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Kenny Rogers will perform at the Keystone Centre in Jan. 24, 2013 with special guest star B.J. Thomas. (FILE PHOTO)
The Keystone Centre, with media sponsors CKLQ and the Brandon Sun, announced Tuesday that Kenny Rogers will perform at Westman Place on Thursday, Jan. 24, with special guest B.J. Thomas.
During his storied career of nearly five and a half decades, the Grammy Award-winning country and pop superstar has endeared music lovers around the globe with his amazing songs, heartfelt performances and rare storytelling ability.
He has received hundreds of awards for his music and charity work, including 18 American Music Awards, 11 People’s Choice Awards, eight Academy of Country Music Awards and five Country Music Association Awards.
In addition, Rogers has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Entertainment Buyers Association, is a recipient of the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award from the Academy of Country Music, and in 1990, he was honoured with the Horatio Alger Award, given to those who have distinguished themselves despite humble beginnings.
"We booked ‘The Gambler’," Keystone Centre general manager Neil Thomson said. "And the concerts keep on coming.
"Kenny is a legend. More than that, he’s a true entertainer and we’re sure his fans in Westman will be impressed with his show here."
Tickets for the concert go on sale this Friday at 10 a.m. Rogers last appeared in Brandon in 2001.
The Houston-born Rogers is unique in that he has enjoyed success in such a variety of genres: jazz, folk, rock, country and pop.
He was a member of the popular folk group, The New Christy Minstrels, but the spotlight started focusing on Rogers when his group, The First Edition, scored their first hit, "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)."
That was followed by the pop and country chart success of "Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town," when the group officially became known as Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.
However, it was a breakthrough Grammy-winning performance of "Lucille" in 1977 that propelled Rogers to solo superstardom and launched one of the most prosperous solo careers in the history of music.
Rogers is the Recording Industry Association of America’s eighth bestselling male artist of all time with one Diamond album, 19 Platinum albums, 31 gold albums and sales of more than 120 million albums worldwide. His greatest hits album has sold more than 24 million copies worldwide.
He has recorded 24 No. 1 songs, including "The Gambler," "Lady," "Lucille," "Islands In The Stream," "Through The Years" and "She Believes In Me", and 12 No. 1 albums. His 2011 release, "The Love Of God" — his first inspirational gospel album — became his 21st Top 10 Country album, receiving rave reviews. Rogers called it "one of the best things I’ve ever done."
Rogers was a participant in the We Are The World USA For Africa performance and co-chaired Hands Across America. The Kenny Rogers Children’s Center in Sikeston, Mo., serves children with special needs by providing a wide array of developmental and therapeutic services and cutting-edge treatments at no charge to the families served.
His recent concerts are also garnering rave reviews from Rolling Stone, MTV.com, FUSE TV, CMT, Yahoo Music, American Songwriter, and Billboard. "Spellbinding …breathtaking … One of the 10 best performances of Bonnaroo 2012," Billboard wrote about Rogers’ set.
Meanwhile, Grammy Award-winner B.J. Thomas, one of the most distinctive voices in American pop music, is known for his signature hits — the Oscar-winning "Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head," the million-selling "(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song," "I Just Can’t Help Believing" and "Hooked On A Feeling."
Tickets will be available online at tickets.keystonecentre.com, by phone at 204-726-3555, or in person at the Keystone box office.
» Submitted
Republished from the Brandon Sun print edition October 31, 2012
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