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Luck or Something Like It
A remarkable story of a boy who couldn't stop singing, and a man who knew how to hold 'em
For more than half a century, Kenny Rogers has been recording some of the most revered and beloved music in America and around the world. In that time, he has become a living legend by combining everything from R&B to country and gospel to folk in his unique voice to create a sound...more
For more than half a century, Kenny Rogers has been recording some of the most revered and beloved music in America and around the world. In that time, he has become a living legend by combining everything from R&B to country and gospel to folk in his unique voice to create a sound...more
Hardcover, 304 pages
Published
October 2nd 2012
by William Morrow
(first published October 18th 2011)
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Kenny Rogers' creative skills are in singing lyrical stories and taking photographs; this 3 and 1/2-star book reflects those abilities by creating a picture-perfect story of his life that lacks any real depth. It's enjoyable reading as far as it goes but it just skims the surface of much of what he has done. He makes sure to push his image as a "aw, shucks" type of average country family man while ignoring his reputation as a wealthy womanizer and control freak.
The early parts of the book are ac...more
The early parts of the book are ac...more
Some memoirs are about how an author feels about things. Others are about what happened. The latter can be interesting, as with this book, but the result is a little flat. What was it like to go from living in the projects to buying an 11 million dollar home in Bel Air? We may never know, only that it happened.
I did find it encouraging that he had a whole successful career that was over when he was 38 and started over and became even more successful.
My favorite part was probably:
"So now I'm maki...more
I did find it encouraging that he had a whole successful career that was over when he was 38 and started over and became even more successful.
My favorite part was probably:
"So now I'm maki...more
Kenny Rogers tells his life story - the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Why I picked it up: Way back in middle school I had a Kenny Rogers record I played to death. When I saw this book on my library's "new book" list I was intrigued and wanted to know more about his life and rise in the music industry.
Why I kept reading: His writing has a conversational tone, and he's a good storyteller.
In the end: I found this autobiography refreshingly honest. He tells it like it is from the early days of his c...more
Why I picked it up: Way back in middle school I had a Kenny Rogers record I played to death. When I saw this book on my library's "new book" list I was intrigued and wanted to know more about his life and rise in the music industry.
Why I kept reading: His writing has a conversational tone, and he's a good storyteller.
In the end: I found this autobiography refreshingly honest. He tells it like it is from the early days of his c...more
Let's see... one star for the author's account of his musical life in the First Edition and before... one star for tales of Nashville superstardom... and one star simply for proper use of the word piqued where so many ignorantly use peaked. This book actually seems to have been proofread by a human, which is more than most get in this era of easily-fooled grammar and spell checkers. By no means a tell-all, the deepest Rogers gets is to grossly simplify the reasons for his failed marriages, while...more
Jan 06, 2013
Eric
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own,
non-fiction
This was a fun book to read. Rogers keeps the tone light and tells some entertaining stories. I especially liked the parts where he discussed the origins of certain songs and what they mean to him. It is true that this book casts him in the most positive light possible, and glosses over some uncomfortable moments in his life, but it is his autobiography. He can do anything he wants with it. To be honest, I wasn't all that interested in the messy personal stuff anyway. I've loved Kenny's music my...more
A very enjoyable book about Kenny, his upbringing (in Houston), his career, marriages, children and the people he worked with like Dolly Parton. I didn't know he was so good at tennis or that he did so many good things for people less fortunate. i was surprised to learn many of his closest associates, band members and such, have been with him for almost his whole career. If you like Kenny Rogers, I recommend you read this book.
I wouldn't call myself a Kenny Rogers fan, but the guy was everywhere throughout my childhood and he was of interest to me. So when I saw his memoirs, I thought of it as a bit of an education. The book had a nice, personable tone to it and inside I met a humble man just as surprised by his success as anyone.
What surprised me was how late a start he got in the genre that made him famous. A career musician, he didn't move to country until he was 37 and needed to start again. There are some terrifi...more
What surprised me was how late a start he got in the genre that made him famous. A career musician, he didn't move to country until he was 37 and needed to start again. There are some terrifi...more
Kenny Rogers has fallen ass-backwards into fame and fortune. Whether bragging about his multiple Rolls-Royces, scuba diving with Lionel Richie, or playing tennis with Robert Duvall, Mr. Rogers never fails to make you, the reader, feel like a pauper. Oh, and "The Gambler" is one of the worst songs ever. Kudos to my friend Ben for sending me a copy of this free of charge. I certainly couldn't imagine anyone paying money for this claptrap. Islands in the Stream my ass.
Nov 04, 2012
Gale
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans
Shelves:
2012,
memoir-biography
Kenny Rogers just accents the parts of his life he wants tell his readers but leaves out most of the parts he's rather not speak about so it really wasn't a very comprehensive account of his life. His partnership with Dolly Parton is presented in a more thorough, entertaining way where as his lengthy personal relationship with Lorrie Morgan is barely mentioned.
The book was likeable if you are a Kenny Rogers fan. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother reading it.
The book was likeable if you are a Kenny Rogers fan. Otherwise, I wouldn't bother reading it.
I've always liked Kenny but was unaware of his past until I read the book. I felt that even though he had several failed marriages, he seemed to take responsibility for his part in them. We all have a past, right? I found his stories interesting and entertaining. I did get a little bored through some of his career details, but overall, enjoyed the read.
I enjoyed this look back at the career of Kenny Rogers. I was a fan in the 80's and 90's and was surprised that he had already had a couple of different music careers by then. As in any autobiography, a lot is glossed over especially in his personal life. The stories behind the songs and the glimpses of life when you're rich and famous made this worth the read.
There was a good review of this book on the Entertainment Weekly website -
http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/10/04/ke...
http://music-mix.ew.com/2012/10/04/ke...
Everybody now sing: You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em,
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
Know when to walk away and know when to run.
You never count your money when you're sittin' at the table.
There'll be time enough for countin' when the dealin's done.
This is a good book about the life and career of the singer. Among the highlights are his discussions of his relations with friends Dolly Parton and Lionel Richie.
As a very long-time Kenny fan, this was a must read. I was a bit hesitant, since I know that finding out more about celebs can be an "I wish I hadn't" experience that makes you appreciate them less. I'm relieved I'm still glad to say I'm a Kenny fan. Of course there were times I wondered why on earth... but more often I was taken by his humble go-get-'em, can-do-anything(maybe), upbeat attitude. There is much humor in his memoir (sometimes subtle, sometimes all-out little boyish), plenty of humi...more
interesting, not especially well written
If your at all a fan, it's an interesting read.
This is the 3rd music autobiography I have read in the past few months. When I say "read", I mean listened to with my Audible.com account. I listened to the Keith Richards and Neil Young autobiographies before this one. They were both good, but, this one was better. When I say "better", I mean more enjoyable. I think Kenny Rogers is a better story teller then either Keith Richards or Neil Young. You know the three of these guys have had super long very interesting careers, Kenny just tells the s...more
Feb 17, 2013
Claire
added it
loved it. found out such a lot about one of my favourite singers. like his narrative voice now too! listened to the songs if talked about online while reading it.
A
Because there is definitely a story behind this one :)
May 22, 2013
Jill
is currently reading it
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![Kenny Rogers Presents the Greatest [With Audio Version of Song to Accompany by Kenny Rogers]](http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347442823m/348614.jpg "Kenny Rogers Presents the Greatest [With Audio Version of Song to Accompany by Kenny Rogers]")
Dec 19, 2012 12:46am