be on a deluxe version of the record. The album will also include two previously released songs, his duet with Dolly Parton, “Tell Me That You Love Me,” and “Goodbye,” written by Lionel Richie, both released in 2009, but never digitally.
The Country Music Hall of Famer had a thriving career for some 60 years with such hits as “Lucille,” “Lady” and “Islands in the Stream,” a beloved Parton-Rogers duet.
“He would often say that he wanted his songs to be “˜what every man wants to say, and every woman wants to hear,'” Wanda Rogers said in a press release. “I think there are a lot of those moments on this album. 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.”
