On This Day in 1979, Kenny Rogers Was at No. 1 With an Album That Helped Cement His Domination of the Country Charts

On this day (November 19) in 1979, Kenny Rogers was at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with Kenny. The LP was a massive hit, spending 25 uninterrupted weeks in the top spot. It also produced a pair of huge crossover hits. “You Decorated My Life” went to No. 1 on the country chart and No. 7 on the Hot 100. “Coward of the County” topped the country chart and peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre tally.

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Rogers didn’t start his career as a country musician. Instead, he fronted the psychedelic rock band First Edition. Then, he kicked off his solo career, aiming at country music stardom. Kenny was a country hit, but showcased all of Rogers’ musical leanings. Strains of everything from hard country to disco appear within its tracklist. For instance, “Tulsa Turnaround” is a reworked version of a song he originally recorded with First Edition.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1983, Kenny Rogers Released a No. 1 Album Containing One of the Most Iconic Duets of All Time]

“You Decorated My Life” and “Coward of the County” were huge crossover hits for Rogers. The latter, though, proved to be a much more enduring single. Today, it sits with “The Gambler” and “Islands in the Stream” in the category of timeless tunes from Rogers’ discography.

Kenny Rogers Was a Powerful Force on the Country Charts

Kenny Rogers tapped into a sound that fans of both country and pop music could enjoy. As a result, he dominated the country albums chart between 1979 and 1980.

Rogers’ classic album The Gambler topped the country chart dated January 20 in 1979. It stayed at the top for 19 weeks before Waylon Jennings’ Greatest Hits dethroned it for the week of June 2. The next week, The Gambler went back to the top, where it stayed for four more weeks. Then, Kenny reached No. 1 on November 10 and retained the top slot for the rest of the year.

After 25 consecutive weeks, Kenny lost the top spot to Charlie Pride’s There’s a Little Bit of Hank in Me on May 3. Rogers returned to the top spot the next week with Gideon. It initially only stayed at the top for a single week. Then, it returned, holding the peak for five more weeks.

Rogers wasn’t finished, though. He returned to the top of the chart for six nonconsecutive weeks.

In total, Kenny Rogers spent 60 weeks atop the country albums chart between 1979 and 1980.

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