“The Gambler Returns: The Ultimate Kenny Rogers Tribute Show" at the Ohnward Fine Arts Center -- June 17.
Saturday, June 17 2 p.m.
Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa IA
One of the most successful and beloved country crooners of all time will be celebrated at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center on June 17 when recording artist Alan Turner performs The Gambler: The Ultimate Kenny Rogers Tribute Show, a musical journey through the career of the American icon who has sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and racked up two dozen number-one hit singles, among them "Lady," "Islands in the Stream," "Lucille," and, of course, "The Gambler."
A 2013 inductee into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, Rogers, who retired in 2017 and passed away in 2020, was particularly popular with country audiences, but also charted more than 120 hit singles across various genres, topping the country and pop album charts for more than 200 individual weeks in the United States alone. He sold more than 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. After his popular ensemble The First Edition disbanded in 1976, Rogers embarked on a long and successful solo career, which included several successful collaborations, including duets with singers Dottie West, Dolly Parton, and Sheena Easton, as well as a songwriting partnership with Lionel Richie. His signature song, 1978's "The Gambler," was a crossover hit that won him a Grammy Award in 1980 and was selected in 2018 for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. He also developed the Gambler persona into a character for a successful series of television films starting with 1980's Emmy-nominated Kenny Rogers as The Gambler.
Rogers' albums The Gambler and Kenny were featured in the About.com poll of "The 200 Most Influential Country Albums Ever," and the artist was voted "Favorite Singer of All Time" in a 1986 joint poll by readers of both USA Today and People. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards, among them Grammys, American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards, and Country Music Association Awards, and beyond "The Gambler," his songs "Coward of the County," "Lady," and "Islands in the Stream" all topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Rogers' later success included the 2006 album Water & Bridges, an across-the-board hit that entered the top five on the Billboard Country Albums chart and the top 15 of the Billboard 200, and at his star-studded farewell concert in Nashville in 2017, he performed "You Can't Make Old Friends" and "Islands in the Stream" with his longtime friend Dolly Parton for their final time in public.
Award-winning country musician Alan Turner's concert event The Gambler Returns: The Ultimate Kenny Rogers Tribute Show lands at the Ohnward Fine Arts Center on June 17, admission to the 2 p.m. stage performance is $13-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (563)652-9815 and visiting OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.
