SiriusXM remembers country music legend Kenny Rogers

SiriusXM is sad to report that country music icon and Hall of Fame member Kenny Rogers has passed away at the age of 81. Since his passing on Friday, March 20, SiriusXM has been honoring the music icon who helped expand the audience for country in the 1970s and ’80s.

Click the button below to watch Rogers’ exclusive SiriusXM Town Hall with Prime Country (Ch. 58) from 2017 On Demand now. During the special with host Storme Warren, Rogers reflected on his life, the recording of “We Are The World,” his decision to take up photography and play professional tennis, his longtime friendship with Dolly Parton, and more.

On Saturday, March 28 at 9pm ET, hear T. Graham Brown on Prime Country talk to Wynonna Judd, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Tanya Tucker, and more as they relive some of Rogers’ most memorable moments, all set to some of Rogers’ best live and in-studio recordings. Catch replays of this special on Saturday, March 29 at 4pm ET and Sunday, March 30 at 10am ET and 8pm ET.

On Monday, March 23, Rogers’ longtime publicist, Keith Hagan, called into Feedback on SiriusXM VOLUME (Ch. 106) to share some memories on working together, which you can hear On Demand now.Born in Houston, Texas, Rogers started playing music as a teenager, becoming a member of folk revivalists The New Christy Minstrels before forming a new group, The First Edition.

After disbanding The First Edition in 1976, Rogers launched his career as a solo artist and earned his first No. 1 with “Lucille” in 1977, followed by other massive crossover hits — like “Coward Of The County,” “The Gambler,” “Lady,” and, of course, his chart-topping duet with Parton, “Islands In The Stream.”

More hits and many industry honors followed, including GRAMMYs, Country Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and American Music Awards. He even acted in a series of TV movies based on his “The Gambler” character.

Rogers announced his retirement from music in 2015 and launched the Gambler’s Last Deal tour, which concluded with an all-star tribute concert at Nashville’s Bridgestone arena in October 2017.

Before retiring, however, Rogers visited the SiriusXM studios for an Artist Confidential on Prime Country in 2013 and performed “Merica,” from his final studio album, You Can’t Make Old Friends, which you can watch below.