Born Aug. 21, 1938, in Houston, Texas, Kenny Rogers left few genres un-traversed throughout his six-decade musical career. Dabbling in jazz, folk, rock, and country, the four-time Grammy Award winner reinvented himself multiple times, with each iteration seemingly more successful than the last. On this day in 1981, Rogers made history with some help from fellow renaissance man Lionel Richie.
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Lionel Richie Wrote This Kenny Rogers Hit in Just 5 Minutes
Richie penned “Lady” at Kenny Rogers’ suggestion after the latter was inspired by Ray Charles’ 1962 double album, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. “The idea was that Lionel would come from R&B and I’d come from country, and we’d meet somewhere in pop,” Rogers explained in an interview with Billboard.
At the time, the “Islands in the Stream” crooner was chomping at the bit for some new material. “I was about to explode,” he continued. “I needed new input and that’s where Lionel came in.”
Richie had originally pitched “Lady” to his group the Commodores, but they turned it down. Rogers immediately wanted to record the song upon hearing it, and he requested that the “All Night Long” crooner also write him a second track.
Richie was halfway through “Goin’ Back to Alabama” before Rogers decided he wanted to perform “Lady” first. What “The Gambler” singer didn’t know, however, was that Richie had only written the first verse at the time.
The American Idol judge quickly excused himself and wrote the second verse in a bathroom stall. “The idea of telling Mr. Rogers that I don’t have the second verse was not going to happen in my lifetime,” Richie told Drew Barrymore in March 2023.
[RELATED: 4 Songs Written by Lionel Richie That Would Sound Great on Country Radio]
“Lady” Became a Massive Success for Both Artists
Kenny Rogers recorded “Lady” and released it as part of his 1980 Greatest Hits compilation album. Hitting No. 1 on Nov. 29, 1981, it became the first record of the 1980s to chart on all four of Billboard magazine’s singles charts—country, Hot 100, adult contemporary and Top Black Singles.
Lionel Richie also produced “Lady,” marking his first post-Commodores production work. Speaking about the song’s impact on his own career, the “Hello” singer said, “There comes a time when you realize that an outside association may enhance your career a little bit more than if you try to do it all by yourself. And working with Kenny has given me a great opportunity to meet people in the business… We’ve developed a great friendship that will probably last the lifetime.”
Featured image by Ross Marino/Getty Images
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